The Betting Startups Podcast

Ep. 172 features Richard Acosta from Vor Interactive, a UK-based sports data provider creating proprietary first-party data and predictive models.    Hear him discuss: * How a soccer algorithm built by his co-founder sparked Vor's launch and first predictive model * Why their proprietary data now generates 2,000+ prediction points per soccer match across 50+ global leagues * How they’ve expanded from soccer into NFL, college sports, cricket, and tennis while focusing on first-party data * Why they chose a B2B model delivering data products to affiliates and operators instead of professional betting * How their predictive data powers both marketing widgets and pricing models for iGaming companies * How Vor designed a simple integration process that lets partners go live in under 48 hours * The early traction they’ve seen with Odds Shark in the US and Hub Affiliations in Italy, including strong early conversion rates * Why Richard believes staying lean and agile is key as they scale globally and expand their APIs and productized solutions * His long-term vision to grow Vor Interactive into a major global sports data supplier over the next five years   Applications now open for SBC Summit First Pitch competition returning to Lisbon this September 16-18. Eligible startups can submit their applications [https://sbcevents.com/sbc-summit/first-pitch/?utm_source=BettingStartupsPodcast&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=episode170] until July 25 for a shot at over $100,000 worth of prizes.    Catch the video version of this episode here [https://youtu.be/6xAkyuYCVVc].   Learn more 👇 ➡️ VOR Interactive website [https://vorinteractive.com/]  ➡️ Richard Acosta on Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-acosta-uk/]     📩 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/]   -- This podcast is presented by Optimove [https://hubs.la/Q02gLC6c0], the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove [https://hubs.la/Q02gLC6c0] has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove [https://hubs.la/Q02gLC6c0]. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove [https://hubs.la/Q02gLC6c0], the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.

Ep. 171 features Ben Howard from EdgeSports, which offers sports data and predictive AI at your fingertips. Ben shares how the company is capitalizing on the growth of live betting, building modular tech for both consumers and B2B clients, and bootstrapping the business using its own prediction engine.   Hear them discuss: * The journey from sneaker software to Penn Entertainment to founder * How a winning parlay sparked the earliest version of Edge Sports * What makes their predictive models different from other research tools * Why live betting is the future—and how they’re solving for latency * The surprising win rates from their early Discord testing * How B2B traction in Discords and peer-to-peer betting helps fund growth * Why they’ve spent $0 on marketing to date and hit 10,000+ users * How sportsbooks limiting users shapes their roadmap and partnerships * What Edge Sports learned from SBC’s First Pitch and Startup Zone * Their plan to launch live predictions in time for the NFL season * Where Ben sees EdgeSports heading over the next five years   Applications now open for SBC Summit First Pitch competition returning to Lisbon this September 16-18. Eligible startups can submit their applications [https://sbcevents.com/sbc-summit/first-pitch/?utm_source=BettingStartupsPodcast&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=episode170] until July 25 for a shot at over $100,000 worth of prizes.    Catch the video version of this episode here [https://youtu.be/6csu7IDV-jk].   Learn more 👇 ➡️ EdgeSports website [https://www.edgesports.io/]  ➡️ Ben Howard on Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-howard-15b6389b/]     📩 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/]   -- This podcast is presented by Optimove [https://hubs.la/Q02gLC6c0], the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove [https://hubs.la/Q02gLC6c0] has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove [https://hubs.la/Q02gLC6c0]. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove [https://hubs.la/Q02gLC6c0], the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.

