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

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

Ep. 215 features Travis Geiger, Co-Founder 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/]

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/]