The Profluence Pod 🌐

Grandstand raised $2.75M to build out its creator economy/fan engagement platform.  Sandeep Rajan previously spent time as a product leader at both Dropbox and Patreon.  Grandstand arose from Sandeep’s deep passion for sports and helping creators monetize with their biggest fans.  Chapters: (02:05) Consumer Tech background (07:45) Grandstand overview (10:15) Web3 paved the ground  (12:00) Women’s sports (16:10) NIL deepened fan engagement (18:30) Challenges building in sports (22:50) Business model (26:30) Trends to watch in sports . Sandeep Rajan: Website: https://grandstand.io/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandeepayyappan/ . Andrew Petcash: 🏠 Website: https://profluence.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! Hit the “follow” button to stay up to date on new podcasts. 

GODSENT is a world-famous, Swedish esports organization with its legacy in the game Counter-Strike.  To create the team, Ludwig Sandgren left his job and sold his apartment to be able to pay player salaries and get GODSENT off the ground.  Super interesting conversation covering esports, the future of the sport, and founding + operating a team in the space.  Chapters: (01:55) Journey to esports owner (04:50) First steps to create a team (06:50) Day to day operations (08:40) Esports demographics/data (13:15) Recruiting talented players (17:00) Business model of esports club (21:15) League structure  (23:00) Future of esports + trends . Ludwig Sandgren: Website: https://www.godsent.gg/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ludwigsandgren/ . Andrew Petcash: 🏠 Website: https://profluence.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! Hit the “follow” button to stay up to date on new podcasts.

All-American wrestler to founding what would become CBS Sports Network and now running a micro betting company in Simplebet. Simplebet is a B2B product development company using machine learning and automation to make every moment of every sporting event a betting opportunity. Exploring the eerily similar worlds of sports media 20 years ago and sports betting today.  Chapters: (02:20) Inspiration for Simplebet (07:25) CBS Sports Network (13:30) Favorite part of building a company (16:15) Advice for young professionals  (19:30) Betr and Simplebet   (21:10) Merging of sports betting and media . Chris Bevilacqua: Website: https://www.simplebet.io/ Profile: https://www.bhv-llc.com/leadership/chris.html . Andrew Petcash: 🏠 Website: https://profluence.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! Hit the “follow” button to stay up to date on new podcasts. 

Chris Paul, Zion Williamson, Jimmer Fredette, and a few other pro players are invested in Scout. Clients include Iowa, Texas A&M, G-League, Florida, Siena, Depaul, and others. Scout is the first digital family office solution for athletes that combines financial education, wealth management, and tax preparation with a premium financial concierge service. Michael Haddix Jr. previously spent time at Lazard, Goldman Sachs, and Wasserman. Scout has raised $4m to date. Chapters: (01:50) Inspiration behind Scout (06:20) Digital financial app (10:20) Business model (13:50) Financial pitfalls of athletes (16:50) Scout in the future (20:10) Nugget of financial advice . Michael Haddix Jr: Website: https://www.scoutftw.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhaddixjr/ . Andrew Petcash: 🏠 Website: https://profluence.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! Hit the “follow” button to stay up to date on new podcasts.

Leading a team of 70+ artificial intelligence and computer vision experts, Luka Pataky has deep insights into where the space is headed.  Sportradar Group AG (NASDAQ: SRAD), founded in 2001, is a leading global sports technology company creating immersive experiences for sports fans and bettors. Today’s conversation centers around the evolution of computer vision, sports, artificial intelligence, and deep learning.  Chapters: (01:40) Journey in AI (03:50) What is Sportradar? (05:20) Evolution of computer vision (09:40) AI vs CV vs ML vs DL (12:30) What Luka gets goosebumps from (17:25) Sports and artificial intelligence (20:10) Challenges in computer vision (22:25) Getting educated on AI . Luka Pataky: Website: https://sportradar.com/?lang=en-us LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luka-pataky/ . Andrew Petcash: 🏠 Website: https://profluence.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! Hit the “follow” button to stay up to date on new podcasts. 

