Ep. 164 features Alexander Monahan from OddsJam, a data-driven sports betting platform acquired by Gambling.com Group in a deal worth up to $160 million. Alex returns to the podcast after first joining in early 2023 to share what has changed and what has stayed the same since the nine-figure exit. Hear them discuss: What life looks like after a $16…

In the latest episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by the Minnesota Lynx's new Associate Head Coach, Eric Thibault. Hansen and Thibault open the podcast talking about Thibault's arrival to the Lynx, his time in Minnesota so far and his ties to Minnesota. They then discuss the offseason, training camp thus far, and expectations…

In this episode, I'm talking about email fit: how to send the right message to the right people at the right time. Whether you're launching a new product, booking a new client, or sharing a new project, your email should match the moment. I'll walk through three core areas of fit (audience, offer, timing) and how to know when it’s a go or a no. Sup…

Ep. 163 features Mark Antal from Staked AI, which is crafting an Amazon Alexa-like AI for sports to deliver personalized, real-time audio content. This episode was recorded on-site at the NEXT Summit New York in March 2025 with guest host, Thomas Coiner. Hear them discuss: How his background in AI and machine learning at Vault AI led to building St…

Ep. 162 features Owen Monagan and Oisin Tiernan from Layup, which is a FinTech company providing a gamified savings product that turns interest into free sports picks. This episode was recorded on-site at the NEXT Summit New York in March 2025. Hear them discuss: Their journey from building a Fantasy Premier League app together to launching Layup H…

In the latest episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by Ben Pickman, a national staff writer at The Athletic who covers the WNBA and women’s college basketball. Hansen and Pickman open the podcast by talking about the offseason that was, including the debut season of Unrivaled and the pressure it could put on the WNBA. They then…

Ep. 161 features Aishik Lala from Rotobot AI, an AI-driven platform tackling fantasy football’s information overload with personalized insights. This episode was recorded on-site at the NEXT Summit New York in March 2025. Hear him discuss: How ChatGPT’s rise inspired a chatbot to answer fantasy football questions The launch of a simple web app in 2…

Ep. 160 features Sebastian from Plucky, which is pioneering "gambling as a service," enabling brands with an audience to offer real money gaming without getting involved in regulation. This episode was recorded on-site at the NEXT Summit New York in March 2025. Hear him discuss: Winning the Starties award for Best Collaboration after partnering wit…

Since the inception of Hitting the Hardwood, the team has been committed to being your one-stop shop for all the latest news, analysis and coverage on the Minnesota Lynx and the rest of the WNBA. With the support of listeners, readers and patreon members, HTH is not only excited to continue to provide this coverage — but to add to it! Along with th…

Ep. 159 features Aman Agarwal and Jatin Narang from Toast, building live multiplayer skill games with built-in player liquidity for real money iGaming. This episode was recorded at the World Trade Center during the NEXT Summit New York in March 2025. Hear them discuss: Toast’s origins: uniting Aman’s gambling roots and Jatin’s free-to-play expertis…

It’s another heated matchup in Email Madness 2025! Today, we’ve got the Sales Promotion Email bringing the heat with limited-time deals and instant revenue, while the Event Invitation Email is out here building hype and getting people to show up. Which email wins this round and moves on to the Great 8? Tune in to find out! 🔹 Plus, I break down what…

Ep. 158 features Shivam Shorewala from Rimble, a next-generation esports odds and analytics platform powering player props and beyond. This episode was recorded in person at the NEXT Summit New York in March 2025. Hear him discuss: How his early days at SimpleBet sparked the idea for Esports micro markets Why messy esports data forced a pivot to pr…

It’s another matchup in Email Madness 2025, and this one’s got some serious energy! In one corner, we’ve got the Milestone/Celebration Email, the feel-good, relationship-building email that keeps your audience engaged. And in the other? The Product Launch Email, coming in strong with hype and conversion power. Which email type has what it takes to …

The battle for MVE (Most Valuable Email) continues! Today, it’s the Abandoned Cart Email vs. the Testimonial Email. These are two heavy hitters in the conversion game. One swoops in when a customer is this close to checking out and the other builds trust by letting happy customers do the talking. But which email has what it takes to move on? I’ll b…

Ep. 157 features Will Martin from LiveDuel, a decentralized blockchain-based betting exchange aiming to simplify sports betting with crypto innovations. This episode was recorded on-site at the NEXT Summit New York in March 2024. Hear him discuss: How a $300 TikTok filter campaign for the 2022 World Cup won Marketing Genius at The Starties The orig…

It's officially tournament time and my very first episode! 🏀 Welcome to Email Madness 2025, where 16 email types go head-to-head in a single-elimination battle for the title of MVE, Most Valuable Email. In this bite-sized episode, I’m breaking down how the tournament works, setting the stage for the matchups, and kicking things off with the #1 seed…

Ep. 156 features KB from Pick The Odds, which is a cutting-edge sports betting data platform providing real-time odds, arbitrage opportunities, and historical betting insights. Hear him discuss: How his background in eSports data and machine learning led to launching Pick The Odds The conversation at an Eagles game that sparked the idea for his pla…

