The Profluence Pod 🌐

Outlier raised over $3M to pivot their original idea and build the first-of-its-kind sports betting platform where sports fans can browse, analyze, and execute bets with confidence.  Evan Kirkham was previously a litigation attorney before jumping into the sports tech founder seat (which gives him a unique perspective on the market).  Recorded near the 5th anniversary of PAPSA, which legalized mobile sports betting in the US, this was a very insightful conversation as Outlier is attempting to build a sports betting super app.  Chapters: (01:05) From attorney to sports tech founder (04:00) Legalese and ChatGPT (05:55) Pivot from Colorcast to Outlier (12:15) Advice for founders pivoting a company (14:05) Revenue model  (17:15) Acquiring and retaining customers (20:20) Sports betting market overview (24:55) Trends to watch in sports  . Evan Kirkham: Website: https://outlier.bet/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-kirkham-581b1220/ . Andrew Petcash links: 🏠 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!

Asia Sports Tech is one of the leading business consulting and financial advisory firms in all of Asia.  Loron Orris has 30+ years of experience in sports including being the managing director of NBA Asia during its early days. He also teaches at the Chinese University of Hong Kong Business School.  Asia Sports Tech and Loron Orris believe in the future growth of Asian sports – which led to a great conversation.  Chapters: (01:15) Journey to Asia (06:00) Building NBA Asia and IMAX Japan (09:50) Waves of innovation in sports (13:50) Overview of Asia Sports Tech (19:30) Sports globalization  (22:30) Challenges new entrants face in Asia  (26:35) Challenges of expanding beyond Asia (30:25) Culture differences + trends to watch . Loron Orris: Website: https://asiasportstech.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loronorris/?originalSubdomain=hk . 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!

(01:20) - Business of Athletes (JJ Watt, Aaron Rodgers, and more) (06:15) - College Sports/NIL (betting scandals, new legislation, $300k to transfer, etc) (10:25) - Sports Business (new AI partnerships, Betr acquisition, and politics mixing with athletes)

Satisfi Labs raised a Series A last year to continue building their AI chatbot, which is conversational and understands tens of thousands of intents. The data is categorized and specific for their over 200 clients (many being sports teams).  Don spent many years in sales including at Bloomberg before jumping into the sports tech world.  Chapters: (01:15) Jumping full-time into AI chatbots (03:55) Sports accelerators  (05:15) Learning sports business (without a background in it) (09:00) AI & large language models (11:45) Common questions sports fans ask (16:10) ChatGPT concerns & problems (18:45) AGI (and AI hallucinations) (21:55) Trends to watch in sports - commerce combos (24:45) Ultimate vision for Satisfi Labs . Don White links: Website: https://satisfilabs.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/don-white-he-him-9a9bb69/ . Andrew Petcash links: 🏠 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!

CrowdIQ has signed deals with over 25% of the NFL for its state-of-the-art computer vision to provide actionable insights on the composition and behavior of crowds. FanCam was the initial product that led to the venture-backed CrowdIQ that is on the market today.  A fascinating conversation with Tinus Le Roux on his entrepreneurial journey, building a globally adopted sports tech product, and where AI is taking us.  Chapters: (01:00) Optimizing yourself as an entrepreneur (05:00) Journey to building CrowdIQ (08:30) From South Africa to the US (11:30) Psychology of fandom  (16:55) AI and LLM’s impact on sports (21:55) Privacy and ethics with data (24:15) Trends for in-person sports events (27:50) Optimizing internal business processes . Tinus Le Roux links: Website: https://crowdiq.ai/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tinusleroux/ . Andrew Petcash links: 🏠 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!