DMG Ventures recently made two sports investments: F1 Arcade and a new Padel tournament called The Hexagon Cup.  DMG Ventures is the investment arm of media company, Daily Mail, they have deployed over $200 million into consumer companies.  Manuel Lopo de Carvalho co-founded DMG Ventures alongside Lord Rothermere in 2017, previously spending time consulting at McKinsey and banking at Goldman Sachs.  Chapters: (01:25) From banking to VC (03:00) DMG Ventures (07:45) Value proposition (12:05) Corporate venture capital (14:00) Sports investments (21:30) IPL, fantasy, & experiential . Manuel Lopo de Carvalho: Website: https://www.dmgventures.co.uk/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manuel-lopo-de-carvalho-bbb6201 . Andrew Petcash: 🏠 Website: https://profluence.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! Hit the “follow” button to stay up to date on new podcasts.

The sport of padel has exploded across Europe! Today we break down the business behind it and its expansion west.  Ryan Redondo is a former All-American tennis player who has spent his career in racquet sports. He is currently the CEO of Taktika Padel and also the San Diego Stingrays in the Pro Padel League.  Padel is a cross between tennis and squash originating in Mexico.  Chapters: (03:25) What is padel?  (04:30) Taktika & San Diego Stingrays (06:40) Global landscape (stats) (08:55) Padel Leagues (10:40) Learnings from pickleball (14:30) Opportunities in padel (19:10) History of padel (21:40) Trends in sports . Go-To Padel Newsletter:  https://padel.beehiiv.com/ . Ryan Redondo: Website: https://www.taktikapadel.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-redondo-96226b61/ . Andrew Petcash: 🏠 Website: https://profluence.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! Hit the “follow” button to stay up to date on new podcasts.

The Fan-Owned SailGP Team by FANVEST IO provides a unique opportunity to become a team owner for as little as $5,000.  David Palmer is helping coordinate the new Bermuda-based SailGP team that is owned by 1,950 accredited investors. The team aims to be the 11th team in the league, projected to begin participating in races in 2024 during Season 5 of the Sail Grand Prix Series. Through his various roles in a public hospitality company, David Palmer was instrumental in achieving a $2.85 billion go-private transaction with affiliates of Apollo Global Management.  Chapters: (01:30) Hospitality background (04:20) Fan ownership in sports (08:40) DAOs (15:15) SailGP fan-owned team (18:40) FANVEST IO (20:20) Athletes as investors (25:30) Connecting with sports fans . David Palmer: Website: https://fanvest.io/ . Andrew Petcash: 🏠 Website: https://profluence.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! Hit the “follow” button to stay up to date on new podcasts.

Prior to founding Caffeine, Ben Keighran sold Chomp Inc to Apple where he led the design of Apple TV for several years.  Caffeine TV has had several pivots over the years and the last one saw the platform go from 2 million to over 40 million active users.  On Caffeine TV you can watch free live broadcasts, highlights, and replays of sports.  Chapters: (01:35) Original idea for Caffeine (07:00) Driving millions of active users (09:00) Sports media’s transitions  (13:50) GenZ and short form (16:00) AI’s impact across content (18:40) Trends in sports to watch (20:20) Caffeine TVs next steps . Ben Keighran: Website: https://www.caffeine.tv/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bkeighran/ . Andrew Petcash: 🏠 Website: https://profluence.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! Hit the “follow” button to stay up to date on new podcasts.

Tom Webb is the Chief Marketing Officer of the Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP).  APP is an organization elevating the sport of pickleball by providing elite platforms for the best players in the world, right through to those picking up a paddle for the first time. Over his 30-year career, Tom Webb has worked with a number of world-famous brands including Red Bull, Emirates Airline, Polo Ralph Lauren, Formula 1, The Olympic Games, America's Cup, and Major League Soccer.  Chapters: (01:20) Journey into pickleball (05:45) Olympic games (08:30) Numbers behind the game (14:30) History of pickleball (17:25) Capturing audience (20:45) Pickleball pro leagues (23:00) Downstream initiatives   (26:20) Opportunities in the space (28:25) Trends to watch in sports . Tom Webb: Website: https://www.theapp.global/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-webb-80b43214/ . Andrew Petcash: 🏠 Website: https://profluence.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! Hit the “follow” button to stay up to date on new podcasts.