Ep. 184: Fantasy football puzzles for the masses w/ Brian Birt from Griddy

Ep. 184: Fantasy football puzzles for the masses w/ Brian Birt from Griddy

Author: BettingStartups.com October 14, 2025 Duration: 35:14
Ep. 184 features Brian Birt, founder of Griddy, the fantasy football puzzle game bringing year-round engagement to sports fans.   Hear him discuss: His journey from childhood sports fanatic to building products at Sleeper and launching Griddy How Griddy turns fantasy football into a strategic, bite-sized mobile game playable 365 days a year Solving the seasonality problem in fantasy sports with an innovative “chemistry” team-building mechanic Why he intentionally built Griddy as a free-to-play game without real money components How a community-driven approach led to 30,000 users and 3M+ games played with zero ad spend The role of Reddit and storytelling in driving organic, founder-led growth Lessons from Sleeper: building trust and community before monetization Finding product–market fit through retention and user obsession, not growth hacks Getting early believers on the cap table, including Joel Simkins from XST Capital, and why he seeks to preserve optionality for future capital needs How psychological resilience and consistency fuel startup success What’s next for Griddy, from new game modes and rewards to expansion into other sports and fandoms     Catch the video version of this episode here.   Learn more 👇 ➡️ Girddy website  ➡️ Brian Birt on Linkedin   📩 Get the top headlines from the industry's most promising growth-stage companies every week—totally free! Subscribe to the Betting Startups newsletter here: https://news.bettingstartups.com/   -- This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.

Ever wonder what it's actually like to build a company in the fast-paced and often secretive world of sports betting and online gaming? The Betting Startups Podcast pulls back the curtain, offering a rare, unfiltered look at the people trying to reinvent this multi-billion dollar industry. Instead of just analyzing markets or trends, each episode sits down with the founders and CEOs themselves-the individuals navigating complex regulations, fierce competition, and rapidly changing technology to turn an idea into a viable business. You'll hear firsthand accounts of the early struggles, the pivotal moments of securing funding or launching a product, and the unique challenges of building trust in a sector where it’s paramount. This isn't about theoretical business advice; it's a series of real stories from the trenches of entrepreneurship in one of today's most dynamic digital landscapes. Presented by BettingStartups.com, the podcast provides a genuine narrative around innovation, capturing the human ambition and strategic thinking driving the next wave of companies in fantasy sports, iGaming, and beyond. Tune in for conversations that are as much about resilience and vision as they are about the specifics of the betting industry.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

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