SBC has unveiled the five start-up companies that are the finalists of the 2025 SBC First Pitch competition, taking place at the SBC Summit Americas this week.
The competition will feature as part of the Leaders conference track on Thursday, May 15 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale.
The five finalists will each present their product and business plan through a three-minute presentation followed by a Q&A session in front of a live audience and an esteemed panel of industry and investment experts.
The five finalists are:
- Sidebetz: Creators of the first dynamic odds engine for live poker, Sidebetz provides viewers of live poker streams with betting odds for each hand.
- Wager Games: A technology and short-form video content provider, Wager Games’ platform enables viewers to watch videos from content creators and replicate their bets in just one click.
- PromptBet.ai: An AI-driven SaaS platform provider, which empowers sports betting and iGaming operators by providing users with smart search (voice+text) capabilities.
- Gamewagrs: A cutting-edge platform provider that empowers gamers to place bets and create parlays based on their own in-game performance, across their favorite video games.
- Staked AI: An AI-powered B2B audio platform for the sports industry that enables sports marketers to create emotionally intelligent, podcast-style audio content 100x faster and more cost-effectively.
To determine this year’s winner, SBC has assembled a distinguished panel of judges, each bringing extensive expertise in sports betting, gambling, and venture capital investments.
The panel of esteemed experts includes the likes of Paris Smith (founder, Life Winning/Defy The Odds), David Fica (CEO and founder, Land Vegas), Scott Secord (partner, Cardinal Sports Capital), Kimberley Nixon (managing partner, Open Venture Capital) and Quinton Singleton (founder, Zero Labs). Jesse Learmonth, host of The Betting Startups Podcast, will return once again to host this year’s competition.
“SBC has a long-running history of supporting emerging start-up businesses, and we are extremely excited to continue this tradition for the upcoming summit,” said SBC advisor Sue Schneider. “Every year, the number of applications continues to grow, and with the addition of the Start-up sphere on the show floor, SBC Summit Americas has quickly become the go-to event for start-ups to gain incredible exposure, vital industry knowledge, and key networking opportunities to flourish in the region.”
The winning startup will receive a prize package valued at over $110,000 to support its development and expansion, including:
- MetaBet & Are You Watching This?: One year of API access to sports data from Are You Watching This? and gambling data from MetaBet, valued at $48,000.
- Eilers & Krejcik Gaming: A six-month Sports & Emerging Verticals subscription from Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, valued at $25,000.
- SBC Media: An SBC Media promotional package including six months of advertising on one of SBC Americas, SBC Noticias or SBC Noticias Brasil, including newsletter advertising and two featured editorials promoting the business, valued at $11,000.
- AWS: $10,000 in promotional credits, usable for a wide range of AWS services and support from infrastructure technologies like compute, storage, and databases, to emerging technologies, such as generative AI, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.
- Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld LLC: $5,000 in credit toward gaming-related legal services provided by Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld LLC.
- Square in the Air: A $5,000 winner’s package from Square in the Air, including an on-site video, social media promotion, a free audit with competitor analysis and a strategy guide to profile boosting.
- Vegas Kings: An exclusive brand or web design package worth $3,100 from Vegas Kings, a leading iGaming design and development agency.
- GameOn: The drafting and distribution of two press releases, an interview with a U.S.-facing trade publication, a short video interview shared on social media, and inclusion in the GameOn newsletters, valued at roughly $2,550.
In last year’s competition, 916 Gaming, a company that builds innovative and interactive online casino games for operators across the globe, was crowned the winner.
All SBC Summit Americas attendees will have the opportunity to follow the SBC First Pitch competition.
Get your ticket to SBC Summit Americas
Group Pass 3+ (Full Event Pass): Available for groups of three or more, this pass grants full access to conference sessions, the expo floor, networking events, and evening parties—all for a discounted rate of $500 per person. Get your Group Pass.
Expo+ Pass: Includes access to the expo floor and all conference sessions (does not include access to evening networking events). Get Your Expo+ Pass at $95.
Complimentary Operator & Affiliate Passes: Operators and affiliates can apply for free passes, subject to approval.
Apply for Your Complimentary Operator Pass
Apply for Your Complimentary Affiliate Pass
