Karolina Pelc: There is no work-life balance as a founder

🎙 NEXT.io Podcast #201 with Vladimir Malakchi, CEO of Xanada Investments Pierre Lindh and Vladimir Malakchi, CEO of Xanada Investments, discuss the keys to successful fundraising, the importance of clear pitch decks, and how investors bring more than just capital—they offer expertise, networks, and trust. ⏰ Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction: Analysing mistakes and risks 00:31 - Example of startups: "No competitors" myth 00:37 - Sponsors: Pragmatic Solutions and Pragmatic Play 01:32 - Podcast begins: Welcoming Vladimir from Xanada Investments 02:23 - Xanada Investments: Background and challenges 04:50 - Strategies for scaling businesses with investors 06:14 - Avoiding dependency on single clients 07:18 - The role of investment funds beyond capital 09:04 - Importance of a clear and concise pitch deck 11:03 - Keeping it simple: The “Apple rule” for clarity 13:02 - Capturing investor attention through concise pitches 16:07 - Networking to stand out in the investment landscape 18:06 - Accessibility of iGaming investors 19:25 - People vs. ideas: What investors focus on 22:04 - Founders’ energy and commitment over ideas 24:40 - Handling failure and turning it into opportunity 27:04 - Showing investors how you cover risks 30:40 - The rise of CIS products in the iGaming industry 43:00 - Xanada Investments' goals for the next three years 46:04 - Closing remarks: Advice for founders 🔔 SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nextdotio CONNECT WITH NEXT.IO ✩ Website - https://next.io/ ✩ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nextdotio/ ✩ X/Twitter - https://twitter.com/nextdotio ✩ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/nextdotio _____ This episode of the NEXT.io is brought to you by: Pragmatic Play – Industry-leading content provider. https://www.pragmaticplay.com/en/ Pragmatic Solutions – Leading iGaming platform technology. https://pragmatic.solutions/  Episode sponsored by: https://www.creedroomz.com/

🎙 NEXT.io Podcast #200 with Carolina Estrada Duque, Account Manager at Evolution. Carolina's story is one that will leave you in awe — despite enduring a tumultuous childhood and adolescence, she has risen above her challenges and transformed into the successful businesswoman she always aspired to be. ⏰ Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction 00:30 - Sponsors 01:23 - 200 episodes! 04:29 - Welcoming Carolina Estrada Duque 06:48 - Carolina's Life Story 10:22 - Overcoming Scarcity and Hunger 14:10 - Cultivating Resilience and a Positive mindset 17:37 - Surviving a Life-Threatening Incident 22:13 - Impact of Childhood on Current Traits 26:12 - Mechanisms for coping with frequent moves 30:15 - Turning Adversity into Motivation for Success 35:45 - First Job and Independence at Age 12 37:38 - Starting a New Chapter in Malta 48:00 - Reflections on Career Opportunities in Malta 52:20 - Supporting Refugee Children in Malta 55:01 - Staying Positive After a Difficult Childhood 57:25 – The Four Agreements Book 01:06:33 - How Childhood Shaped Carolina’s Professional Success 1:10:06 – Gratitude for Reaching Success 01:13:01 - Future Ambitions 01:15:16 - Closing Marks 🔔 SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nextdotio CONNECT WITH NEXT.IO ✩ Website - https://next.io/ ✩ Instagram - @next.io ✩ Linkedin - https://mt.linkedin.com/company/nextdotio _____ This episode of the NEXT.io is brought to you by: Pragmatic Play – Industry-leading content provider. https://www.pragmaticplay.com/en/ Pragmatic Solutions – Leading iGaming platform technology. https://pragmatic.solutions/  Episode sponsored by: https://www.creedroomz.com/

🎙 NEXT.io Podcast #199 with Daniel "Jungle" Man, professional poker player.   Daniel "Jungleman" Cates, one of the most iconic figures in the #poker world, shares his journey and insights in our latest podcast episode.   ⏰ Timestamps:   00:00 - Introduction 00:28 - Sponsors 01:47 - Welcoming of Daniel Jungleman Cates 02:55 - Recent poker tournament experiences. 04:00 - "The Durrrr" Challenge" 08:27 - GTO strategies and life analogies. 10:13 - Carrot vs. stick approach and Machiavellian thinking in leadership. 14:00 - Breaking down life like a game 15:53 - The concept of good and evil 20:04 - Cooperation and collective winning in life 25:24 - Defining success and examples from history 29:20 - Life-Lessons learned from Poker 35:39 - Mental fortitude in high-stakes poker games. 40:19 - Risk-taking in poker and life 46:51 - Bots and GTO poker: Threats to online poker. 52:12 - What’s next for Jungleman: 54:55 - Closing marks   🔔 SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST   Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nextdotio   CONNECT WITH NEXT.IO   ✩ Website - https://next.io/ ✩ Instagram - @next.io ✩ Linkedin - https://mt.linkedin.com/company/nextdotio   _____ This episode of the NEXT.io is brought to you by: Pragmatic Play – Industry-leading content provider. https://www.pragmaticplay.com/en/   Pragmatic Solutions – Leading iGaming platform technology. https://pragmatic.solutions/    Episode sponsored by: https://www.creedroomz.com/

