This week: SportsStack raises angel round to unify sports data ecosystem

Also: Rithmm launches AI copilot Scout ahead of NFL season, and ParlayX raises $1.25m to scale institutional trading infrastructure

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Betting Startups
September 04, 2026

SportsStack raises angel round to unify sports data ecosystem

The news: SportsStack, a unified data layer for sports betting and prediction markets built by ex-FanDuel and Fanatics engineer Amar Rao, has closed a funding round that includes BettingStartups Capital. It's a stake disclosed publicly for the first time on the BettingStartups podcast, and SportsStack's Unified API now supports more than 30 data providers across scores, stats, odds, and media content.

Zoom in: The bigger opportunity is a settlement API launched this year, which cross-validates data across sources to catch misgrades before a sportsbook pays out. Rao says operators he's talked to are "losing north of like five, 10, $20 million a year on just regrades alone," a cost that hits harder for prediction markets, which can't claw back a payout at all. Underdog and Novig are both live customers, using SportsStack for mapping and settlement as they expand into prediction markets.

Why it matters: Every sports data provider ships its own IDs and formats, so companies have historically rebuilt the same mapping layer over and over. Rao self-funded SportsStack before this round, prioritizing the right partners over speed of capital, and is chasing what he calls becoming "the default infrastructure layer" between data providers and everything built on top of them. Watch for SportsStack in the Startup Zone at SBC Summit Lisbon this September.

Rithmm launches Scout, an AI copilot that explains every betting pick in plain language

The news: Rithmm, the personalized predictive-analytics platform for sports betting, has launched Scout, an AI copilot built into the app that answers questions about any game, player, or bet in plain English. Founder and CEO Megan Lanham says the tool already has a V2 mapped out and Pro-tier signups tied to Scout are running ahead of forecast.

Zoom in: Scout isn't a new idea for Lanham. On Episode 81 of the Betting Startups podcast (published September 4, 2023), she described wanting bettors to ask "who does your model have tonight" instead of texting a friend for a pick. "Scout was born directly out of that dream," she told BettingStartups. "It wasn't a pivot, it's the same thesis we've had since day one." An early attempt didn't work because the tech and unit economics weren't ready, so the team waited.

Why it matters: Rithmm's original product asked bettors to build their own predictive models, a tool for a narrower, more technical user. Scout opens what Lanham calls "a second front door into the exact same modeling engine," letting the company serve casual bettors who want the same edge without building anything themselves, off one core asset instead of two separate products. If the flywheel she describes holds, every question Scout answers feeds the roadmap that shapes what Rithmm builds next.

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ParlayX raises $1.25M pre-seed round led by Dreamcraft Ventures

The news: ParlayX, the institutional infrastructure layer for prediction markets, has closed a $1.25M pre-seed round led by Copenhagen-based Dreamcraft Ventures. The round also drew angels from Sporting Crypto, ID8, EVG, and former Frax Finance contributor Jack Corddry, and follows ParlayX's public launch and onboarding of four major venues: Kalshi, Polymarket, Limitless, and ProphetX.

Zoom in: The company has already onboarded its first 10 market makers, with two more venue integrations (Novig and Polymarket US) expected early in the NFL season. Dreamcraft's Nikolaj Nyholm said ParlayX is building "the critical plumbing that institutions demand," backing a platform he called central to the "rapid professionalization and structural evolution of the prediction market asset class."

Why it matters: Prediction markets are quickly outgrowing retail apps, and ParlayX is positioning itself as the execution and compliance layer institutions need to trade them at scale. CEO Andrew Gonzalez called the round "a massive validation of our vision and the immediate pain points we are solving for institutional traders," and he's set to make that pitch directly to the industry this fall at SBC's Global Prediction Markets Forum, the PREDICT Conference, and NEXT PREDICT.

  • 🆕 ProphetX is hiring a Director, Solutions Engineering to build the exchange infrastructure behind its CFTC-regulated sports prediction market. Remote. (View job)

  • 🆕 PredictQ is hiring for its content team this NFL season (View job)

  • Griddy is hiring a Head of Content Partnerships to build out and run its creator network ahead of NFL season. (View job)

  • BettingJobs are currently seeking a B2B Growth Marketing Manager for an innovative supplier to the sports betting industry. (View job)

Looking for your next key hire or role? Connect with Betting Jobs at G2E Las Vegas. Contact Carla Souter or Jennifer Innes to get in touch.

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