SBC Summit reveals the first five finalists of the First Pitch, who will present next-generation gaming technologies.
SBC has revealed the five startups that will compete in the 2026 edition of First Pitch , in partnership with BettingStartups . This year's list features a new generation of companies using innovative technology to address some of the biggest challenges in betting and gaming.
The competition, which will take place on Thursday, October 1st, on the Product Innovation Showcase stage at SBC Summit 2026 , will give five emerging companies the opportunity to present their products and growth plans to investors, operators, and decision-makers in the sector.
Each finalist will have three minutes to present their project, followed by three minutes for questions and answers with the judging panel, competing for a prize package valued at €139.400, designed to accelerate the next phase of growth for the winning company.
This year's finalists are:
⇒ Betsy – a social prediction game platform created to transform betting and guessing into shareable content, making participation part of the entertainment experience.
⇒ Gmonitor – a competitive intelligence platform with artificial intelligence that monitors market activity, including promotions, games, advertising, rankings, and regulation. It helps operators understand where competitors are gaining ground and how they can react.
⇒ InsightPlay.ai – an AI workforce for player engagement, using autonomous agents for acquisition, retention, reactivation, and customer support.
⇒ Safefy – Uses AI to monitor transactions and prevent suspicious activity and losses.
⇒ Whizgen AI (Whizdom AI) – Offers iGaming operators three interconnected AI tools to handle player support queries, provide personalized game recommendations, and flag players at risk of abandoning the operator.
The competition is part of the expanded Startup Hub of the SBC Summit, organized by BettingStartups , which brings together exhibition space, networking opportunities, and content geared towards startups, connecting emerging companies with investors, operators, and potential business partners. The Product Innovation Showcase stage will be entirely dedicated to startups on Thursday, culminating in the First Pitch final.
Paul Mills , Senior Director of Events at SBC, said: “What stands out about this year’s finalists is the variety of problems they are trying to solve — from player retention to transaction monitoring and competitive intelligence. Each is addressing a genuine industry challenge, but from a completely different angle.”
"One thing is for sure, the judges will have a lot of work ahead of them, given the amount of talent on stage this year."
Jesse Learmonth , founder of BettingStartups and host of the SBC First Pitch, said: “The First Pitch offers founders a unique opportunity to demonstrate what they’ve created to people who can help them move forward. The presentation itself may only last a few minutes, but the presentations, feedback, and conversations that arise from it can have a much greater impact in the long run.”
This year's prize package is worth over €100.000 and includes:
Are You Watching This?! & MetaBet – One year of API access with data on sports, betting, and engagement, worth €42.000.
⇒ SBC Events – A 3x3m booth with full setup, sponsor mention, and four complimentary tickets to the SBC Summit 2027, worth €15.000.
⇒ SBC Media – Six months of advertising on relevant industry news platforms, newsletter ads, and two featured editorials promoting the company, 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 a complementary compliance tool, worth €7.400.
⇒ Square in the Air – A video package for the winner, filmed on location, with social media promotion support, social media audit, competitor analysis and strategy guide, worth €5.000.
⇒ Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld LLC – Credit of €4.000 for legal services related to gambling.
⇒ Vegas Kings – An exclusive brand or website design package worth €3.000.
⇒ GameOn – Two press releases written and distributed, an interview for a specialized US media outlet, a short video interview, and inclusion in GameOn newsletters, worth €2.750.
To determine this year's winner, SBC assembled a panel of judges with extensive experience in sports betting, online gaming, investments, startup development, and venture capital.
This year's prestigious panel of judges includes Rob Duboff (Director of Velo Partners), Willy Joseph (Global Head of Amazon Web Services for Gaming, Betting and Sports), Paris Smith (Founder and CEO of Defy the Odds), Tom Waterhouse (Founder and CIO of Waterhouse VC), and David Williams (Partner at Discerning Capital).
The First Pitch will take place on the last day of the SBC Summit 2026 , which will bring together more than 40.000 betting and gambling professionals from September 29th to October 1st at the Lisbon International Fair and the MEO Arena.
Access to the product innovation demonstration stage and opening presentation is included with Conference , Business , and VIP passes . Operators, affiliates, and regulatory bodies may also qualify for complimentary passes, subject to approval.
Explore all ticket options for the SBC Summit here.
