Grandstand raised $2.75M to build out its creator economy/fan engagement platform. Sandeep Rajan previously spent time as a product leader at both Dropbox and Patreon. Grandstand arose from Sandeep’s deep passion for sports and helping creators monetize with their biggest fans. Chapters: (02:05) Consumer Tech background (07:45) Grandstand overview (10:15) Web3 paved the ground (12:00) Women’s sports (16:10) NIL deepened fan engagement (18:30) Challenges building in sports (22:50) Business model ...
Nov 27, 2023•31 min•Ep. 93
GODSENT is a world-famous, Swedish esports organization with its legacy in the game Counter-Strike. To create the team, Ludwig Sandgren left his job and sold his apartment to be able to pay player salaries and get GODSENT off the ground. Super interesting conversation covering esports, the future of the sport, and founding + operating a team in the space. Chapters: (01:55) Journey to esports owner (04:50) First steps to create a team (06:50) Day to day operations (08:40) Esports demographics/dat...
Nov 20, 2023•27 min•Ep. 92
All-American wrestler to founding what would become CBS Sports Network and now running a micro betting company in Simplebet. Simplebet is a B2B product development company using machine learning and automation to make every moment of every sporting event a betting opportunity. Exploring the eerily similar worlds of sports media 20 years ago and sports betting today. Chapters: (02:20) Inspiration for Simplebet (07:25) CBS Sports Network (13:30) Favorite part of building a company (16:15) Advice f...
Nov 19, 2023•25 min•Ep. 91
Chris Paul, Zion Williamson, Jimmer Fredette, and a few other pro players are invested in Scout. Clients include Iowa, Texas A&M, G-League, Florida, Siena, Depaul, and others. Scout is the first digital family office solution for athletes that combines financial education, wealth management, and tax preparation with a premium financial concierge service. Michael Haddix Jr. previously spent time at Lazard, Goldman Sachs, and Wasserman. Scout has raised $4m to date. Chapters: (01:50) Inspirati...
Nov 16, 2023•26 min•Ep. 90
Leading a team of 70+ artificial intelligence and computer vision experts, Luka Pataky has deep insights into where the space is headed. Sportradar Group AG (NASDAQ: SRAD), founded in 2001, is a leading global sports technology company creating immersive experiences for sports fans and bettors. Today’s conversation centers around the evolution of computer vision, sports, artificial intelligence, and deep learning. Chapters: (01:40) Journey in AI (03:50) What is Sportradar? (05:20) Evolution of c...
Nov 14, 2023•28 min•Ep. 89
DMG Ventures recently made two sports investments: F1 Arcade and a new Padel tournament called The Hexagon Cup. DMG Ventures is the investment arm of media company, Daily Mail, they have deployed over $200 million into consumer companies. Manuel Lopo de Carvalho co-founded DMG Ventures alongside Lord Rothermere in 2017, previously spending time consulting at McKinsey and banking at Goldman Sachs. Chapters: (01:25) From banking to VC (03:00) DMG Ventures (07:45) Value proposition (12:05) Corporat...
Nov 07, 2023•27 min•Ep. 88
The sport of padel has exploded across Europe! Today we break down the business behind it and its expansion west. Ryan Redondo is a former All-American tennis player who has spent his career in racquet sports. He is currently the CEO of Taktika Padel and also the San Diego Stingrays in the Pro Padel League. Padel is a cross between tennis and squash originating in Mexico. Chapters: (03:25) What is padel? (04:30) Taktika & San Diego Stingrays (06:40) Global landscape (stats) (08:55) Padel Lea...
Nov 02, 2023•26 min•Ep. 87
The Fan-Owned SailGP Team by FANVEST IO provides a unique opportunity to become a team owner for as little as $5,000. David Palmer is helping coordinate the new Bermuda-based SailGP team that is owned by 1,950 accredited investors. The team aims to be the 11th team in the league, projected to begin participating in races in 2024 during Season 5 of the Sail Grand Prix Series. Through his various roles in a public hospitality company, David Palmer was instrumental in achieving a $2.85 billion go-p...
Oct 31, 2023•31 min•Ep. 86
Prior to founding Caffeine, Ben Keighran sold Chomp Inc to Apple where he led the design of Apple TV for several years. Caffeine TV has had several pivots over the years and the last one saw the platform go from 2 million to over 40 million active users. On Caffeine TV you can watch free live broadcasts, highlights, and replays of sports. Chapters: (01:35) Original idea for Caffeine (07:00) Driving millions of active users (09:00) Sports media’s transitions (13:50) GenZ and short form (16:00) AI...
Oct 25, 2023•25 min•Ep. 85
Tom Webb is the Chief Marketing Officer of the Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP). APP is an organization elevating the sport of pickleball by providing elite platforms for the best players in the world, right through to those picking up a paddle for the first time. Over his 30-year career, Tom Webb has worked with a number of world-famous brands including Red Bull, Emirates Airline, Polo Ralph Lauren, Formula 1, The Olympic Games, America's Cup, and Major League Soccer. Chapters: (01...
