Five Startups Named as First Pitch Finalists at SBC Summit 2026

SBC Summit 2026 has announced the five startups that will compete in this year’s First Pitch competition, delivered in partnership with BettingStartups. Each selected company will present its product and growth vision in front of investors, operators, and industry leaders on 1 October in Lisbon. The event, positioned within the Product Innovation Showcase Stage, covers a broad spectrum of industry issues — with €139,400 in prize value on the line for the winner.

Shortlisted Startups Competing for the Top Prize

The 2026 First Pitch finalists address diverse challenges in betting and gaming, leveraging AI and new engagement models. Each will deliver a three-minute pitch, followed by a three-minute judging panel Q&A. The startups are:

• Betsy: Social prediction platform focused on making betting and predictions shareable, blending entertainment with betting participation.
• Gmonitor: AI-driven competitive intelligence platform that tracks market actions such as promotions, games, advertising, rankings, and regulation for operators to benchmark industry movement.
• InsightPlay.ai: Employs autonomous agents to manage player acquisition, retention, reactivation, and support functions.
• Safefy: Utilizes AI to monitor betting transactions to flag and prevent suspicious activities and potential losses.
• Whizgen AI (also referenced as Whizdom AI): Offers iGaming operators a suite of AI tools for player support, personalized game recommendations, and player churn risk alerts.

Paul Mills, Senior Event Director at SBC, commented,

“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.”

What Is at Stake in SBC Summit’s First Pitch Competition?

The First Pitch award package is designed to fuel startup growth with resources valued at €139,400, targeting exposure and development opportunities. This year's offering includes:

• One year of API access to sports, gambling, and engagement data from Are You Watching This?! & MetaBet (€42,000 value)
• A 3x3m turnkey booth, sponsorship mention, plus four delegate tickets for SBC Summit 2027 from SBC Events (€15,000)
• Six months of multi-channel advertising on SBC Media platforms, including newsletters and editorials (€11,000)
• €10,000 in AWS credits towards eligible cloud services
• Twelve months with CertiIQ’s technical compliance management platform and an add-on tool (€7,400)
• Winner’s video content plus social media strategy and audit from Square in the Air (€5,000)
• €4,000 in gaming legal services credit from Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld LLC
• A brand or web design package from Vegas Kings (€3,000)
• Press outreach from GameOn, including US trade media interviews, video, and newsletter inclusion (€2,750)

The package is intended to give the winning startup a tangible runway to expand its footprint in the competitive iGaming B2B sector.

First Pitch Judging Panel Brings Cross-Disciplinary Experience

The winner will be determined by a judging panel comprising expertise from sports betting, iGaming, investment, and venture capital backgrounds:

• Rob Duboff (Director, Velo Partners)
• Willy Joseph (Global SA Leader, Games, Betting & Gaming and Sports, Amazon Web Services)
• Paris Smith (Founder & CEO, Defy the Odds)
• Tom Waterhouse (Founder and CIO, Waterhouse VC)
• David Williams (Partner, Discerning Capital)

Jesse Learmonth, Founder of BettingStartups and First Pitch host, noted the broader value proposition:

“First Pitch gives founders a unique opportunity to demonstrate what they have built in front of people who can help them move forward. The pitch itself may only last a few minutes, but the introductions, feedback and conversations that come from it can have a much longer-term impact.”

Startup Hub and SBC Summit 2026 Event Details

First Pitch is part of the expanded Startup Hub at SBC Summit 2026, which integrates exhibition space, targeted networking, and startup-focused content. The Product Innovation Showcase Stage centers its Thursday programme around startup visibility, culminating in the First Pitch final.

SBC Summit 2026 is set to host over 40,000 industry professionals from 29 September to 1 October, located at the Feira Internacional de Lisboa and MEO Arena. All Conference, Business, and VIP Pass holders can access the Product Innovation Showcase Stage and First Pitch. Free passes may be available for qualifying operators, affiliates, and regulators subject to event approval. Startups aiming to engage with decision-makers and investors find an environment tailored for exposure and partnership discussion at the Summit.

Those interested in event developments or startup engagement can follow ongoing coverage in our events and news sections.