The Betting Startups Podcast

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/]

Ep. 212: Meet the First Pitch finalists competing for $100k in prizes

Ep. 212 is the official First Pitch preview episode, where we will meet the 5 startups selected to present at SBC Summit Americas on June 11 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.   In this episode, you will hear from the five finalists: * Javier Troncoso, InsightPlay.ai [http://insightplay.ai/] * Matt Bresler, Odditt * Matt Paulton, OddsBlaze  * Andrew Gonzalez, ParlayX * Robert McCall, The Sharps   SBC First Pitch brings together some of the most exciting startups within the betting and gaming industry to compete for a chance to win an exclusive prize package, valued at over $100,000 to assist in the winner’s development and growth plans.   Listen to Business of Betting, the premier podcast covering the business of the sports betting industry featuring host Jeff Edelstein, on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3CSw5mj9tprfhhGTs1hNq8], Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/business-of-betting-podcast/id1223927895] and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@businessofbetting]   If you don't have a ticket for the event yet, use discount code BETTINGSTARTUPSVIP for 30% off your pass. Grab your ticket here: https://sbcevents.com/sbc-summit-americas/ [https://sbcevents.com/sbc-summit-americas/]   Catch the video version of this episode here [https://youtu.be/FRjg3_dNOfs].   📩 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. 211: Building the AI-native orchestration layer for payments in gaming w/ Filip Michalsky from Soap Payments

Ep. 211 features Filip Michalsky from Soap Payments, an AI-native orchestration layer designed to simplify the complex payments stack for real-money gaming operators. Hear them discuss: * Filip’s path from professional squash in the Czech Republic to Harvard AI data science and Fidelity Investments. * The "iceberg" of payments: Navigating the hidden layers of issuing banks, acquiring banks, and convoluted funds movement. * Using AI agents to slash payment onboarding times from months to a single week. * How unified stablecoin rails enable "instant settlement," allowing operators to receive funds in five seconds. * Protecting operators against "bad actors" with specialized defenses that maintain a 0.2% chargeback rate book-wide. * The "vibe coding" vs. review approach: Scaling to 30+ customers with a lean, seven-person team. * Moving beyond gaming: Early traction and expansion into the massive online health vertical. * Strategic funding from Antler, AeroPay, and Astralis Capital ahead of an upcoming larger seed round. * The five-year vision: Becoming a global payment orchestrator alongside category leaders like Stripe.   Listen to Business of Betting, the premier podcast covering the business of the sports betting industry featuring host Jeff Edelstein, on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3CSw5mj9tprfhhGTs1hNq8], Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/business-of-betting-podcast/id1223927895] and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@businessofbetting]   Catch the video version of this episode here [https://youtu.be/1NCvaK84RIw].   Learn more 👇 ➡️ SOAP Payments website [https://www.paywithsoap.com/] ➡️ Filip Michalsky on Linkedin [http://linkedin.com/in/filip-michalsky]   📩 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. 210: Building DFS 3.0 to prioritize "less spreadsheets and more friends" w/ Matt Kelley from Fast Draft

Ep. 210 features Matt Kelley from FastDraft, a fantasy sports platform recently merged with FantasySpin that focuses on high-velocity, mobile-first gameplay. Hear them discuss: * Matt’s transition from building a million-dollar stats business to launching a platform for the 60M+ fantasy gamer market. * Why the "attention deficit economy" needs 5-minute drafts instead of the traditional hour-long commitment. * The origin story of FastDraft and how it grew out of the underserved dynasty and rookie draft subcultures. * Details on the merger with FantasySpin and combining skill sets to create a "Voltron" marketing and product team. * How they built and licensed a regulated gaming app for $2M by leveraging "OG entrepreneur" experience. * The philosophy of "DFS 3.0" and why prioritizing social play over spreadsheets is the industry's next frontier. * Integrating a unified wallet and cross-app features to optimize for wallet velocity. * Their long-term vision to become the "go-to second screen" for sports fans through a blend of stats and gaming The dedicated Startup Zone at SBC Summit Americas gives real-money gaming startups a platform to showcase to 10,000+ attendees — including investors, operators, suppliers, media, and key industry players. Spaces are limited, secure yours now through https://www.bettingstartups.com/sbc-americas-2026 [https://www.bettingstartups.com/sbc-americas-2026]   If you don't have a ticket for the event yet, use discount code BETTINGSTARTUPSVIP for 30% off your pass. Grab your ticket here: https://sbcevents.com/sbc-summit-americas/ [https://sbcevents.com/sbc-summit-americas/]   Catch the video version of this episode here [https://youtu.be/WrIDlxlH_jo].   Learn more 👇 ➡️ FastDraft website [http://draftfaster.com/] ➡️ Matt Kelley on Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewtkelley]   📩 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. 209: Building the "aspirin" for casino game distribution headaches w/ David & Kavin from Hydrastack

Ep. 209 features David and Kavin from Hydrastack, a startup using AI to transform how casino games are developed, converted, and distributed across channels.   Hear them discuss: * The origin story of Hydrastack and how industry pain points around game distribution sparked the idea * Why converting casino games from land-based to online can take 6–8 months and how Hydrastack cuts that down to weeks * How their proprietary AI models ingest and transform existing game code instead of requiring full rewrites * The massive inefficiencies in the current gaming supply chain and how they impact manufacturers, operators, and players * Why “re-authoring” games from scratch is the industry’s biggest bottleneck * How Hydrastack’s platform integrates directly into existing developer workflows (like Unity) * The importance of combining deep industry experience with an outsider perspective to build better solutions * Early traction, including pilot partnerships with major manufacturers and strong inbound interest * Their business model: platform licensing + per-game conversion fees * Insights from participating in programs like Zero Labs, Rice Business Plan Competition, and Booth’s New Venture Challenge * How AI is being adopted across gaming and why most companies still struggle to extract real value from it * Their long-term vision to become the core platform for casino game development and distribution   The dedicated Startup Zone at SBC Summit Americas gives real-money gaming startups a platform to showcase to 10,000+ attendees — including investors, operators, suppliers, media, and key industry players.  Spaces are limited, secure yours now through https://www.bettingstartups.com/sbc-americas-2026 [https://www.bettingstartups.com/sbc-americas-2026]   If you don't have a ticket for the event yet, use discount code BETTINGSTARTUPSVIP for 30% off your pass. Grab your ticket here: https://sbcevents.com/sbc-summit-americas/ [https://sbcevents.com/sbc-summit-americas/]   Catch the video version of this episode here [https://youtu.be/dznu2IBJDlE].   Learn more 👇 ➡️ Hydrastack website [https://hydrastack.io/] ➡️ David Dimas on Linkedin  [https://www.linkedin.com/in/daviddimas/] ➡️ Kavin Kaviarasan on Linkedin  [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kavin-kaviarasan/]   📩 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/]