SBC has announced the five startups selected to compete in the 2026 edition of First Pitch, held in partnership with BettingStartups, with this year’s finalists highlighting the growing role of AI, player engagement tools, compliance technology and competitive intelligence in shaping the future of betting and gaming.
The competition will take place on 1 October at the Product Innovation Showcase Stage during SBC Summit 2026, giving emerging businesses a platform to demonstrate their products and growth ambitions before a live audience of investors, operators and senior industry stakeholders.
Each finalist will deliver a three-minute presentation followed by a three-minute Q&A session with an expert judging panel, competing for a prize package valued at more than €100,0001 designed to support business growth and market expansion.
The five finalists represent a diverse range of innovative solutions addressing some of the industry’s most pressing challenges:
- Betsy has developed a social prediction gaming platform that transforms betting activity into shareable content and community-driven entertainment.
- Gmonitor provides AI-powered competitive intelligence, helping operators track promotions, games, advertising activity, rankings and regulatory developments.
- InsightPlay.ai offers autonomous AI agents focused on player acquisition, retention, reactivation and customer support.
- Safefy uses artificial intelligence to monitor transactions and identify suspicious activity before it results in losses.
- Whizgen AI (Whizdom AI) delivers a suite of interconnected tools that support customer service, personalised game recommendations and player retention initiatives.
The contest forms part of SBC Summit’s enhanced Startup Hub, hosted by BettingStartups, which combines exhibition opportunities, networking and dedicated startup-focused content to connect founders with operators, investors and prospective commercial partners. The Product Innovation Showcase Stage will be reserved exclusively for startup presentations throughout Thursday, concluding with the First Pitch final.
Commenting on the finalists, Paul Mills, Senior Event Director at SBC, said the diversity of solutions on display reflects the industry’s continued appetite for innovation. “What stands out about this year’s finalists is the range of problems they’re trying to solve, from player retention to transaction monitoring and competitive intelligence. Each one is tackling a genuine industry challenge, but from a completely different angle.”
Paul added: “One thing’s for sure, the judges are going to have their work cut out for them given the amount of talent on stage this year.”
Jesse Learmonth, Founder of BettingStartups and host of First Pitch, emphasised the long-term value the competition offers participating startups. “First Pitch gives founders a unique opportunity to demonstrate what they have built in front of people who can help them move forward. While the pitch itself only lasts a few minutes, the introductions, feedback and relationships that emerge from the event can create lasting opportunities.”
This year’s winner will receive a prize package featuring support across technology, marketing, legal services, compliance, cloud infrastructure and event exposure. Key prizes include API access from Are You Watching This?! and MetaBet, exhibition and sponsorship opportunities at SBC Summit 2027, media exposure through SBC Media, AWS promotional credits, compliance services from CertiIQ, and branding and PR support from a range of industry partners.
The winner will be selected by a distinguished judging panel featuring Rob Duboff of Velo Partners, Willy Joseph of Amazon Web Services, Paris Smith of Defy the Odds, Tom Waterhouse of Waterhouse VC, and David Williams of Discerning Capital.
The First Pitch final will take place on the final day of SBC Summit 2026, which is expected to bring together more than 40,000 betting and gaming professionals from around the world between 29 September and 1 October in Lisbon.
- Are You Watching This?! & MetaBet – One year of API access to sports, gambling and engagement data, worth €42,000.
SBC Events – A 3x3m booth with turnkey stand build, sponsorship mention and four complimentary tickets to SBC Summit 2027, worth €15,000.
SBC Media – Six months of advertising across relevant industry news platforms, newsletter advertising and two featured editorials promoting the business, worth €11,000.
AWS – €10,000 in promotional credits to support eligible AWS services and infrastructure.
CertiIQ – Twelve months of access to the company’s technical compliance management platform, plus one compliance tool add-on, worth €7,400.
Square in the Air – A winner’s video package filmed on-site, supported by social promotion, a social media audit, competitor analysis and strategy guide, worth €5,000.
Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld LLC – €4,000 in credit towards gaming-related legal services.
Vegas Kings – An exclusive brand or web design package worth €3,000.
GameOn – Two drafted and distributed press releases, a US-facing trade media interview, a short video interview and inclusion in GameOn newsletters, worth €2,750 ↩︎
