Ep. 211: Building the AI-native orchestration layer for payments in gaming w/ Filip Michalsky from Soap Payments

Ep. 216: Childhood games with adult stakes w/ Jackson Erminio from Spina

Ep. 216 features Jackson Erminio, Founder of Spina, joining Jesse Learmonth to discuss building a skill-based gaming startup, solving the liquidity challenge, and creating a marketplace where players can compete head-to-head in games they already know and love.   Hear them discuss: * How Jackson went from selling sneakers and running a marketing agency to founding Spina, a real-money skill gaming platform built around familiar games like Connect 4, 8-Ball Pool, and Tic-Tac-Toe * Why Spina pivoted from betting on anything between friends to live, head-to-head skill games with matchmaking and optional voice chat * The startup's dual go-to-market strategy, combining a direct-to-consumer app with B2B partnerships for casinos, gaming platforms, and influencers * The liquidity challenge facing all multiplayer gaming marketplaces and the creative tactics Spina is using to ensure players can find opponents quickly * Early traction metrics, including strong repeat-play rates, growing organic app downloads, and surprising demand for Connect 4 compared to other games * Partnerships with companies like BetOpenly and Hub88, plus opportunities to power custom gaming experiences for influencers and content creators * Finding a technical co-founder through TikTok, and validating the concept before investing heavily in development * Why Jackson believes skill gaming is one of the industry's most overlooked categories and how it may benefit from a more favorable regulatory landscape than other gaming verticals * Lessons learned from bootstrapping, moving quickly, testing ideas in public, and focusing relentlessly on solving the most important problem first * Spina's vision for the future, including cross-platform liquidity, expanded distribution, and becoming the leading marketplace for real-money skill-based competition   Learn more 👇 ➡️ Spina website [https://spina.app/] ➡️ Jackson Erminior on Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacksonerminio/]   📩 Get the top headlines from the industry's most promising growth-stage companies every week—totally free! Subscribe to the Betting Startups newsletter here: https://news.bettingstartups.com/ [https://news.bettingstartups.com/]

Ep. 215: Unpacking WagerWire's new prediction market license w/ Travis Geiger

Ep. 215 features Travis Geiger, Co-Founder & CXO of WagerWire, joining Jesse Learmonth at SBC Fort Lauderdale to discuss the company’s transformation into its vision for building a regulated prediction market ecosystem. Fresh off securing a license-in-principle in Gibraltar, Travis shares how the company is positioning itself at the intersection of gaming, finance, and innovation.   Hear them discuss: * Why WagerWire evolved into Wire Markets and how prediction markets became the company’s next major opportunity * The challenges startups face integrating with sportsbooks, and why innovation often struggles within the regulated betting ecosystem * Wire Markets’ Gibraltar licensing milestone, regulatory approach, and plans to build a compliant, responsible prediction market platform * Creating a builder-friendly ecosystem where founders, startups, and innovators can launch products and access new distribution opportunities through Wire Markets * The role of Starties and Betting Startups in supporting entrepreneurship and fostering a stronger betting innovation community * Responsible gaming, addiction concerns, and why prediction market operators must borrow best practices from both gaming and financial services * Gibraltar’s growing importance as an international hub for gaming, fintech, and prediction market businesses * The company’s fundraising plans, investor interest, and roadmap toward launching ahead of the next NFL season * Why Travis believes prediction markets represent a larger cultural shift than previous industry trends like DFS, microbetting, and sweepstakes * His vision for building a global, regulated financial marketplace around real-world events and information   Catch the video version of this episode here [https://youtu.be/nCiKNa_3m_w].   Learn more 👇 ➡️ WagerWire website [https://www.wagerwire.com/] ➡️ Travis Geiger on Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/travisgeiger/]   📩 Get the top headlines from the industry's most promising growth-stage companies every week—totally free! Subscribe to the Betting Startups newsletter here: https://news.bettingstartups.com/ [https://news.bettingstartups.com/]