Oct 24, 2023•32 min•Ep. 84
The Sporting News (TSN) was founded in 1886 as a weekly newspaper. They recently raised $15M to expand into commerce beyond just digital ads. LTV > CPM. Before TSN, Rich Routman was the President and CRO of Minute Media helping them raise millions of dollars and become a 10-figure company. The Sporting News acquired a sports betting company earlier this year and plans to continue building on top of their media. Chapters: (01:55) Learnings from Minute Media (05:50) Why he joined The Sporting N...
Oct 19, 2023•25 min•Ep. 83
HEIR raised $10.6M from Thrive Capital for their consumer-facing community platform for athletes to connect with fans — as well as other lines of business, including an entertainment studio, AI tech, and consumer products. Prior to co-founding HEIR alongside Jeffrey Jordan and Daniel George, Jeron Smith was the CMO for Steph Curry’s brand and co-founder of Unanimous Media. He also worked at Nike and the White House. HEIR recently released their newest AI product PersonaPro. Chapters: (01:30) Col...
Oct 17, 2023•25 min•Ep. 82
Drive by DraftKings is a multi-stage venture capital firm investing in SportsTech and Entertainment. Drive also has an all-star network consisting of notable athletes and executives to add value to their core themes of gaming, fandom, and human performance. Meredith McPherron is a former college athlete herself who has spent her professional career at the intersection of sports, entrepreneurship, and investing. Chapters: (01:45) Mixing sports and entrepreneurship (07:30) Building the All-Star Ne...
Oct 12, 2023•34 min•Ep. 81
The fragmentation of tennis has come to a crossroads as Saudi Arabia is disrupting other individual sports and players are itching for stable pay. 30-year tennis veteran John Butler joins the podcast to break down tennis and present his new tiered-system model. From player pay to superstar reliance, promotion and relegation, and so much more this podcast covers the state of tennis today (and where it could go). Chapters: (01:50) State of tennis today (03:40) Player pay (05:20) Fragmentation (08:...
Oct 10, 2023•36 min
Previously the CMO at LiveONE and ONE Championship, Jon Anastas jumped into the CEO seat at sports live-streaming startup ClashTV in 2023. Jon is also the Chairman of the Board at AlphaGen Intelligence. ClashTV is an interactive live-streaming content-first social platform that raised a seed round in 2020. Chapters: (01:35) Culture, content, & commerce (03:20) Why ClashTV? (09:30) GenZ sports to target (12:45) Impact of sports on culture (17:00) Tokenization + NIL in the future (20:20) Busin...
Oct 05, 2023•30 min•Ep. 79
Third-generation textile entrepreneur Gary Goldberg is the founder of SquadLocker, which raised a $20M Series C in 2020. SquadLocker is a custom apparel and gear software and fulfillment company transforming how sports organizations, schools, and businesses develop and distribute custom goods. Gary Goldberg moved to the president role after bringing on George Overholster as the CEO in 2023. George is a former co-founder of VistaPrint and a founding member of Capital One credit cards. Chapters: (...
Oct 03, 2023•28 min•Ep. 78
Prior to jumping into the founder seat, Chase Garrett was a professional motocross rider, marketing manager at Red Bull, and personal agent to athletes such as Reggie Bush and Kris Bryant. Chase is currently the CEO of Icon Source, an influencer marketing company connecting brands with athletes in a secure & trusted marketplace to reach new opportunities. Founded in 2018, Icon Source has continued to grow and is taking advantage of the new college NIL rules that went live in 2021. Chapters: ...
Sep 28, 2023•27 min•Ep. 77
Former Executive Director of U.S. Figure Skating Ramsey Baker dives deep into Olympic Sports, National Governing Bodies, the IOC, and the upcoming 2028 LA Summer Olympics. Ramsey Baker is currently an SVP at Aggregate Sports. Aggregate Sports works on behalf of a variety of sports properties, leagues, teams, and federations helping them to maximize their revenue while creating the greatest experience for their fans and supporters. From Property Sales to Property Consulting, from Media Rights to ...
Sep 26, 2023•34 min•Ep. 76
Frank Michael Smith tells his story of how he has built an audience of more than 3 million followers/subscribers and billions of views around sports and pop culture content. Frank runs his multiple business endeavors through JUICE Productions, which includes a creative agency, sponsorships, games, and more. A fascinating conversation on the state of social media, how to grow an audience, and the rise of creators to entrepreneurs. Chapters: (03:00) Backstory to sports content (08:00) Starting Tik...
Sep 21, 2023•31 min•Ep. 75
Pro League Network's brands include SlapFIGHT Championship, World Putting League, CarJitsu, and the Pro Carrom Tour. They have an owned audience of over 500K subscribers/followers across their brands. Pro League Network makes betable sports entertainment. They own a portfolio of brands and produce short-form, wagering-ready, and accessible live sports content for their partners to monetize (wagering operators, sponsors, media partners, etc). Mike Salvaris spent most of his professional career in...