Ep. 155 features Co-Founders Ty D'Amore and Justin Järvinen from Bankroll U, which is a platform designed to educate bettors while providing a gamified environment that mimics real-money betting. Hear them discuss: How a barrage of sportsbook ads sparked the idea for BankrollU Why simulated betting is the best way to learn without going broke The u…

In the latest episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by Terry Horstman of The Next to talk about everything that has taken place and what's yet to come this offseason. Hansen and Horstman discuss the offseason to this point and what we've seen from players and leagues across the globe, also talking about Unrivaled and overseas p…

Ep. 154 features Travis Geiger, who joins Jesse in this special episode that zooms in on the upcoming Starties awards show on March 12. Hear them discuss: Their reflections on the crazy journey in the last 30 days since The Starties were announced A look into the 250+ nominations that were submitted for the 9 award categories The creation of the St…

Welcome to Emails Everywhere —your new go-to pod for email marketing inspo. As a seasoned email marketer, I’ve seen firsthand how a strong email strategy can completely transform a business—turning casual followers into loyal customers, donors, and superfans. I know how overwhelming it can feel to stay consistent, figure out what to say, and get pe…

Ep. 153 features Tyler Amirault and James White from HotTakes, which is the ultimate free-to-play sports betting simulator. Hear them discuss: How their time at Western University led to HotTakes, starting as a passion project before becoming a full-time venture The idea behind HotTakes—letting sports fans try betting for free, win real cash prizes…

Ep. 152 features Tiffany Santisteban Lagos from EmpowerYourPlay, which transforms gaming rewards by integrating micro-giving to charities of players’ choice. Hear her discuss: EmpowerYourPlay winning the recent Pitch ICE competition, and the benefits that has brought How EmpowerYourPlay is using charitable giving as a new player retention mechanism…

Ep. 151 features Simon Gerszberg from ShotQuality, a sports data extraction company using CV, AI and data science to optimize pricing for Sports-books and syndicates. Hear him discuss: How a chance college roommate pairing sparked the beginning for ShotQuality The strategy shift that saw them move away from selling analytics to colleges - despite h…

Ep. 150 features Pierre Lindh from NEXT.io, the world’s iGaming community. Hear him discuss: The life and legacy of Nico Jansen His retrospective on the ICE conference's debut in Barcelona Why he feels like NEXT is only now hitting its stride after 12 years of perseverance The risky shift in strategy that NEXT made last year, and how that's paid of…

Ep. 149 features Michael Testa from Wunderfan, with guest host Thomas Coiner. Wunderfan redefines sports loyalty by rewarding fan engagement through an innovative "It Pays to be a Fan" model. Hear them discuss: Wunderfan’s unique slogan "It pays to be a fan", and how that applies to fan loyalty Michael's entrepreneurial journey in customer loyalty …

In the latest episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by Alexa PhilIppou, who covers women's basketball for ESPN. Hansen and Philippou open up the podcast by talking about WNBA free agency and how things will pick up around the league soon, also touching on the reason why we could see short-term contracts signed this offseason in…

Ep. 148 features Mark Flores Martin, Founder and CEO of XGENIA, an AI-first company revolutionizing game creation by enabling developers to create games in minutes. Hear them discuss: His journey from ethical hacking and VR gambling to founding XGENIA How the XGENIA team combines expertise in gaming, AI, and technology to create innovative solution…

Ep. 147 features Bridge Dudley and Sebastian Fay, Co-Founders of Doink Sports, the ultimate research platform for sports betting, offering props, trends, +EV analysis, odds charts, and more. Hear them discuss: How their backgrounds in sports, robotics, finance, and tech led to founding Doink Sports How a friend’s $40 parlay win inspired the idea fo…

In this episode, Jesse and Thomas huddle up to reflect on 2024 for BettingStartups, and lookahead to 2025. They discuss: Their biggest reflections and highlights from 2024 News that Optimove is returning as the headline sponsor of The Betting Startups Podcast in 2025 A lookback at 8 of their favorite clips from this year's podcast episodes The succ…

Ep. 145 features Alexey Vorobey from AIstats, an AI-powered live score app that provides football fans with real-time match analysis, performance trends, and smart metrics across over 2,200 leagues worldwide. Hear them discuss: His career pivot away from being a lawyer and into tech entrepreneurship How AIstats creates unique stats and predictions …

In the latest episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by a very special guest, Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride. Hansen and McBride start the episode off by talking about what McBride has been up to since the conclusion of the WNBA season, also talking about the season that was for the Lynx that concluded in the WNBA Finals. Th…

🚨 Emergency episode! In his first interview since news broke of Gambling.com's acquisition of OddsJam's parent company Odds Holdings, CEO Matt Restivo joins Jesse to share his perspective on the story behind the headlines. Hear him discuss: his reflections on Odds Holdings' growth to $26m in revenue in just 3.5 years why they decided to pursue a de…

