GeoComply is undergoing a large round of layoffs that could affect close to 80 people, in a downsizing that the company told SBC Americas reflects a “deliberate strategic evolution”.
As first reported by Sportico, the geolocation services provider is parting ways with dozens of employees as part of an effort to streamline its internal structure to drive future growth and expansion, the company confirmed on Friday. GeoComply told SBC Americas that the number of employees impacted is fewer than 80.
“The changes reflect a deliberate strategic evolution,” a GeoComply spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “We are not just changing our size; we are optimizing how we work to build a more focused, agile organization that stays ahead of rapid shifts in the regulatory and tech landscape, and the continued advancement of AI. GeoComply remains in a strong position for long-term growth, and these steps ensure we remain at the forefront of the industries we operate in.”
Layoffs reportedly affect around 15% of workforce
The layoffs amount to roughly 15% of a total workforce of 450 global employees, before the job cuts, according to Sportico. GeoComply is based in Vancouver, Canada and has global offices in Las Vegas, Montreal, New York, Poland, Seattle, Toronto and Vietnam.
GeoComply partners with some of the largest stakeholders in gaming, entertainment and sports. The company has partnerships with gaming giants BetMGM, DraftKings, Dabble and FanDuel. Outside of the U.S. commercial gaming industry, its partners include Nextdoor, the Premier League, PwC, and Amazon’s Prime Video.
Investors in the company include Blackstone, Arctos Sports Partners and Norwest Venture Partners.
GeoComply layoffs happen under new leadership
GeoComply is cutting jobs a little more than a year after a change of top-level leadership.
Last March, the company appointed Kip Levin as Chief Executive Officer. Levin joined GeoComply after serving as a strategic advisor at FanDuel, following a stint as the company’s COO. He previously held roles including CEO at FOXBet, a joint venture between Flutter and Fox Corporation that shuttered in 2023.
Levin replaced GeoComply co-founder Anna Sainsbury as CEO, as Sainsbury transitioned to the role of Executive Chair.
GeoComply lost court battle against competitor Xpoint
GeoComply is making operational changes as its competition in the gaming industry geolocation market stiffens from companies such as Xpoint and Radar.
In recent years, GeoComply was engaged in a legal dispute with Xpoint over alleged patent infringement related to its geolocation technology. In 2022, GeoComply sued Xpoint, but a federal U.S. District Court dismissed the case a year, determining that “the idea of using multiple sources of information to verify a person’s locations is a longstanding business practice”.
GeoComply appealed the ruling, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the lower court decision in November 2024.
After that appeals court ruling, Xpoint accused GeoComply of attempting to restrict competition through a patent that is invalid under U.S. law. GeoComply said in a responding statement that it stood firm in its belief that its specific technology “deserves protection from improper infringement”.