Sep 19, 2023•29 min•Ep. 74
The Player’s Fund is the UK's first-ever “athlete-fueled” venture fund that aim to invest £40M with vehicle composed of athlete collectives including Chris Smalling, Carlos Boozer, Héctor Bellerín, and Serge Gnabry. Ruari Bell is an ex-professional athlete himself who has built agencies and businesses including 4cast and the Bell Partnership. The Player’s Fund is an outlet for athletes investing in the future of the digital consumer. Chapters: (01:25) Ex-athlete and entrepreneur backstory (06:55...
Sep 14, 2023•24 min•Ep. 73
James Kimball was at the forefront of the WWE’s groundbreaking college athlete NIL program and is now building his own agency. Novo Sports Group is a management agency operating at the intersection of emerging athletes, talent, properties, & brands. Chapters: (02:40) Corporate to Entrepreneur (05:30) WWE’s NIL program (13:50) 5-6 figure deals (15:30) Novo Sports Group (20:20) Sports Agency Landscape (26:40) Clientele (baseball + golf) (32:30) Finding talent as an agent (34:50) Trends in spor...
Sep 12, 2023•39 min•Ep. 72
Jordan Rogers revamped his life after a stint in jail up the ranks at Nike and now with his own company Perseus Creative. Perseus Creative teaches athletes, executives, & learners about personal branding, creativity, & life of service through marketing and speaking engagements. Chapters: (01:40) From Inmate to Executive (07:10) Journey to Nike (12:30) Opportunity with Perseus Creative (16:20) Opinion on NIL (22:50) How brands can execute with NIL (25:30) Trends to watch in sports (31:30)...
Sep 07, 2023•36 min•Ep. 71
A multiple-time exited founder Jim Cavale is very involved in the NIL and college sports industry and sees the next opportunity with what he’s building at Athletes.Org. Athletes.org (AO) is a 501c non-profit organization designed exclusively for college athletes to receive on-demand support in navigating their respective college athletics experience and a voice to speak into the future of college athletics. Prior to AO, Cavale sold his co-founder stake in Iron Tribe Fitness and built NIL solutio...
Sep 05, 2023•34 min•Ep. 70
In 2013, Tom Waterhouse (.com) was sold to William Hill Australia for a 20x plus exit. WaterhouseVC invests in listed and unlisted businesses related to wagering and gaming. Whilst the Fund has a concentrated portfolio, the fund is diversified across both geography and market capitalization. Tom Waterhouse comes from the fourth generation of the Waterhouse racing dynasty and is the grandson of one of the first official bookmakers in Australia Chapters: (01:20) Tom’s background (04:50) Personal b...
Aug 31, 2023•28 min•Ep. 69
After getting fired from his sports radio job, Kevin Jones put his last $17,000 of savings to build Blue Wire. Kevin Jones has over 12 years of experience in the sports industry as a beat reporter for the 49ers at KNBR, team reporter for the Cleveland Browns, and contributor to WUSA-TV in Washington D.C. Blue Wire is a sports podcasting platform with over 500 shows under its umbrella. They have raised $12M in venture capital and are doing about $8M in revenue/year. Chapters: (01:40) Community Cr...
Aug 29, 2023•26 min•Ep. 68
Kyle Martino spent 6 years in the MLS and is currently building a handful of soccer companies after many years as a TV analyst and a run for President of U.S. Soccer. Martino’s portfolio includes Street FC, Football Cafe, Over Under Initiative, and Goalpher. Chapters: (01:40) Transitioning from athlete to next stage (05:15) From sports to entrepreneurship (08:35) Creating community (11:00) Over Under & Goalpher (13:00) Value of athlete investors (15:30) Street FC & Football Cafe (19:00) ...
Aug 24, 2023•28 min•Ep. 67
As sports continue to grow as an asset class, venture capitalist & tech executive Soma Somesegar has entered the space through ownership. Soma is a majority owner of the Seattle Orcas in Major League Cricket and a minority owner of the Major League Soccer team Seattle Sounders. He is the current managing director of Madrona Venture Group. This was a great conversation on Soma’s journey from a youth cricket player in India to the owner of a cricket team in the US. Chapters: (01:40) Journey to...
Aug 22, 2023•27 min•Ep. 66
Andrew Steinwold first bought Bitcoin in 2013 and now runs a $100M venture fund focused around the metaverse. Sfermion is a multi-strategy investment firm focused on the immersive internet. Their mission is to accelerate the emergence of the metaverse by investing in the companies & founders creating the digital future. Sports and the metaverse have massive overlap, which led to a great conversation around crypto, web3, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality, and the blo...
Aug 17, 2023•34 min•Ep. 65
Homefans is experiencing massive MoM growth for their marketplace where fans can connect, plan, and book sports trips and experiences hosted by locals. Luke Verbeek spent 1 year in the corporate world before jumping into entrepreneurship and founding HomeFans in 2014. Homefans is currently focused on soccer in Europe and South America, but plans to expand to more sports and regions in the near future. Chapters: (01:25) Idea behind Homefans (04:45) Finding his co-founder (06:20) HomeFans overview...
Aug 15, 2023•29 min•Ep. 64