Ep. 144 features Adam Small, co-founder of Third Planet Affiliates, a leader in online gaming content. Hear him discuss: How he unintentionally got started in the affiliate space with PocketFives, and later with USBets What motivated him to launch Third Planet Affiliates at this stage of his career, and the vision behind its portfolio of properties…

Ep. 143 is a roundtable discussion on the Sweepstakes industry, featuring Trevor Pope from The Money Factory, Zach Bruch from MyPrize, and Jeff Laniado from Optimove. Hear them discuss: The massive growth opportunity they see for social sweepstakes gaming The origins and growth trajectories of The Money Factory and MyPrize Challenges of compliance …

In the latest episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen dives into the WNBA offseason, what has taken place and what is to come. In a solo show (yes, we're sorry), Hansen discusses what has taken place across the league since the conclusion of the WNBA Finals, shifting to what is coming up on Dec. 7 with the WNBA Expansion Draft. He then div…

Ep. 142 features Nigel Eccles, CEO and Co-founder of BetHog, a crypto casino and sportsbook from the creators of FanDuel. Hear him discuss: His early career at Flutter where he helped bring the betting exchange concept to market The origin story of Fanduel, and his reflections of its impact on legalized sports betting in the U.S. The role that he s…

Recorded on the day of their public launch, Ep. 141 features Cal Spears and Jonathan Bales from Gambly, which is your sports betting copilot. Hear them discuss: How Cal and Jonathan came together to launch Gambly after their non-competes expired following their last exits The inspiration for Gambly, and the founding use cases for the product Why th…

Ep. 140 features Robert Lenzhofer, CEO of Hölle Games, which produces slot games and gaming platforms, with a focus on regulated markets and localized content. Hear Robert discuss: His journey in gaming, from tech in Austria to founding Hölle Games The origins and growth of Hölle Games, which focuses on the German market with localized content The …

Ep.139 features Jesse live from the SBC Summit in Lisbon, joined by Adam Wilson from Splash Tech, Hear them discuss: How Adam's early journey in the betting industry took shape and evolved The post-mortem on his first startup Bookee, which became known as the "Tinder for Betting" The origin story of Splash Tech, and how his learnings from the Booke…

Ep. 138 features Jesse live from the SBC Summit in Lisbon, joined by Rob Rubio from Fluid, which is a cutting-edge checkout solution powered by machine learning. Hear them discuss: Rob’s journey through the industry, and how his time working for an operator helped him identify the pain point that Fluid is now solving The positive response that Flui…

Ep. 137 features Jack Andrews and Justin Phan from Unabated, which is the tools and resources you need to become a winning sports bettor. Hear them discuss: The recent G2E conference in Las Vegas, and Jack's biggest takeaway from it What has surprised Jack the most since launching Unabated 4 years ago Jack's view of how the American betting populat…

In the latest episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by not one but two guests, Terry Horstman of The Next and Aryeh Schwartz of Winsidr, to recap an incredible and controversial finish to the WNBA Finals. Hansen chats with both guys about the championship series that took place, the controversial call towards the end of Game 5,…

Ep. 136 features Matt Bresler, Founder and CEO of Odditt, a suite of world-class sports betting tools and analytics. This episode was recorded in person with Jesse at the G2E conference in Las Vegas. Hear them discuss: Why Matt relocated to Las Vegas to work on Odditt, and the value that move has brought to the company Matt's experience participati…

In this week's episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by Aryeh Schwartz, who is the founder of Winsidr and host of the Winsidr Show podcast. Hansen and Schwartz open the podcast by talking about the Minnesota Lynx, their season now that we are nearing the end of it as well as how they have performed in the first two rounds of th…

Ep. 135 is our quarterly Investor Vibe Check, where we chat with 3 industry investors to get their perspective on the landscape from their side of the table. The vibe check for Q3 features Evan Meyer (Astralis Capital), Paris Smith (Life Winning), and Joel Simkins (XST Capital). Hear them discuss: Their investing background, and current focus areas…

Ep. 134 features Evan Kirkham from Outlier, which is a cutting-edge sports betting app that helps users make smarter bets, no matter the sportsbook. Hear him discuss: How life has changed for Evan and the Outlier team after finding product-market fit since his last appearance on the podcast Insight into Outlier's internal product development proces…

In this week's episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by Minnesota Lynx radio play-by-play voice, Wendell Epps. Hansen and Epps open the podcast talking about what drew Epps to Minnesota and what his first year has been like in the Twin Cities, following that up by discussing the Minnesota Lynx play over the regular season and a…

Ep. 133 features the winner of SBC's First Pitch, Radek Psurny from Match Hype. Hear them discuss: Radek's reflections on winning the SBC First Pitch competition and pitching on the big stage The journey of building Match Hype, a platform for dynamic sportsbook video content How Match Hype automates videos with real-time stats, predictions, and con…

Ep. 132 features Keith Stewart from Read the Line, which delivers actionable golf betting insights & analysis from the perspective of a PGA Professional. Hear him discuss: His life's journey in golf and how becoming a PGA Professional has elevated his career Four reasons why golf is one of the best sports for betting The origins of Read the Line an…