Ep. 200 marks a major milestone for the Betting Startups Podcast, featuring a special conversation between Jesse Learmonth and longtime industry leader Paris Smith to celebrate the 200th episode and announce a major new chapter for the platform.

Hear them discuss:

Jesse and Paris’s shared history at Pinnacle, how a startup acquisition led to a six-year partnership, and the full-circle moment that brings them back together

The official launch of BettingStartups Capital, including its mission to back early-stage real-money gaming startups as one of the first checks in

What they look for in founders, from industry experience and coachability to problem-solving mindset and commercial realism

Lessons Paris has learned as an angel investor, how operator instincts translate to investing, and why availability and honesty matter most

Why ecosystem-building, fast decision-making, and founder support are central to their investment philosophy

The announcement of InsightPlay.ai as the first investment under BettingStartups Capital and why the team stood out

How conferences, networks, and mentorship accelerate startup success in a complex and regulated industry

Catch the video version of this episode here.

Betting Startups Capital is now accepting pitches from early-stage founders looking for their first institutional check, strategic support, and access to a global operator network. If you’re solving a real problem and ready to scale, we want to hear from you. Submit your pitch here: bettingstartups.com/capital

Only a few tickets remaining! Use discount code BETTINGSTARTUPS10 for 10% off your full event pass for the Next.io Summit in New York event yet. Grab your ticket here: https://next.io/summits/newyork/

Ep. 199 features Michael, Evan and Chris from Feen, to discuss building a next-generation betting product, navigating early-stage product decisions, and finding differentiation in an increasingly crowded wagering landscape. The conversation explores Feen’s origin story, early traction, and how the founders think about product focus, user behavior, and long-term scalability.

If you don't have a ticket for the Next.io Summit in New York event yet, use discount code BETTINGSTARTUPS10 for 10% off your full event pass. Grab your ticket here: https://next.io/summits/newyork/

Catch the video version of this episode here.

Learn more 👇

➡️ Feen website

➡️ Michael Chiang on Linkedin

➡️ Evan Luza on Linkedin

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Ep. 198 features Pierre Lindh, founder of NEXT.io, returning for his fourth appearance on the Betting Startups Podcast. Pierre reflects on NEXT.io’s breakout year, the transition from scrappy startup to growth-stage business, the role of investigative journalism in iGaming media, and why emerging betting products may go global in 2026.

Hear them discuss:

If you don't have a ticket for the Next.io Summit in New York event yet, use discount code BETTINGSTARTUPS10 for 10% off your full event pass. Grab your ticket here: https://next.io/summits/newyork/

Catch the video version of this episode here.

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➡️ Next.io website

➡️ Pierre Lindh 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/

Ep. 197 features Benson Bleier and Daniel Prior, Co-Founders of Regen, an automated savings platform built specifically for sports bettors. break down how Regen helps bettors automatically save money on every bet — win or lose — and why they believe savings and investing can become a core part of sustainable gaming.

Hear them discuss:

If you don't have a ticket for the Next.io Summit in New York event yet, use discount code BETTINGSTARTUPS10 for 10% off your full event pass. Grab your ticket here: https://next.io/summits/newyork/

Catch the video version of this episode here.

Learn more 👇

➡️ Regen website

➡️ Ben Bleier on Linkedin

➡️ Daniel Prior 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/

Ep. 196 features Javier Troncoso and Cristian Barbosa, Co-Founders of InsightPlay.ai, an AI-powered engagement platform using autonomous agents to help operators acquire, retain, and reactivate players at scale.

Fresh off a busy ICE Barcelona and a newly announced seed round, Javier and Cristian join Jesse Learmonth to break down how Insight Play is redefining player engagement through conversational AI  and what it takes to build an AI-native startup in global gaming.

Hear them discuss:

Javier and Cristian’s paths from media, affiliates, and iGaming into building an AI-native startup

How InsightPlay.ai was founded and why they went all-in on autonomous AI agents

What InsightPlay.ai does: conversational AI agents that drive acquisition, retention, and reactivation

Real-world use cases including win-back campaigns, VIP engagement, onboarding, and support

A live demo showing AI agents making personalized outbound calls to bettors

Why conversational AI changes sportsbook UX from static interfaces to 1:1 interaction

Early traction in LATAM, rapid deployments, and lessons from launching with real operators

Performance metrics, reactivation success, and how AI complements CRM and call centers

Closing a $500K seed round, choosing strategic investors, and founder fundraising realities

The roadmap ahead, global expansion plans, and why the World Cup is a major growth catalyst

If you don't have a ticket for the Next.io Summit in New York event yet, use discount code BETTINGSTARTUPS10 for 10% off your full event pass. Grab your ticket here: https://next.io/summits/newyork/

Catch the video version of this episode here.

Learn more 👇

➡️ InsightPlay.ai website

➡️ Javier Troncoso on Linkedin

➡️ Cristian Barbosa 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/

Ep. 195 features Jonathan Baxandall and Gavin Puszczalowskyi, Co-Founders of Bettortainment, for a deep dive into live betting watch-alongs, sportsbook retention, and why most operators still underinvest in in-play engagement.

Hear them discuss:

If you don't have a ticket for the Next.io Summit in New York event yet, use discount code BETTINGSTARTUPS10 for 10% off your full event pass. Grab your ticket here: https://next.io/summits/newyork/

Catch the video version of this episode here.

Learn more 👇

➡️ Bettortainment website

➡️ Jonathan Baxandall on Linkedin

➡️ Gavin Puszczalowskyi 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/

Ep. 194 features Noah Fulk, Founder and CEO of EWagers, for a deep dive into building compliant, skill-based wagering infrastructure and the hard lessons learned from pivoting a gaming startup from B2C to B2B.

Hear him discuss:

Catch the video version of this episode here.

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➡️ Noah Fulk 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/

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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. 193 features Scott and Warren, founders of PokerLab, for a deep dive into the evolution of online poker and how PokerLab is positioning itself as a modern “Poker as a Service” platform built for today’s operators and players.

Hear them discuss:

Catch the video version of this episode here.

Learn more 👇

➡️ Scott Wilson on X/Twitter

➡️ Warren Dombowsky 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/

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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. 192 features Jesse Learmonth in a special "Ask Me Anything" edition of the Betting Startups Podcast, where he flips the script and answers questions from founders, operators, and builders across the gaming ecosystem.

Catch the video version of this episode here.

Learn more 👇

➡️ Jesse Learmonth 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/

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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. 191 features Joshua Swerdlow, from ChatBet AI, an AI-powered sports betting platform built to deliver smarter, more personalized betting experiences through data and conversational technology.

Hear him discuss:

Catch the video version of this episode here.

Learn more 👇

➡️ ChatBet AI website

➡️ Joshua Swerdlow 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/

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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.