The Profluence Pod 🌐

Combat IQ is the world's first AI-powered data analytics company dedicated to combat sports using machine learning and computer vision. 

Prior to founding Combat IQ, Tim Malik worked as a professional football scout in the Canadian Football League. 

They raised a pre-seed round in late 2022 and completed Techstars in London. Combat IQ plans to expand outside of just combat sports in 2024. 

Chapters:

(01:15) From scouting to machine learning

(03:10) Building out team (5 PhDs)

(06:00) Researching market 

(08:00) Overview of Combat IQ

(11:40) “Easier” sports for computer vision 

(12:50) Overcoming startup challenges

(16:00) Tech he’s watching (AI/ML)

(19:20) Pro sports trends

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Tim Malik:

Website: https://www.combatiq.io/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timur-m-63397883/

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

✉️ Newsletter: https://www.petcashpost.com

🎙 Podcast: https://profluence.com/podcasts/

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

🕺 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewpetcash

📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/andrewpetcash

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

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3q5jhAuCVT2FZCkLW5xBiQ/

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Betr recently completed a $35M Series A2 ($300M valuation) led by tech entrepreneur Joey Levy and influencer Jake Paul. 

Betr is labeled as the world’s first microbetting app with a heavy focus on sports out of the gate. 

Joey Levy has been building in the fantasy and sports betting space since 2014 while at Columbia University. 

Chapters:

(01:20) Journey to Betr

(05:50) 19-year-old founder

(09:00) High-level overview 

(13:00) Future of creator-led businesses

(16:15) Mixing media w/ microbetting

(23:15) 5-year vision for Betr

(26:15) Sports trends to watch

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Joey Levy:

Website: https://www.betr.app/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joey-levy-5b4b00a0/

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

✉️ Newsletter: https://www.petcashpost.com

🎙 Podcast: https://profluence.com/podcasts/

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

🕺 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewpetcash

📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/andrewpetcash

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

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3q5jhAuCVT2FZCkLW5xBiQ/

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In July 2023, Better Collective acquired Playmaker HQ for up to $54M with $15M upfront. 

Playmaker is a sports media platform, content machine, and emerging talent agency. 

Brandon Harris is a long-time entrepreneur who has spent over a decade building in sports. 

Chapters:

(01:20) Entrepreneurial path

(03:45) Overview of Playmaker 

(05:20) Scaling to 70 employees

(08:00) Business lessons learned 

(12:00) Better Collective acquisition 

(17:00) Future plans post-buy

(19:00) Sports media trends to watch

(21:50) Advice for startups creating content

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Brandon Harris:

Website: https://playmakerhq.com/

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

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

✉️ Newsletter: https://www.petcashpost.com

🎙 Podcast: https://profluence.com/podcasts/

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

🕺 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewpetcash

📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/andrewpetcash

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

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3q5jhAuCVT2FZCkLW5xBiQ/

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(00:10) Business of Athletes

(03:25) College Sports/NIL

(07:15) Sports Business

Brian Woods is building another sports property, after previously selling The Spring League to Fox and creating the USFL. 

Prep Super League is an elite, 11-on-11, spring football league for aspiring college football prospects seeking supplemental instruction, enhanced competition, and a less restrictive environment to pursue NIL deals.

Prep Super League is attempting to revolutionize the gap between high school and college football.

Chapters:

(01:25) Prep Super League opportunity 

(05:15) Business model 

(09:45) Unique gap in college sports

(14:20) Attracting the best players

(17:20) Downstream to youth sports

(19:00) Where NIL is headed

(24:35) Future of Prep Super League

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Brian Woods:

Website: https://prepsuperleague.com/

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

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

✉️ Newsletter: https://www.petcashpost.com

🎙 Podcast: https://profluence.com/podcasts/

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

🕺 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewpetcash

📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/andrewpetcash

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

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3q5jhAuCVT2FZCkLW5xBiQ/

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Led by Antonio Cacorino, APEX Capital, is bringing the athlete investment movement into Europe. 

APEX focuses on investments in the sports, media, and entertainment industries. 

Prior to bringing together athletes for a syndicate and fund, Antonio spent time in the finance industry at Welz, Leonteq, and BNP Paribas. 

Chapters:

(01:30) Saudi money in sports

(05:30) APEX Capital origin story

(09:45) Athlete investing at scale

(11:40) European vs U.S. athletes

(13:50) Value add of player investors

(17:00) Building out the APEX team

(20:30) What are you looking for in companies?

(23:30) Trends to watch in sports

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Antonio Cacorino:

Website: https://apex-cp.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antonio-cacorino/

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

✉️ Newsletter: https://www.petcashpost.com

🎙 Podcast: https://profluence.com/podcasts/

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

🕺 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewpetcash

📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/andrewpetcash

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

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3q5jhAuCVT2FZCkLW5xBiQ/

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

(01:30) - Business of Athletes: Dwyane Wade, London Basketball Team, and athletes following passion investments

(10:40) - NIL: Senators making a statement, $15M Texas, and Livvy Dunne

(14:00) - Sports Business: Jay-Z, soccer, and acquisitions

Soccer is growing at a rapid pace in the United States, and the USL is in a prime position prior to the 2026 World Cup on North American soil.

Orange County SC won the 2021 USL Championship Cup, which is the second tier of US soccer behind the MLS. 

Before becoming president of OCSC, Dan Rutstein was a sports reporter, British Diplomat, AR entrepreneur, soccer referee, and whisky podcast host. 

Chapters:

(01:50) Overview of the USL

(03:30) Impact of Lionel Messi on US Soccer

(05:50) Relegation discussion

(12:10) Dan’s fascinating career path

(15:40) Running a soccer club

(23:10) What OCSC looks for in sports tech

(25:30) Pro athletes buying USL teams

(27:30) Trends to watch in sports

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Dan Rutstein:

Website: https://www.orangecountysoccer.com/

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

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

✉️ Newsletter: https://www.petcashpost.com

🎙 Podcast: https://profluence.com/podcasts/

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

🕺 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewpetcash

📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/andrewpetcash

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

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3q5jhAuCVT2FZCkLW5xBiQ/

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Bruce Buffer is the legendary UFC announcer and Matt Whitteker is an exited unicorn founder at SaaS company Assent. 

They came together to co-found the sports company MILLIONS, which raised a $10M Series A in 2021. 

MILLIONS unites the sports world through a single social commerce platform allowing athletes, gyms, fans, and brands to connect and be brought together.

Chapters:

(01:20) Rise of sport-entertainment fights

(03:00) Growth of the UFC

(05:35) Brand-building 101

(07:30) Overview of MILLIONS

(12:35) Buffer’s favorite experiences

(14:50) ChatGPT athlete extension 

(16:30) AI opportunities and concerns

(18:50) NIL & sports tech thoughts 

(21:50) Where MILLIONS is going

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Info:

Website: https://millions.co/

Bruce Buffer LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruce-buffer-b36ba24/

Matt Whitteker LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-whitteker-06596011/

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

✉️ Newsletter: https://www.petcashpost.com

🎙 Podcast: https://profluence.com/podcasts/

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

🕺 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewpetcash

📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/andrewpetcash

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

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3q5jhAuCVT2FZCkLW5xBiQ/

.

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

(02:00) Business of Athletes - Chris Paul, Aaron Rodgers, and Victor Wemby make moves

(06:10) NIL/College Sports - NCAA releases weird report and a partnership

(07:50) Sports Business - Ryan Reynolds buys F1 team, MLB goes to youth sports, and over $50M in fundraising for sports companies

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