Startups, skill games & SEO: 3 big shifts you shouldn’t ignore

In the latest episode of the Vested Interest Podcast, Pierre Lindh, Benjie Cherniak, and Lloyd Danzig explored three pivotal shifts impacting startups, gaming, and affiliate businesses right now. From seasonal slumps to the rise of skill-based gaming and the evolving role of affiliates in the era of AI—their insights are a playbook for founders and operators navigating uncertain terrain.

Here are our three biggest takeaways, and why they matter for your business.

How to win during the summer slump

For many industry businesses, summer brings slower sales cycles, distracted teams, and elusive investors. But if you’re a startup founder, you don’t get that luxury. As Danzig put it:

The key, according to Cherniak, is organization and communication. He emphasized building personal rapport with stakeholders—know when key people are on vacation, plan around it, and secure commitments early. “Don’t cold-call someone at 3 PM on the Friday of a long weekend,” he said.

Lindh also shared how his own company handles summer: by turning June through August into planning months focused on strategy and internal alignment, with a clear launch date for new initiatives in September.

The takeaway? Use slower periods to work on your business, not just in it.

Skill-based gaming, and why it’s gaining traction (again)

Skill-based gaming isn’t new, but it’s finally hitting critical mass. Danzig highlighted Triumph, a startup that’s now the #1 casino app on iOS, outpacing traditional gambling apps.

“They build better games… than any multi-billion-dollar gaming company,” he noted, crediting Triumph’s success to full vertical integration and exceptional product quality.

Why the surge now? Skill-based games sidestep costly gambling licenses, opening up faster go-to-market strategies—something especially attractive in the capital-hungry startup world.

But competition is heating up. Cherniak pointed to newer entrants like Bring It On (focused on VIP experiences) and Even Play, which brings sports simulations like golf into home-based, skill-driven play.

Lindh made the regulatory case, drawing on his early poker lobbying days: “The exciting opportunity with skill-based gaming is that you aren’t required to get any form of license… unlocking a much wider segment of users.”

That advantage could fuel future M&A activity, as established operators look to buy growth rather than build it themselves. But as Danzig cautioned, lower barriers mean more competitors. 

In short: it’s a land grab right now, but not for the faint of heart.

Affiliates face an existential moment in the AI era

The final topic hit closer to home for many in the real-money gaming ecosystem: the affiliate industry. Once viewed as bulletproof revenue engines, affiliates have been rocked by Google’s recent algorithm changes and the rise of AI-powered search.

“Big players like Better Collective leaned on major media partnerships—‘parasite SEO’—but when Google cracked down, many of those sites essentially died overnight,” Lindh said.

Meanwhile, Gambling.com stood out by diversifying into subscription and B2B revenue, a model Cherniak applauded:

“You can’t have too many eggs in one basket. You’ve got to hedge your bets.”

But perhaps the biggest threat isn’t Google—it’s LLMs like ChatGPT. Why search for the best betting site on Google when you can just ask an AI directly?

“There’s a whole new world of LLM SEO,” Danzig explained. “The one thing you can’t do is what you were doing ten years ago.”

Founders working in this space need to think bigger than backlinks and rankings. Future affiliate models will depend on authentic communities, AI-driven experiences, and diversified revenue beyond pure lead generation.

Final thought: adapt or get left behind

Whether you’re raising capital during the summer, building the next big skill-based gaming app, or navigating the future of affiliate marketing—one thing is clear:
What got you here won’t get you there.

Success belongs to the founders and operators who are willing to rethink assumptions, build new models, and embrace uncomfortable change. And in case you needed a reminder, Danzig put it best:

“You’ve got to be the best version of you and your company. Make your value proposition so compelling that it can’t be denied.”

Summer may be slow for some—but not for those who stay sharp.

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