The Profluence Pod 🌐

Coming off an $8M funding round, DUPR is going both downstream and horizontal in pickleball. 

DUPR is a rating algorithm and app to find other pickleball players at your skill level. The score ranges from 2 to 8. 

Tito Machado is the CEO and Scott Mendelssohn is the Head of Analytics. 

Chapters:

(01:10) Entrance into pickleball

(04:45) Company overview

(06:30) Understanding the DUPR score 

(09:50) Acquiring users 

(12:05) Plan coming off $8M funding 

(15:45) Building community & engagement

(20:00) DUPR collegiate championships

(24:20) International expansion 

(29:55) Trends to watch in pickleball 

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DUPR:

Website: https://mydupr.com/

Tito LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gilberto-tito-machado-19004670/

Scott LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-mendelssohn-44555150/

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/

Thanks for listening! Hit the “follow” button to stay up to date on new podcasts.

We dive deep into Drake Star’s latest sports technology report which saw a total deal value of $37B in 2023. 

Mohit Pareek is a media and tech investment banker who oversees Drake Star’s sports technology, media, and gaming reports. 

We also cover investors to watch, significant strategic buyers, global investment trends, and the growing role of sovereign wealth funds and athlete investors in the sports industry.

Chapters:

(01:15) Drake Star and Mohit’s background

(07:25) Sports dealmaking in 2023

(09:50) M&A deals

(12:55) Outlook for 2024

(15:15) Investors to watch 

(19:20) Buyers to watch 

(24:00) Public companies

(26:45) Sovereign wealth & athlete investors

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Mohit Pareek:

Website: https://www.drakestar.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohitpareek/

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/

Thanks for listening! Hit the “follow” button to stay up to date on new podcasts.

With over 60+ employees globally, the Aura platform is transforming traditional linear content experiences into an engaging, interactive, and immersive hyper-contextual environment by aggregating content, data, financial engagement, and communities. 

Before Aura, Antony Arena served as the Chief Executive at Unbound, a group of digital and communications businesses specializing in cutting-edge technologies including AI, VR, and AR.

Aura is headquartered in Australia, with an office in London and soon one in New York City. 

Chapters:

(01:45) Antony’s background

(04:30) Aura overview

(08:15) Why building in sports first

(10:50) Challenges for media/sports

(14:15) Scaling offices globally 

(18:15) Verticals beyond sports

(19:30) Hiring & finding the right talent

(22:30) Learnings from agency business 

(24:40) Keeping an eye on AI

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Antony Arena:

Website: https://thisisaura.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ant-arena/?originalSubdomain=au

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/

Thanks for listening! Hit the “follow” button to stay updated on new podcasts.

WSC Sports is nearly a billion-dollar Israeli company, that enables sports media rights owners to automatically generate personalized sports videos in real-time

Prior to co-founding WSC Sports, Daniel Shichman attended Tel Aviv University and served in the Israeli military. 

We discuss the company's journey to success, trends in the sports media industry, the impact of artificial intelligence on content creation and distribution, and the rise of Israel as a tech powerhouse.  

Chapters:

(01:25) Background of WSC Sports

(07:30) Scaling a company globally

(11:40) Israel as a sports tech powerhouse

(15:05) Future of sports media

(22:00) Role of artificial intelligence

(25:20) Conclusion

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Daniel Shichman:

Website: https://wsc-sports.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-shichman-121b4633/?originalSubdomain=il

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/

Thanks for listening! Hit the “follow” button to stay up to date on new podcasts.

GameChanger is a tech company (acquired by Dick’s Sporting Goods in 2016) whose mobile app and website provide scorekeeping, stats, video streaming, and recap stories to teams and connected fans at the local level.

Sameer Ahuja is a long-time entrepreneur with 20 years of experience as a Founder, CEO, or, COO of high-growth technology businesses from startup to late-stage in multiple industries. He co-founded an interactive sports attraction, founded a quant hedge fund, and built a fintech company. 

GameChanger’s app is used in all 50 states, has a partnership with Major League Baseball, and more games are covered in two months on GameChanger than in the history of all American professional sports combined.

Chapters:

(01:40) Sameer’s entrance into sports

(03:10) GameChanger overview

(06:10) MLB partnership 

(07:40) Adding new sports 

(10:50) State of youth sports

(15:15) Take on NIL / Private Equity

(20:15) Seasonality in amateur sports

(22:25) Advice for building 

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Sameer Ahuja:

Website: https://gc.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sameerahuja/

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/

Thanks for listening! Hit the “follow” button to stay up to date on new podcasts.

