Week 25, 2023

It may be the lazy days of summer on the sporting calendar, but if this week is any indication, there’s no seasonal slowdown with betting industry startups.

Here’s wazzup since the last dispatch: ⤵️

📰 Headline news

• This week started with iGaming NEXT announcing a new “seven-figure investment round” as it kicked off its annual flagship event in Malta. (Link)

• Following its recent $11m raise, this week SlamBall announced a multi-year broadcast deal with ESPN. (Link)

• ZeroFlucs, the Australian-based pricing technology company, launched an innovative new betting product: Same Game Combos. (Link)

• iGaming industry investors HappyHour appoints GiG co-founder Ben Clemes as investment portfolio partner. (Link)

• Leading free-to-play provider Incentive Games launches first racing-themed product for bet365. (Link)

• FTN Network Launches “The FTN Fantasy Show” on SiriusXM. (Link)

• Victor Wembanyama, the top NBA draft prospect, IPO’d on Mojo last week ahead of the draft.

Are you an industry startup with news to share? Spam Send us your PR for inclusion here.

🗣️ Pitchin’ stuff

As noted in last week’s issue, Linemate.io was crowned winner of the First Pitch competition at the Canadian Gaming Summit, and took home a cool $60k prize package for their troubles.

We asked co-founder Calvin Konya what the W means to him:

💬 Ink & airwaves

The best of what we read and listened to this week:

• 🎙️ Ep. 71 of The Betting Startups Podcast featured Filip & Troy from FoodFight, which is bringing a novel approach to betting by using food and drinks as the currency. Listen now (33:47): Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Web

• 📺 iGaming NEXT held its flagship event this week in Valetta (the closing party is probably raging as we write). One panel in particular caught our attention: Innovation vs Iteration, which featured 3 (!!) former guests of The Betting Startups Podcast. (Watch on YouTube)

• 📚 In its June update letter, WaterhouseVC takes a look at the convergence of sports betting and investing. (Link)

• 📚 Alex Kane, founder of Sporttrade, shares his perspective on the value of line shopping. (Link)

• 📚 Also from this week’s iGaming NEXT event in Valetta, investors urged industry startups “to manage balance sheets and preserve cash”. (Link)

Are you reading (or writing) something that you think belongs here? Hit reply and send it to us for inclusion

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🤝 Deal corner

Can you help us connect to qualified leads for these opportunities?

• 💥 New this week! Seed investment opportunity (raising $500k) in an innovative P2P sports betting platform taking a unique spin on the sector, focused on boosting local and social fan engagement and experiences. Product, users, and partnerships established and growing.

• Early-stage operator startup with product + Mexican license + experienced management team. Closing pre-seed round soon, less than $250k left unsubscribed, $25k minimum.

• Early-stage operator raising new funding to help facilitate expansion into selected US markets. Available for meetings at SBC to discuss further with qualified investors.

Looking for investment, or have a relevant deal to share? Reply w/ deets and we’ll give you a shout out.

💼 Great gigs

New jobs from leading early-stage companies in the space:

• Novig is a YC-backed company that recently closed a $6m seed round, and they are hiring across a variety of roles. (Link)

• Prophet Exchange is looking for college interns in NJ to help with biz dev. (Link)

• ShotQuality, an early-stage data company that uses AI and computer vision to extract precise location data from video feeds, is seeking a Sales Director. (Link)

K, we’re out. Safe travels to everybody fleeing conference cities this week - see you again in 7 days!✌️