Betting Startups News for week of September 30, 2024

We have returned from a very successful SBC Summit in Lisbon for a quick turnaround before we do it all again at G2E in Vegas next week.

Producing a weekly newsletter like this can be challenging when things are slow and headlines are sparse. Luckily for us, last week was not one of them!

Here’s the latest rundown from the real money gaming industry’s early-stage ecosystem ⤵️

📰 Headline news

• Match Hype was declared winner of the First Pitch competition at the SBC Summit in Lisbon, and took home the €100k+ prize package. (Link)

• The Curling Group landed $5m in seed funding led by Relay Ventures (Link). Nic Sulsky, CEO of The Curling Group, appeared on The Betting Startups Podcast back in June: Spotify | Apple Podcasts

• DFS startup Locker Live raised $2m to launch its new ‘Leagues’ vertical (Link). Noah Bernstein, co-founder of Locker, was on The Betting Startups Podcast this past March: Spotify | Apple Podcasts

• Verse Fantasy announced the launch of ‘Verse Nation’, the first national fantasy leaderboard that grades fantasy teams across platforms. (Link)

• Sporttrade launched in Arizona, the 4th state for the operator. (Link)

• PlayerProps.ai, the betting tool focused on education and responsible gambling, launched v2.0 of its product with 5 major new features. (Link)

• Incentive Games, the B2B provider of free-to-play games, partnered with Betway to launch a new soccer prediction game. (Link)

• LinkedIn named Underdog to its ‘Top 50 Startups’ list, which was the only company included from the real-money gaming space. (Link)

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

💬 Ink & airwaves

The best of what we’ve read, watched, and listened to:

• 🎙️ Ep. 133 of The Betting Startups Podcast featured Radek Psurny from Match Hype, which creates AI-driven videos for sports matches. Recorded on-site at the SBC Summit just minutes after winning the First Pitch competition, Radek provides his perspective on the pitch experience, how Match Hype’s technology is automating dynamic content at scale, and current efforts to close their seed round. Watch or listen now (22:22): YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify

• 📚 The Next: Volume 5 dropped, the series produced by the team at XST Capital. In this edition, XST Capital CEO Joel Simkins catches up with GridRival CEO Ross Fruin. Read it here.

• 📚 Jacob Fortinsky, co-founder of Novig, shares his perspective on why the sweeps model fits the needs of a betting exchange. Read it here.

• 📚 On the heels of her recent appearance on the NEXT.io podcast (which we previously suggested you listen to!), BeyondPlay founder Karolina Pelc explores the elusive nature of work-life balance for founders. Read it here.

🗓️ Industry event calendar

Upcoming events relevant to early-stage companies in the space:

• G2E returns to The Venetian in Las Vegas NEXT WEEK! Everyone will be there, so avoid the FOMO and scoop yourself a FREE exhibition hall pass ($309 value!), courtesy of your friends at BettingStartups.com. Use this link to claim the discount and we’ll see you there.

• BettingStartups.com will be on-site at G2E recording interviews with startup founders for our ‘Quick Hits’ series. We have a few spots left, so watch this video to get the details, and then submit this form to express your interest.

• NEXT NYC officially returns March 12-13, 2025! Experience the foremost online gambling & sports betting summit in North America hosting 1,200 executives. Connecting operators with suppliers, and startups with investors. Tickets sell out every year, and this one will be no different! Use discount code BS1CYN52 for $100 off yours. Event Info | Buy Your Ticket

🤝 Deal corner

2 new deals for your consideration in this week’s issue ⤵️

The Deal Corner is presented by XST Capital Group, the industry’s leading financial strategists.