🎙️ Welcome to episode #15 of Vested Interest, with Pierre Lindh, Lloyd Danzig & Benjie Cherniak.  Special Guests:  Joey Levy - Founder, Simplebet & CEO, Betr Tomash Devenishek - Founder, Kero Sports In this special micro-betting-focused episode, hosts Benjie Cherniak and Lloyd Danzig are joined by Joey Levy, founder of Simplebet, and Tomash Devenishek, founder of Kero Sports, to discuss the future of micro-betting, the evolution of in-play and the challenges of creating innovative betting products.  ⏰ Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction 01:54 - Welcoming Lloyd and Benjie  02:39 - Overview of Micro-Betting 04:02 - DraftKings Acquisition of Simplebet  08:50 - Impact on Competitors  10:30 - Impact on Cura Sports and Competitors 12:33 - Initial Skepticism Around Micro-Betting  17:25 - Welcoming Joey Levy and Tomash Devenishek  18:16 - Early days at Simplebet 24:25 - Future of Micro-Betting 28:46 - Tomash Devenishek on Global Expansion 31:00 - Advantages and Disadvantages on Micro-Betting  35:10 - Joey Levy on Betr  39:00 - Joey Levy’s Entrepreneurial Lessons  41:32 - Tomas on the Future of Sports Betting UX (41:32 - 43:08) 43:08 - Closing Remarks  🔔 LISTEN / SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/es/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/409DefE... 🔗 CONNECT WITH NEXT.IO ✩ Website - https://next.io/  ✩ Instagram - @next.io ✩ Linkedin -   / next.  . _____ This episode of the NEXT.io is brought to you by: Pragmatic Play – Industry-leading content provider. https://www.pragmaticplay.com/en/ Pragmatic Solutions – Leading iGaming platform technology. https://pragmatic.solutions/  Episode sponsored by: https://www.creedroomz.com/

NEXT.io Weekly News Live Stream 📅 Every Thursday at 3 PM CET 📍 Streaming across all our social media platforms 🎙️ Hosted by Conor Mulheir and Zak Thomas-Akoo This week on NEXT.io Weekly News, we address Kambi and Genius Sports refuting acquisition rumors and what that means for the market. We also look into the Philippines' intensified actions against illegal online gambling, Betsson's exit from the U.S. B2C market, and RevPanda's acquisition of Leetz Media, exploring how these developments impact the iGaming landscape. 🗞 Read the full stories: - Kambi and Genius Sports deny acquisition rumours https://next.io/news/investment/kambi... - Philippines police ramp up POGOs crackdown after raid https://next.io/news/regulation/phili... - Betsson confirms B2C US exit, prepares to halt Colorado operations https://next.io/news/betting/betsson-... - Revpanda acquires Leetz Media to create Revpanda Group https://next.io/news/investment/revpa... This week's sessions are brought to you by Playson and Sponsored by Hub88.

🎙 NEXT.io Podcast #197 with Karolina Pelc, VP at BEyondPlay, FanDuel 🎧 𝗛𝗼𝘄'𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸-𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲? Karolina Pelc shares how she balanced intense workloads at a startup and being an entrepreneur while trying to have a personal life.   Karolina gives us the lowdown on the inspiring journey from founding Beyond Play to its acquisition by FanDuel. Don't miss this inspiring interview with Pierre Lindh and Karolina Pelc! ⏰ Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction  00:36 - Sponsors 01:32 - Karolina's Journey 02:55 - Entrepreneurial Journey & the First Major Exit 06:09 - The process of Selling BeyondPlay 10:10 - Life After the Entrepreneurial Exit 16:09 - Challenges of an Intense Workload 20:39 - The Responsibility as an Entrepreneur  25:01 - The Realities on Mental Health. 31:55 - Adjusting to New Roles and Motherhood 35:55 - Reflections on Productivity and Work-Life Balance 39:06 - Different Scenarios at Entrepreneurship to Be Productive 45:39 - Coping Mechanisms for Efficiency  55:07 - Shadow work vs. Deep-Focus Work Concept 58:00 - Looking to the Future & Investing in Female Founders 01:02:07 - Advice for New Founders 01:09:11 - Investor Perspective and Building Credibility 01:16:10 - The Next Steps for Karolina  01:18:28 - Closing Marks 🔗 CONNECT WITH NEXT.IO ✩ Website - https://next.io/  ✩ Instagram - @next.io ✩ Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/next... _____ This episode is brought to you by: Pragmatic Play – Industry-leading content provider. https://www.pragmaticplay.com/en/ Pragmatic Solutions – Leading iGaming platform technology. https://pragmatic.solutions/ Episode sponsored by: https://www.betconstruct.com/ 

