Episodes
-
With many years of experience in sportainment, Craig Winning is now taking on BatBox as they expand from Mexico to the United States.
BatBox is an innovative experiential concept that caters to the underserved baseball fan market, offering a playful way for fans to engage with baseball and each other and offer corporate and private simulator sales to clients.
Craig was previously at TOCA Social, Shorty’s, Punch Bowl Social, and has spent most of his career at the intersection of hospitality and entertainment.
Chapters:
(01:30) Hospitality background
(05:50) BatBox concept
(10:10) GTM from Mexico to the US
(11:55) Challenges with new concept
(13:55) Food/Beverage vs. Gameplay
(16:10) Blueprint to success
(19:00) Trends in eatertainment
(21:40) Importance of technology
(23:00) Concepts that could work
.
Craig Winning:
BatBox: https://www.batboxusa.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thecraigwinning/
.
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.
-
An experienced veteran in sportainment, Ollie’s newest project is at the intersection of racing, socializing, and eating with F1 Arcade.
F1 Arcade is a new simulation racing experience in the US, offering all the excitement, drama, and glamor of Formula 1.
Ollie Raison has provided creative input to social entertainment businesses for many years including Bounce Ping Pong, Puttshack Mini Golf, Hijingo, AceBounce, Wonderball, Games Gurus, and more.
Chapters:
(01:15) From comedy to social entertainment
(05:30) Bounce Ping Pong
(07:45) Flight Club and Puttshack
(12:45) F1 Arcade Inception
(17:20) Mistakes made in social entertainment
(20:35) Go-To-Market strategy
(23:10) Investors they targeted
(25:25) Future of social entertainment
(29:45) New location F1 Arcade
.
Ollie Raison:
F1 Arcade: https://f1arcade.com/us/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliver-raison-b3207235/?originalSubdomain=uk
.
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.
-
Missing episodes?
-
Before launching his own agency, Jared was Head of Sports at Twitter/Vine helping establish deep ties within the social media world.
Changing the way credit works for social content with Gondola and making creative content for sports leagues, teams, brands, and media companies with Fresh Tape Media.
Jared shares valuable insights into content creation, trends in social media, sports, highlighting the evolution of content, the impact of technology, and the future of content creation tools.
Chapters:
(01:20) Jared’s sports background
(05:35) Vine walked so TikTok could run
(07:15) Gondola and Fresh Tape Media
(14:30) Trends in social media
(17:30) Thoughts on AR/VR & content
(22:45) Future ideas
.
Jared Kleinstein:
Gondola: https://gondola.cc/
Fresh Tape Media: https://www.freshtapemedia.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-kleinstein/
.
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.
-
After the acquisition of The Athletic, Evan Parker joined Alexis Ohanian and Brett Montgomery to build Mantel.
Mantel is a community for collectors (starting in sports).
Before joining Mantel as the CEO, Evan Parker was the General Manager at The Athletic and Head of Content at NASCAR.
Chapters:
(01:50) Career in Sports
(03:00) Importance of Building Relationships
(05:05) How Leagues vs Media Brands View Content
(07:30) Collectibles and Mantel
(12:30) Starting in Niches
(14:20) From Corporate to Entrepreneurship
(17:50) Learnings from The Athletic acquisition
(20:10) Fundraising Insights
(21:50) Mantel Roadmap
(35:35) Trends to Watch
.
Evan Parker:
Mantel: https://www.onmantel.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evaneparker/
.
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.
-
Recently raising their Series A round, we discuss the changing dynamic of digital sports activations and how they’ve been able to help organizations get closer to their fans.
Vaidhy Murti has over a decade of experience developing production applications for high-growth, venture-backed startups, and Fortune 1000 companies
WIT Sports is a digital activation platform that helps professional sports teams in the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLS elevate their marketing efforts while providing innovative, turnkey solutions designed to enhance brand partnerships.
Chapters:
(01:25) WIT overview + case studies
(05:35) Entrance into sports
(11:35) Leagues engaging fans
(14:15) Metrics to measure success
(16:55) Series A round growth plans
(19:15) Macro trends to watch
(21:15) Learnings building companies
(24:20) Dealing with rejection
.
Vaidhy Murti:
Website: https://www.witcontests.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vaidhy-murti/
.
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.
-
“The Real Moneyball Guy”, the popular movie was partly based on Ari’s analytical and scouting experiences innovating Major League Baseball.