Bonus Episode: First place at First Pitch w/ Andrew Gonzalez from ParlayX

This bonus episode features Andrew Gonzalez, Founder & CEO of ParlayX, joining Jesse Learmonth moments after winning the SBC Summit Americas First Pitch competition in Fort Lauderdale.    Hear them discuss: * Winning the SBC First Pitch competition, and what it means to him * Andrew’s entrepreneurial story, including leaving his market-making career, navigating multiple pivots, and betting on himself as a founder * The challenges institutions face with blockchain, compliance, and fragmented market access, and how ParlayX aims to solve them * Launch plans, institutional partnerships, and the growing opportunity at the intersection of prediction markets and financial infrastructure   Catch the video version of this episode here [https://youtu.be/fayAzox91LY].   Learn more 👇 ➡️ ParlayX website [https://parlayx.com/] ➡️ Andrew Gonzalez on Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewgonzalez15/]   📩 Get the top headlines from the industry's most promising growth-stage companies every week—totally free! Subscribe to the Betting Startups newsletter here: https://news.bettingstartups.com/ [https://news.bettingstartups.com/]

Ep. 214: Combining responsible gaming with player retention to fix a leaky safety net w/ Alec Gehlot from PlaySignal

Ep. 214 features Alec Gehlot, Founder of PlaySignal, a responsible gaming platform helping operators intervene earlier, reduce self-exclusions, and create healthier player experiences.    Hear them discuss: * The inspiration behind PlaySignal and why rising self-exclusion rates reveal a growing industry challenge * How PlaySignal’s traffic-light system helps identify at-risk behavior and intervene before players reach a crisis point * Why Alec believes responsible gaming should move from a back-office compliance function to a player-facing experience * The concept of “RG 3.0” and how behavioral science, player psychology, and real-time engagement can reshape responsible gaming * Balancing player protection and retention by helping operators act proactively rather than reactively * The pressures facing regulated operators, including higher taxes, tighter regulations, and competition from offshore markets * Why responsible gaming may become the strongest differentiator for licensed operators in the years ahead * How prediction markets and platforms like Kalshi are approaching self-exclusion and responsible participation * Alec’s decision to bootstrap PlaySignal and his approach to building a lean startup in the gaming industry * The entrepreneurial lessons he’s learned from boxing, resilience, and getting “punched in the face” while building a company   Catch the video version of this episode here [https://youtu.be/WU-33_4_0NQ].   Learn more 👇 ➡️ Play Signal website [https://playsignal.app/] ➡️ Alec Gehlot on Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alecgehlot/]   📩 Get the top headlines from the industry's most promising growth-stage companies every week—totally free! Subscribe to the Betting Startups newsletter here: https://news.bettingstartups.com/ [https://news.bettingstartups.com/]

Ep. 213: Meet the intelligence layer for the outcome economy w/ Gregory Tolmochow from Trendline Labs

Ep. 213 features Gregory Tolmochow, Founder & CEO of Trendline Labs, a startup building what it calls the “Bloomberg Terminal for prediction markets.”    Hear them discuss: * Gregory’s journey from sports betting analytics and The Betting Insider to founding Trendline Labs * Why prediction markets represent a major evolution beyond traditional sports betting * The pivot from an AI-powered sports analytics tool to a unified prediction market terminal * Building a platform that aggregates pricing, liquidity, and data across multiple prediction market exchanges * How Trendline’s Optimus AI model helps users understand market pricing and identify opportunities * The company’s vision to become the trusted information source for prediction markets * Monetization plans through premium subscriptions and transaction-based trading fees * Regulatory considerations, including obtaining an Introducing Broker (IB) license to enter the U.S. market * The ongoing debate around prediction markets, sportsbooks, market makers, and retail traders * Trendline’s roadmap, fundraising plans, and long-term goal of democratizing access to market intelligence   Catch the video version of this episode here [https://www.youtube.com/@bettingstartups/videos].   Learn more 👇 ➡️ Trendline Labs website [https://trendlinelabs.ai/] ➡️ Gregory Tolmochow on Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregory-tolmochow-522ab6229/]   📩 Get the top headlines from the industry's most promising growth-stage companies every week—totally free! Subscribe to the Betting Startups newsletter here: https://news.bettingstartups.com/ [https://news.bettingstartups.com/]