This week: Inside Handigraphs’ fast-growing baseball data platform and what’s next

Inside Handigraphs’ fast-growing baseball data platform and what’s next

The news: Like many other betting tools on the market, when Adam Rosenberg launched Handigraphs with co-founder CJ Buskey this summer, it wasn’t meant to be a business. The suite of tools for baseball handicapping was a side project between two bettors that wanted to make the data less intimidating. “We wanted to make a website that made it easier for people to bet on a sport that would be very intimidating to them and know what data’s good and what data’s bad,” Rosenberg told BettingStartups. “On Handigraphs, you go in and blue is bad and red is good.” That simple color-coding insight has since become the foundation for one of the stickiest tools in baseball betting.

Zoom in: Handigraphs aggregates advanced baseball metrics into a clean, customizable interface designed for fast, confident analysis. Its standout feature, the 30/60/90 split, shows how hitters perform over different time frames and against pitcher handedness, offering what Rosenberg calls “a legitimate edge when it comes to sports betting.” Since launching publicly in July, the platform has drawn roughly 250 paying users and over half a million pageviews, with “zero churn,” Rosenberg says. He credits that retention to hands-on onboarding: “You really need to hold people’s hands out of the gate as new users. If a user has a really good experience in their first two weeks with a product, they’re with you forever.”

Why it matters: Handigraphs is proof that usability and education can outperform hype. The $10-per-month platform has grown through community and word of mouth, not paid marketing, and users are now building and sharing their own filters inside the product. For Rosenberg and Buskey, it’s still a side project built on curiosity and a shared love of baseball. But with hockey, tennis, and golf integrations on deck, Rosenberg says the next season will be a turning point. “We’re between proof of concept and alpha phase right now,” he said. “Next baseball season’s going to be pretty key for us.”

Eilers & Krejcik: Investors tread carefully in sweepstakes amid perception and exit hurdles

The news: Speaking at Optimove’s ‘Finding the Sweeps-Spot Breakfast’ during G2E 2025, Matt Kaufman, Managing Director of Digital & Interactive at Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, outlined an investment climate in sweeps gaming defined by caution, limited liquidity, and shifting appetites. With risk perception high and exits unclear, he said “it’s difficult to raise money at this point in time,” as investors increasingly weigh reputational risk and wait for more defined regulatory signals before making bets.

Zoom in: Kaufman pointed to several levers still drawing capital: proprietary technology, defensible product IP, and credible leadership. “People invest in people,” he said, emphasizing that founder credibility and execution history can help overcome negative media narratives that continue to shape investor sentiment. Yet even experienced investors are treading carefully. Many gaming-focused funds already hold exposure to the space—or face conflicts from prior investments—leaving emerging operators competing for a shrinking pool of backers. Strategic buyers, meanwhile, have chosen to build rather than buy, keeping M&A activity light.

Why it matters: Sweeps gaming remains a high-interest but low-liquidity corner of the market. While the fundamentals of user growth and engagement remain strong, investors are demanding clearer paths to defensibility and exit potential before re-entering. Until that clarity arrives, Kaufman said, the sector will likely remain one where “sellers point to their cash flow, and acquirers point to the news flow.” In other words: a dynamic that rewards strong operators but keeps the broader deal environment subdued.

The news: BettingStartups is hiring a Head of Podcast Operations to take full ownership of its growing podcast studio. It’s a 3-month contract to start, with the chance to scale into a long-term role. Full job description here.

Why it matters: We’re running three active weekly shows with more on the way, and we need someone who can turn our production function into a scalable machine. If you’ve built multi-show pipelines before, know what “great” looks like in podcasting, and thrive on process, this is your stage. You’ll own the systems, workflows, and team behind the mic—and help shape the leading voices within the real-money gaming ecosystem. If that sounds like you, apply here!

Kraken acquires a CFTC-regulated prediction market for $100M

The news: Kraken has acquired Small Exchange, a CFTC-licensed Designated Contract Market (DCM), from IG Group for $100 million—a move that gives the company full authority to design and operate regulated derivatives markets in the U.S. The acquisition follows its purchase of NinjaTrader earlier this year and positions Kraken to connect spot, futures, and margin products within a single, onshore liquidity system.

Zoom in: Under CFTC oversight, Kraken will be able to clear, match, and manage risk across a unified infrastructure, something co-CEO Arjun Sethi described as “building better market structure,” and not just narrative. The acquisition continues Kraken’s multi-year expansion into regulated markets, complementing its U.K. Multilateral Trading Facility and crypto futures offering in Europe. Together, these venues span six fiat currencies and more than 450 assets, moving collateral in real time and reducing the capital inefficiencies that have long held back U.S. traders, the company says.

Why it matters: It’s rare to see a crypto-native exchange moving deeper into traditional market plumbing, but Kraken’s purchase reflects a growing convergence between betting, finance, and crypto—each driven by speculation and liquidity. With regulatory clarity improving and infrastructure maturing, the company’s onshore push signals how next-generation exchanges may increasingly blur the lines between digital assets and legacy derivatives.

News, money, and alpha

• Pitch ICE returns to ICE Barcelona 2026 on January 20, offering startups a stage to pitch their products and ideas to investors, partners, and industry leaders. Applications close November 21.

• RotoUnderworld has raised $500K in the first weeks of its Seed+ round as it targets $5M to accelerate growth across its FastDraft and PlayerProfiler fantasy products.

• Jurnii has added industry veteran Karolina Pelc as an investor and strategic advisor to support the company’s next stage of growth.

From the studio

Catch up on the latest episodes of The BettingStartups Podcast.

• Fantasy football puzzles for the masses w/ Brian Birt from Griddy

• Bringing gamified avatars to iGaming w/ Tom Lemke of Savage Tech

• Tracking over $10 billion in verified bets w/ Pranav Tadikonda from Pikkit

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Are you a startup in real-money gaming looking to announce a new product launch, partnership, or funding round? Get it on our radar! Email: [email protected]