Ep. 183: Bringing gamified avatars to iGaming w/ Tom Lemke of Savage Tech

Ep. 184 features Brian Birt, founder of Griddy, the fantasy football puzzle game bringing year-round engagement to sports fans.   Hear him discuss: His journey from childhood sports fanatic to building products at Sleeper and launching Griddy How Griddy turns fantasy football into a strategic, bite-sized mobile game playable 365 days a year Solving the seasonality problem in fantasy sports with an innovative “chemistry” team-building mechanic Why he intentionally built Griddy as a free-to-play game without real money components How a community-driven approach led to 30,000 users and 3M+ games played with zero ad spend The role of Reddit and storytelling in driving organic, founder-led growth Lessons from Sleeper: building trust and community before monetization Finding product–market fit through retention and user obsession, not growth hacks Getting early believers on the cap table, including Joel Simkins from XST Capital, and why he seeks to preserve optionality for future capital needs How psychological resilience and consistency fuel startup success What’s next for Griddy, from new game modes and rewards to expansion into other sports and fandoms     Catch the video version of this episode here.   Learn more 👇 ➡️ Girddy website  ➡️ Brian Birt on Linkedin   📩 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/   -- This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.

Ep. 183 features Tom Lemke, founder of Savage Tech, the world's first true gamified retention engine for the iGaming industry. Hear him discuss: His review of the recent SBC Summit conference in Lisbon How his experience co-founding esports teams shaped his understanding of player engagement How avatars, achievements, and progression systems improve retention and customer loyalty Why being likeable is an underappreciated quality when it comes to B2B sales The importance of continuing to show up "on the circuit" at iGaming industry events and conferences Why he decided to retire from participating in industry startup pitch competitions Lessons learned from Adar Ziv, the self-proclaimed "Chief Linkedin Officer" His experience having just closed a seed round, and the importance of smart money over just money How Savage Tech is approaching localization for markets like Asia, Brazil, and Africa   Catch the video version of this episode here.   Learn more 👇 ➡️ Savage Tech website  ➡️ Tom Lemke on Linkedin   📩 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/   -- This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.  

Ep. 182 features Pranav Tadikonda from Pikkit, which is a social sports betting tracker that automatically aggregates bets, analyzes performance, and connects users through community and content.   Hear him discuss: • Why he and co-founder Anthony Jonikas started Pikkit after learning big tech wasn't for them • The switch from fantasy to sports betting after PASPA’s repeal • How they validated the idea through real user frustrations with bet tracking • Their early decision to ban manual entry to ensure transparency • The infrastructure behind syncing 30+ sportsbooks through their in-house platform BookSync • His view on the explosion of tools in the betting category • The controversial Twitter API shutdown and their diplomatic response • Their decision not to commercialize BookSync as a B2B product for now • Their $9M fundraising journey across three rounds and now hitting cashflow positive   Catch the video version of this episode here.   Learn more 👇 ➡️ Pikkit website  ➡️ Pranav Tadikonda on Linkedin   📩 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/   -- This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.  

Ep. 181 features Tony Ryan from Bet Caddy, which is building the ultimate sports remote to personalize and streamline the fragmented sports streaming experience.   Hear him discuss: • How betting and fantasy sports make every game moment meaningful for modern fans • The origin story of Bet Caddy, sparked by college sports bars and basement brainstorming • How Bet Caddy delivers a RedZone-style experience for every day of the sports calendar • Using real-time notifications to surface key betting moments before they happen on TV • Drawing inspiration from Spotify’s model to curb piracy through a superior experience • What they learned from their March Madness beta launch and how it shaped the product • Preparing for NFL and college football season with weekly product updates and improvements • How they racked up 25 million organic social views using short-form viral videos • Their monetization strategy combining sportsbook affiliate deals and streaming referrals • The reality of building a complex product as non-technical founders learning along the way • Why Golden State Warriors guard Pat Spencer became their first athlete investor   Catch the video version of this episode here.   Learn more 👇 ➡️ Bet Caddy website  ➡️ Tony Ryan on Linkedin   📩 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/   -- This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.

The Gamble & The Glory showcases founders that built their companies into category leaders in the betting and gaming industry.   In Episode 1 of Season 2, we speak with Einar Knobel from TXODDS, recorded in person at the SBC Summit Americas Conference in Fort Lauderdale.   Hear him discuss: The early days of TXODDS and landing first customers like Betcris and World Sports Exchange How a scrappy, bootstrapped journey scaled into a 25-year industry leader powering global betting markets The rise of in-play betting, Asian liquidity, and the importance of clean, reliable data Lessons from scaling a global data business while keeping culture strong and team-oriented Why TXODDS continues to innovate, from streaming data to U.S. college sports coverage Advice to today’s founders on fundraising, monetization, and building for longevity Video version of this episode can be viewed here. Learn more 👇 ➡️ TXODDS website ➡️ Einar Knobe on Linkedin  If you’re at SBC Lisbon, be sure to drop by TXODDS’ Trev’s Bar in Hall 3 at C320 to say hello to Einar, Trevor and the TXODDS team!   The Gamble & The Glory is made possible by Segev LLP, a full solutions law firm purpose-built for the gaming and betting industry. To learn more, visit: www.segev.ca.

