Betting Startups News for the week of August 26, 2024

Hey, Jesse here!

As a reminder, you signed up for the Betting Startups Newsletter a while ago. You possibly forgot since we haven’t actually published an issue this year (oops), but we’ve dusted off our rickety old newsletter machine and are back in action.

Lots has happened since we last published, so a few internal updates before we get into this issue:

• In May I welcomed Thomas to the team as the full-time General Manager of BettingStartups.com. We’re now hitting our stride - expect to see some new and exciting things from us this fall.

• After 120+ episodes, The Betting Startups Podcast finally launched as a video podcast. Subscribe on YouTube!

• We launched our first research report earlier this year, called Game Changers. It provides probably the deepest insight into industry startups. Check it out here if you haven’t seen it yet.

With that out of the way, here’s what we saw over the last couple weeks ⤵️

📰 Headline news

• Verse Fantasy closed a $1.1m pre-seed round to accelerate growth for the 2024 NFL season. (Link)

• Pro League Network, which operates a portfolio of niche sports properties, raised a $4.2m seed round. (Link)
  

• Lazarus Agency signed an LOI to acquire Parleh Media Group, and is raising $5m CAD to facilitate the deal. (Link)

• Matthew Berry’s Fantasy Life acquired Guillotine Leagues, the fast-growing platform with a unique twist on fantasy football. (Link)

• The Betting Hero acquisition was finalized with GeoComply’s backing. (Link)

• Sparket signed a partnership with PENN to provide its social betting technology. (Link)
  

• AI-powered modeling startup Rithmm adds former Pinnacle CEO Paris Smith to its advisory board. (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 lately:

• 🎙️ Ep. 125 of The Betting Startups Podcast featured Jon Robin from Dabble. Hear Jon talk about social betting, closing a $30m AUD strategic investment, and replicating their Australia success in the US market. Watch or listen now (36:14): YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify

• 🎙️ Ep. 127 of The Betting Startups Podcast featured Dan Zimmerman from Verse Fantasy. Hear Dan explain his thesis for “DFS 3.0”, the impressive results of their content strategy, and he even breaks news of a $1.1m pre-seed round. Watch or listen now (31:26): YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify

• 🎙️ Ep. 8 of The Gamble & The Glory featured Steven Salz, co-founder & CEO of Rivalry. Hear him discuss taking Rivalry public, being authentic as a brand, and why Rivalry is launching a crypto token. Watch or listen now (50:37): YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify

• 🎙️ Ep. 9 of The Gamble & The Glory featured PrizePicks co-founders Jay Deuskar & Dylan Cooper. Hear them discuss the path to product-market fit, scaling company culture, and their laser focus on “intentional growth”. Watch or listen now (47:17): YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify

• 🎙️ Next.io dropped its latest instalment of the Vested Interest podcast, featuring regular appearances from industry investors Lloyd Danzig and Benjie Cherniak, along with a guest appearance by Erik Hession from Caesars. Apple Podcasts | Spotify

💼 Great gigs

Big opportunities with awesome growth-stage companies:

• Pikkit is on the hunt for a Head of Growth Marketing to work within its NYC office. (Link)

• OddsJam is looking for a Data Analyst to help shape key decisions on the future of the product. (Link)

• Splash Sports just opened up the key role of VIP Account Executive. (Link)

🗓️ Industry event calendar

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

• SBC Summit rolls into Lisbon next month, along with 25,000+ attendees from Sep. 24-26. “The great show in gaming” once again features the First Pitch competition - hosted by Jesse - which will see one industry startup receive a prize package valued at over €100k! If you still need a ticket, use discount code BETTINGSTARTUPSVIP for €300 off yours. Event Info | Buy Ticket

• The Challenger Series, hosted by GeoComply and Citi, returns to Las Vegas on October 7 to kickoff G2E week. It’s a can’t-miss event for every industry founder, but space is limited so RSVP now!
  

  

• G2E returns to The Venetian in Las Vegas from October 7-10. 2024. Event Info | Buy Ticket

• NEXT Summit New York returns to Manhattans financial district March 12-13, 2025. Pre-registration is now open, with a $500 discount being offered to those that pre-register. Event Info | Pre-register for tickets

🤝 Deal corner

Deals! We’ve got deals!

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