Catch this week’s NEXT.io Weekly News for a quick rundown of significant iGaming updates. Highlights include DraftKings' acquisition of Simplebet, enhancing its betting technology. We also cover Evoke's purchase of Winner.ro, aiming for growth in Romania, and BlueBet’s strategic exit from the US market. 🗞 Read the full stories: – DraftKings to acquire micro-betting specialist Simplebet – Evoke to acquire Romanian local hero brand Winner.ro for €10m – BlueBet exits US market to refocus on expanding Australian operations – Spribe and Flutter’s Adjarabet lose $330m Georgian copyright case This week's sessions are brought to you by Playson and Sponsored by Hub88. 📅 Every Thursday at 3 PM CET 📍 Streaming across all our social media platforms 🎙️ Hosted by Conor Mulheir and Nico Jansen

📰 Your go-to source for the latest in iGaming! Tune in as we bring you the hottest news and trends in the industry, featuring in-depth discussions on each topic. In this week’s NEXT.io Weekly News we are delighted to have a special guest, John Gordon, Co-Founder and CEO of Incentive Games who will guide us through the Prize Matcher launch announcement, a new daily free-to-play game exclusively on bet365. This week's sessions are brought to you by Playson and Sponsored by Hub88.io. 📅 Every Thursday at 3 PM CET 📍 Streaming across all our social media platforms 🎙️ Hosted by Conor Mulheir and Nico Jansen

🎙 NEXT.io Podcast #195 with Brais Pena, Chief Strategy Officer at Easygo. In this episode, we dive into the world of Stake 🎰 with Brais Pena Sanchez, the visionary Chief Strategy Officer. Brais takes us through Stake's meteoric rise, from its crypto casino roots to becoming a powerhouse in online gambling - trust, innovation, and strategic celebrity partnerships, like those with Drake and the UFC, have fuelled their success. Brais also shares the secrets behind their vibrant community engagement and future ambitions, including a potential leap into the North American market. ⏰ Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 1:49 - Welcoming Brais Pena Sanchez 02:32 - Brais's Journey with Stake 05:54 - Trust and Security in Crypto Casinos 8:24 - Reasons for Stake's Success 10:21 - Brand Ambassadorship Strategy 15:29 - Partnerships with Sports Organizations (UFC and Formula One) 17:01 - Streaming Partnerships Strategy 18:48 - Responsible Gambling 20:58 - Reaction to Twitch's Gambling Ban and Launch of Kick 23:32 - Growth and Future of Kick 25:04 - Other Ventures within Easygo 27:16 - Managing Hyper Growth 31:16 - Leadership and Company Culture 33:21 - Regulated Markets and Expansion Plans 36:31 - New Generation of Crypto Casinos 37:56 - Community Building and Player Engagement 44:09 - Trends in iGaming, Crypto, and Streaming 46:54 - Ambition for Easygo and Stake 49:05 - Potential Entry into the North American Market 🔔 LISTEN / SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/es/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/409DefE... 🔗 CONNECT WITH NEXT.IO ✩ Website - https://next.io/ ✩ Instagram - @next.io ✩ Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/next... _____ This episode of the NEXT.io is brought to you by: Pragmatic Play – Industry-leading content provider. https://www.pragmaticplay.com/en/ Pragmatic Solutions – Leading iGaming platform technology. https://pragmatic.solutions/

🎙Welcome to episode #14 of Vested Interest, with Pierre Lindh, Lloyd Danzig & Benjie Cherniak and special guest, Erik Hession, Co-president Caesars Sports & Online gambling - Caesars Entertainment, Inc. Dive deep into the latest trends shaping the iGaming industry, focusing on the evolving build vs. buy strategies, mergers and acquisitions, and the growing interest in micro-betting. The episode features a special interview with Eric Hession, who shares insights into his career journey, the transition from retail to digital operations, and Caesars' strategic approach to growth and innovation in the competitive online gaming market. ⏰ Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:42 - Welcoming Guests 02:23 - Build vs. Buy Strategies 05:21 - Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) in the Industry 07:09 - Micro-Betting and Pricing Trends 09:00 - Impact on B2B Suppliers 14:11 - DraftKings Pricing Surcharge Discussion 31:21 - EriK Hession's Professional Journey 34:34 - Transition from Retail to Digital Operations 37:18 - Build vs. Buy Strategy and Zero Flux Acquisition 43:13 - M&A Integration Challenges 46:10 - DraftKings Pricing Surcharge Reaction 48:10 - Growth Opportunities for Caesars  50:50 - Exploring International Expansion 52:57 - Closing Marks 🔗 CONNECT WITH NEXT.IO ✩ Website - https://next.io/  ✩ Instagram - @next.io ✩ Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/next... _____ This episode of the NEXT.io is brought to you by: Pragmatic Play – Industry-leading content provider. https://www.pragmaticplay.com/en/ Pragmatic Solutions – Leading iGaming platform technology. https://pragmatic.solutions/