Ari Kaplan created and led the Chicago Cubs analytics department, head of evangelism at DataBricks, Caltech Alumni of the Decade, and Intel’s AI Board of Advisors.
DataBricks is one of the largest private companies in the world with over $1.6 billion in 2023 revenue.
Chapters:
(04:10) Exciting new sports tech
(07:35) Background in sports
(10:20) Evolution of analytics
(15:00) Machine vs human decision making
(20:00) Traditional AI vs Gen AI
(27:45) AGI
(29:00) Advice for building in sports
.
Ari Kaplan:
Website: https://www.databricks.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arikaplan/
.
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.
-
We dive deep into fan engagement, creating immersive experiences, and MVP Interactive + James Giglio’s new book Beyond the Jumbotron.
MVP Interactive is a creative technology company specializing in designing and producing immersive consumer experiences for the world’s largest brands.
Chapters:
(02:45) MVP Interactive background
(07:15) Defining a “fan”
(11:05) Future of fan engagement/AI
(15:05) Immersive tech examples
(21:30) Leveraging brand equity
(25:10) Insights on building in sports
(27:50) Changing marketing trends
.
James Giglio:
Website: https://mvp-interactive.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E%A4-james-giglio-16a8715/
.
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.
-
Perfect Game is the world’s largest youth baseball/softball platform and scouting service, producing over 8,600+ events, 300,000+ games, and showcases annually across the United States.
Rob Ponger became CEO in 2022, previously serving as a Senior Vice President at IMG.
To date, more than 1,650 players who have played in a Perfect Game event have made it to Major League Baseball.
Chapters:
(01:50) From IMG to Perfect Game
(04:15) Creating a flywheel of brands
(09:30) Downstream professionalization
(12:30) MLB players
(13:50) Baseball innovation for GenZ
(16:30) Women’s sports and softball
(18:00) Going younger & company size
(21:00) Future for Perfect Game
(23:35) NIL/Other trends
.
Rob Ponger:
Website: https://www.perfectgame.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-ponger-1534735/
.
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.
-
Pro Skills Basketball is now in 20 cities across the United States with their innovative basketball training, coaching, and team membership model.
Brendan Winters grew up the son of an NBA coach. He played college basketball at Davidson and then went on to play professionally overseas for 5 years before founding Pro Skills Basketball.
PSB has since grown into a nationwide club team organization with the mission to change the culture of youth basketball in the US.
Chapters:
(02:40) Davidson and Steph Curry
(03:30) Pro Skills Basketball inspiration
(08:40) Adding new markets
(10:45) From sports to entrepreneurship
(12:35) Building European-style clubs
(16:40) Pro Skills Basketball model
(18:20) Differences in markets
(22:10) Future initiatives
.
Brendan Winters:
Website: https://proskillsbasketball.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanwinters/
.
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.
-
Futsal is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, and Senda Athletics is at the forefront of it.
Senda Athletics is a head-to-toe soccer product line, including footwear, Fair Trade Certified balls, and custom team uniforms, focused on the rapidly growing 5-a-side and indoor soccer market.
The initial 5-a-side market is an estimated $5B with the opportunity to expand into the $14B broader soccer market. Popular soccer stars like Lionel Messi have been known to enjoy futsal.
Chapters:
(01:30) Senda Athletics overview
(04:15) Argentina & World Cup
(06:15) Engaging athletes as owners
(08:30) From 1 product to many
(12:30) Becoming Fair Trade Certified
(14:40) Distribution channels
(20:10) Soccer 3.0
(24:10) Trends to watch
.
Santiago Halty:
Website: https://sendaathletics.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/santiago-halty-9a764214/
.
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.
-
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
.
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/
.
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
.
Mohit Pareek:
Website: https://www.drakestar.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohitpareek/
.
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
.
Antony Arena:
Website: https://thisisaura.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ant-arena/?originalSubdomain=au
.
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
.
Daniel Shichman:
Website: https://wsc-sports.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-shichman-121b4633/?originalSubdomain=il
.
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
.
Sameer Ahuja:
Website: https://gc.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sameerahuja/
.
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
.
Jenna Kurath:
Website: https://www.comcastsportstech.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennakurath/
.
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
.
Dominic Pardini:
Website: https://www.crewlab.io/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominicpardini/
.
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
.
Wayne Kimmel:
Website: https://www.seventysixcapital.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/waynekimmel/
.
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
.
United Basketball League:
Website: https://www.theubl.com/
.
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
.
Jonathan Stern:
Website: https://www.improbablemedia.com/
.
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.
- Show more