Ep. 170 features John Wright from StatsDrone, a business intelligence platform helping affiliates eliminate revenue leak and unlock more value from their data. John shares how the company is centralizing fragmented affiliate stats, building tools for operators, and uncovering hidden opportunities in iGaming’s affiliate ecosystem.   Hear them discuss: * The origin story from professional gambler to affiliate tech founder * How revenue leak inspired the earliest version of StatsDrone * Why “business intelligence” became the heart of their value proposition * Who uses the platform today—from SEO affiliates to large networks * How StatsDrone is building a global map of affiliate sites and links * The surprising ROI hiding in broken tracking and closed casino * Why affiliate CRM remains an underdeveloped opportunity * How operators and affiliate managers are starting to use their insights * What it’s like navigating investor interest and potential exit offers * His two-year vision to unlock billions in affiliate-side revenue optimization   Applications now open for SBC Summit First Pitch competition returning to Lisbon this September 16-18. Eligible startups can submit their applications [https://sbcevents.com/sbc-summit/first-pitch/?utm_source=BettingStartupsPodcast&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=episode170] until July 25 for a shot at over $100,000 worth of prizes.    Catch the video version of this episode here [https://youtu.be/aylohjWgGeg].   Learn more 👇 ➡️ StatsDrone website [http://statsdrone.com/]  ➡️ John Wright on Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alwayslookright/]     📩 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/]   -- This podcast is presented by Optimove [https://hubs.la/Q02gLC6c0], the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove [https://hubs.la/Q02gLC6c0] has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove [https://hubs.la/Q02gLC6c0]. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove [https://hubs.la/Q02gLC6c0], the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.

Ep. 169 features Steven Kenway from Rolling Insights, a multi-sport data platform delivering reliable data to everyone from sharp bettors to startup founders. Steven shares how the team built powerful analytics tools and a developer-friendly API ecosystem to level the playing field in sports data access.   Hear them discuss: • How Rolling Insights spun out of a real estate startup and consultancy • Why Steven believes most fantasy leagues are won by spreadsheet junkies • How acquiring a U.S. data engine became a turning point for the company • Where Rolling Insights fits into the official vs. unofficial data debate • Why startups are the primary customers for their B2B data feeds • The growing demand from sharp bettors and AI modelers • How SportWise and the Breakaway Accelerator fit into their ecosystem • The technical challenges of scraping fast-paced sports like darts • Why he says “you gotta flow like water” when running a startup • His long-term vision to become an official data provider   Catch the video version of this episode here [https://youtu.be/kHanEUYXFvE].   Learn more 👇 ➡️ Rolling Insights website [https://rolling-insights.com/]  ➡️ Steven Kenway on Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-kenway/]     📩 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/]   -- This podcast is presented by Optimove [https://hubs.la/Q02gLC6c0], the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove [https://hubs.la/Q02gLC6c0] has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove [https://hubs.la/Q02gLC6c0]. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove [https://hubs.la/Q02gLC6c0], the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.

Ep. 168 features Davis Catlin from Discerning Capital, which invests at the intersection of betting, sports, media, and technology. This episode was recorded on-site at SBC Summit North America 2025 in Fort Lauderdale.   Hear him discuss: * Why starting Discerning Capital gave him new empathy for founders * Building a deal-by-deal investor network in a regulated industry * The playbook behind their first investment in Australian operator Picklebet * Why Midnite is a “challenger brand” winning with faster paybacks * How SlotCycle is unlocking a hidden market for used slot machines * The opportunity in underinvested profit pools in Australia and the UK * His high-level thesis on the total addressable market nearing $100B * How the capital flow into sweepstakes models may be slowing * Prediction markets like Kalshi and the regulatory gray zone they face * What a Bet365 acquisition could look like—and why DraftKings might care * Why Discerning Capital is launching a new program for user acquisition/growth  financing * How it works: non-dilutive revolving credit tied to ad performance * Why it's a win-win model for operators with strong unit economics   Catch the video version of this episode here [https://youtu.be/XBMteTy4xww].   Learn more 👇 ➡️ Discerning Capital website [https://www.discerningcap.com/]  ➡️ Davis Catlin on Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/davis-catlin-b204122a/] The Canadian Gaming Summit is happening June 17–19 in Toronto! Don’t miss out — get 50% off your Full Event Pass using code BETTINGSTARTUPSVIP at checkout. Grab your ticket now: https://sbcevents.com/canadian-gaming-summit/ticket-options/ [https://sbcevents.com/canadian-gaming-summit/ticket-options/]   📩 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/]   -- This podcast is presented by Optimove [https://hubs.la/Q02gLC6c0], the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove [https://hubs.la/Q02gLC6c0] has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove [https://hubs.la/Q02gLC6c0]. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove [https://hubs.la/Q02gLC6c0], the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.