Comcast NBCUniversal SportsTech finds, funds, and fast-tracks innovative startups from around the world to invest in and develop the next generation of technology to change the way we experience sports. 

Jenna Kurath spent time in the PR and communications space before joining Comcast and helping to launch the sports accelerator. 

Comcast SportsTech features partnerships with NBC Sports, Sky Sports, Comcast Spectacor, and Golf – alongside NASCAR and three US Olympic sports organizations.

Chapters:

(01:30) Comcast SportsTech overview

(05:00) Evolution of the accelerator 

(08:25) Success stories 

(10:35) Accelerator model

(13:00) Criteria they look for 

(19:40) Challenges they commonly see

(24:00) Cohort #4

(27:45) Emerging areas

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Jenna Kurath:

Website: https://www.comcastsportstech.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennakurath/

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/

Thanks for listening! Hit the “follow” button to stay up to date on new podcasts.

CrewLAB recently completed a pre-seed round for their sports team management system for high school and collegiate endurance sports. 

We dive deep into the rowing industry and talk about CrewLab’s journey and how they’re trying to expand into other niches within sports. 

Dominic Pardini is a former UCLA rower, innovation consultant at Accenture, and now sports technology entrepreneur. 

Chapters:

(02:20) Background

(04:00) CrewLab overview

(06:50) Fundraising process learnings 

(10:40) The rowing industry 

(15:40) Advice to jump into entrepreneurship

(19:00) Interesting areas in sports

(22:20) Expanding LTV in athletics 

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Dominic Pardini:

Website: https://www.crewlab.io/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominicpardini/

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/

Thanks for listening! Hit the “follow” button to stay up to date on new podcasts.

SeventySix Capital is a VC firm that invests in innovative sports, media, and entertainment companies. 

Wayne Kimmel is the managing partner of SeventySix Capital who has also authored the book Six Degrees of Wayne Kimmel. 

This episode dives deep into the evolution of sports as an asset class, advice for entrepreneurs, and interesting areas to watch in the future. 

Chapters:

(01:40) Entrance to sports tech

(04:20) Defining sports

(07:00) Sports betting evolution

(11:25) Downstream movement

(13:10) What the best founders do 

(20:10) Using networks 

(25:20) Equity in early stages

(28:00) Emerging areas to watch

(33:35) Sports as an asset

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Wayne Kimmel:

Website: https://www.seventysixcapital.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/waynekimmel/

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/

Thanks for listening! Hit the “follow” button to stay up to date on new podcasts.

The United Basketball League (UBL) is a fan-owned league attempting to create a system similar to baseball (but in basketball) co-founded by former NBA player Ricky Davis and Chris Allison. 

Chris Allison, experienced in the minor sports league space, provides insight into the planned structure of the league and its community-centric approach. 

With a focus on encouraging continued involvement from retired players and fostering talent development, the UBL aims to fill a gap between the youth, college, and professional levels of basketball with Ricky Davis helping shape that. 

Chapters:

(01:17) United Basketball League Vision 

(01:51) Journey of Building the UBL 

(03:46) State of Basketball Today 

(06:26) UBL's Role in the Basketball Landscape 

(09:53) Impact of Emerging Leagues 

(13:51) First Season and Future Plans 

(18:40) UBL's Community Engagement Strategy 

(22:10) Personal Journey of Founders 

(28:02) Closing Remarks and Where to Find More About UBL

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United Basketball League:

Website: https://www.theubl.com/

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/

Thanks for listening! Hit the “follow” button to stay up to date on new podcasts.

NBA Champion Giannis Antetokounmpo recently announced the launch of Improbable Media led by CEO Jonathan Stern and also ESPN personality Jay Williams. 

Improbable Media will 'incubate and accelerate' content creation for talent and brands on top of producing their own movies, shows, and documentaries. 

Jonathan Stern has spent most of his career in the media space after starting as an attorney. He has been involved in helping media arms pivot and has also produced many of your favorite shows and documentaries. 

Chapters:

(02:05) Trends in sports media

(06:10) Improbable Media

(12:30) Pillars of the company 

(16:40) Role as CEO

(19:00) From 0 to 1 in media

(24:35) What makes a good story?

(26:40) How to break into sports

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Jonathan Stern:

Website: https://www.improbablemedia.com/

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/

Thanks for listening! Hit the “follow” button to stay up to date on new podcasts.