Ep. 180 features Zach Wick from BtrBet, which is a SaaS platform offering a white-labeled tool stack for sports betting creators to manage content, engage audiences, and monetize their communities.   Hear him discuss: • How legal sports betting in Ohio sparked his idea to build a personal betting tracker • The pain points of spreadsheets and the inspiration behind automating bet syncing and analysis • The evolution from a consumer app to a full-stack community tool for content creators • How BtrBet users are building engaged communities on their own branded domains • The business model built around tool subscriptions, with creators keeping 100% of their affiliate revenue • One creator’s story of hitting nearly $1,000 MRR within one week of launching on BtrBet • Key lessons from joining Stripe as employee ~250 and watching it grow to over 8,000 people • Why BtrBet is bootstrapped, and how they're nearing profitability solely through revenue • The challenges of running a lean two-person startup and what he wishes he knew before founding   Catch the video version of this episode here.   Learn more 👇 ➡️ BtrBet website  ➡️ Zach Wick on Linkedin   📩 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/   -- This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.

Ep. 179 features Ryan Murphy of SharpSports and Vijay Dewan from Pine Sports, who sit down to talk through their recent merger to form the new Pine Sports, a full-stack sports data and AI company serving both bettors and B2B partners.   Hear them discuss: • The origin story and strategic rationale behind the Pine Sports and SharpSports merger • How mutual investor Chris Grove sparked the deal by introducing the two founders • How the merger combines SharpSports’ B2B infrastructure with Pine Sports’ consumer-facing AI tools • Why clean data pipelines are essential to powering jaXon, Pine’s chat-based betting assistant • What they've learned from launching LLMs into real betting workflows with jaXon • The future of “autonomous betting” and where they see chat interfaces playing a role • How they’ve integrated tech stacks and restructured roles across the combined team • Their strategy to scale both the SharpSports API and Pine Sports’ user base • How big‑name athlete Marshawn Lynch is backing the company, and how his endorsement is boosting Pine Sports' brand credibility • Trends in how casual and sharp bettors are adopting new tooling • Why they view betting tools as an underserved and high-growth category • How Ryan and Vijay split responsibilities and stay aligned post-merger Catch the video version of this episode here.   Learn more 👇 ➡️ Pine Sports website  ➡️ SharpSports website  ➡️ Vijay Dewan on Linkedin ➡️ Ryan Murphy on Linkedin   📩 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/   -- This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.

Ep. 178 features Trent Hoerr from BullRush, which is a gamified platform offering multi-participant competitions using virtual currency with real cash prizes.   Hear him discuss: • His early days as a professional runner turned prop trader during the 2008 financial crisis • The legal and regulatory path to proving BullRush competitions as games of skill • Why he believes traders often overlap with sports bettors due to shared analytical skills • The significance of peer-to-peer competition and restoring the social side of betting • BullRush’s growth to 150,000 users across 170 countries since launching in 2023 • How he bootstrapped BullRush using profits from his previous startup • Their current NFL Survivor contest with a $100K prize pool • Why he believes BullRush can grow to 5M+ users as more bettors get limited by sportsbooks • The long-term convergence of financial trading and sports betting platforms   Catch the video version of this episode here.   Learn more 👇 ➡️ BullRush website  ➡️ Trent Hoerr on Linkedin   📩 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/   -- This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.

Ep. 177 is the official First Pitch preview episode, where we will meet the 5 startups selected to present at SBC Summit on September 18 in Lisbon, Portugal.   Sue Schneider, Co-founder of Defy the Odds, shares her perspective of the upcoming event, highlighting the global nature of this year’s competition with finalists representing 5 different countries across 3 continents, the evolution of First Pitch, and the opportunities for all startups at the Summit.   In this episode, you will hear from the five finalists: AI Stats, Alexey Vorobey Betpass, Bruno Barroso ChatBet AI, Joshua Swerdlow LiveDuel, Will Martin Nandemo Draft Co., Keigo Namiki   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 €90,000 to assist in the winner’s development and growth plans.   The First Pitch event is hosted by BettingStartups.com's Jesse Learmonth. Judges for the event: Martin Collins from Soft2Bet Lloyd Danzig from Sharp Alpha Dee Maher from La Royale Group Mark Phillip from Metabet Andrew Reader from Velo Capital Partners   If you don't have a ticket for the event yet, use discount code BETTINGSTARTUPSVIP for $300 off your pass. Grab your ticket here: https://sbcevents.com/sbc-summit/ticket-options/ -- This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.  

Ep. 176 features Reid Rooney from Betsperts Group, which acquires and builds brands with loyal, engaged communities in fantasy sports, golf, and sports betting.   Hear him discuss: How Betsperts began by exploring crypto, cannabis, and sports betting before ultimately focusing on sports betting Applying a Stanley Black & Decker “multi-brand” mindset to execute a roll-up strategy in sports media How he was able to partner up with Matthew Berry and Paige Spiranac Mapping out a portfolio that includes 4for4, Dynasty League Football, Bleacher Nation, and Fantasy National Why a strong, engaged community is the non-negotiable of any acquisition target Avoiding quick changes after an acquisition to protect brand loyalty and customer retention Structuring deals with flexible mixes of cash, equity, and earnouts to align incentives Raising over eight figures in capital from top U.S. and international investors Managing founder burnout, embracing therapy, and making time to celebrate wins Short- and long-term growth ambitions, including positioning for iGaming in the U.S.   Catch the video version of this episode here.   Learn more 👇 ➡️ Betsperts website  ➡️ Reid Rooney on Linkedin   📩 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/   -- This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.