In the entrepreneur seat since 19 years old, David Ortiz is now building at the intersection of web3, AI, esports, and content with SimWin Sports.  The SimWin Sports League has several notable team owners including Jerry Rice, Magic Johnson, Marshall Faulk, and Lamelo Ball.  David Ortiz has also led blockbuster teams at large corporations like Microsoft, EA Sports, Sony, and Warner Brothers.  Chapters: (01:10) Opportunity to build SimWin Sports (02:35) Overview of SimWin (03:40) AI + Web3 education gap (09:40) Building a business out of the metaverse (12:30) Team owners in the SimWin Sports League (15:45) Expanding into international markets (18:00) Trends to watch in sports  (22:00) Fads in technology + esports transformation . David Ortiz links: Website: https://simwinsports.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-ortiz-9b79a41/ . Andrew Petcash links: 🏠 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!

In 2021 Mark Neifeld founded the Sport Fishing Championship - the most extensive saltwater fishing championship series in North America - where he serves as CEO & Commissioner of the international sports property.  Prior to SFC, Neifeld spent a decade in entrepreneurship and worked for the Texas Rangers and Dallas Cowboys.  Fishing is one of the largest recreational sports activities in the world.  Chapters: (01:05) SFC’s “The Catch” on CBS Sports (05:20) Idea for Sport Fishing Championship (12:00) Blueprint for creating a sports league (15:20) Company building + operations + hiring  (18:15) Running a league vs. a company (21:15) Monetizing a sports league (26:00) Trends to watch in sports  . Mark Neifeld links: Website: https://sportfishingchampionship.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markeneifeld/ . Andrew Petcash links: 🏠 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!

Last year, Cipher Sports raised a $5M Series A led at CEO by longtime sports media professional Adam Fiske.  Cipher Sports arms users with the ultimate combination of tools, content, and communities to make sports more bettable. They have four major brands under management including Dimers, Fantasy Insider, Stats Insider, and Convertr.  This is an in-depth conversation at the intersection of sports betting, media, and entrepreneurship.  Chapters: (01:00) Why is now the time to build in sports? (03:20) Merging two companies and 4 co-founders (04:45) US vs. Australian market  (11:00) Advantages of running a global company  (13:20) Overview of Cipher Sports (17:20) Building a media-first brand (19:40) Machine learning and AI (22:50) Sports betting market overview + trends (31:05) Trends to watch in sports  . Adam Fiske links: Website: https://ciphersports.io/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ajfiske LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-fiske-78980574/?originalSubdomain=au . Andrew Petcash links: 🏠 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!

OneTeam Partners aligns with world-class player's associations and helps athletes maximize their name, image, and likeness rights by focusing on four key areas: group licensing, athlete marketing, content, and venture investing. RedBird Partners sold 40% of their stake in OneTeam at a $1.9B valuation in 2022.  Malaika Underwood was previously a VP at the Brandr Group and IMG. She is also a member of the USA women’s baseball team.  Chapters: (02:00) Malaika’s athletic background (04:45) OneTeam’s initiatives in NIL (10:10) Challenges of group licensing in college sports (13:20) Overview of OneTeam Partners (15:30) Setting up a player’s association in college (19:50) New innovations OneTeam is looking at (24:40) Growth of women’s sports . Malaika Underwood links: Website: https://joinoneteam.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/oneteampartners LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/malaika-underwood-11979b8/ . Andrew Petcash links: 🏠 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!

TicketRev just raised $1.1M as the first-ever reverse ticketing marketplace - modeled after shoe marketplaces like StockX and GOAT. Jason Shatsky co-founded the company while in college at Babson University.  TicketRev went through the Techstars accelerator this last year and received an investment from the Minnesota Twins at the end.  Chapters: (01:15) Building his first business as a teenager (03:30) Overview of TicketRev (06:00) Problems in the ticketing industry (11:30) Web3 technology x tickets (13:00) Competing against the conglomerates (17:15) Value of university + accelerators (20:00) How to sell a pitch (23:35) Trends to watch in sports  . Jason Shatsky links: Website: https://www.ticketrev.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jshatsky LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonshatsky/ . Andrew Petcash links: 🏠 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!