SBC Summit’s First Pitch Open for Applications

Key Points

• Five startups will present their ideas in person in the Product Innovation Showcase Stage during SBC Summit, on 1st October 2026, with the submission deadline being on 24th July.
• The total prize money is more than €89,400, including media, compliance, legal, data, brand services, and booth at SBC Summit 2027.
• In 2025, the winner of First Pitch, AIStats, got $1.1 million in pre-seed funding and reached more than 700,000 users.

The window is open. Now five nascent betting and gaming startups have an opportunity to compete live in Lisbon in SBC Summit for a prize package estimated at more than €89,400.

The competition is scheduled on 1st October, Thursday, starting at 15:00 on the Product Innovation Showcase Stage. The selected startups will showcase their product and business models in front of a room packed with investors, operators, press, and most importantly money makers.

However, the field remains narrow: only five companies compete in this edition. Each finalist gets three minutes of presentation time followed by another three minutes of Q&A from a panel composed of investors and industry veterans who have heard it all before.

In the framework of the partnership with Betting Startups, SBC First Pitch builds on its successful launch at the beginning of 2026 during the SBC Summit Americas. Once again, the event is hosted by Jesse Learmonth, Founder of Betting Startups.

What the Winner Actually Walks Away With

The prize is built for practical use, not decoration. Across media, compliance, legal support, data infrastructure, branding, and live event presence, the package covers ground that most early-stage companies struggle to fund themselves. The breakdown:

• 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 a turnkey stand built at SBC Summit 2027, plus four complimentary tickets, worth €15,000.
• SBC Media — Six months of advertising across SBC’s media sites, newsletter placement, and featured editorials, worth €11,000.
• CertiIQ™ — Twelve months of platform access for market intelligence and compliance management across regulated markets, worth €7,400.
• Square in the Air — Video promo package, social media audit, competitor analysis, and social 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.

The Judging Panel

The panel is not filled with consultants. Rob Duboff, Director at Velo Partners, brings an institutional venture capital perspective. Tom Waterhouse, Founder, CEO, and investor of his own namesake operation, has backed and built across multiple markets. Paris Smith, Founder and CEO of Defy the Odds, rounds out a panel that has operated on both sides of the cheque.

Paul Mills, Event Director at SBC, put it directly: “SBC Summit’s First Pitch competition gives startups the opportunity to get their products in front of investors, operators, partners, and media who can make a meaningful difference to their next stage of growth.

“For early-stage companies, having a strong product is only the beginning. First Pitch gives five selected startups a live platform to build visibility, open valuable conversations, and showcase their ideas at one of the industry’s biggest global gatherings.”

What First Pitch Actually Did for the Previous Winner?

Last year’s winning product is called AIStats, which provides a sports statistics service using the power of computer vision and machine learning to deliver real-time data to its consumers and companies. The success of the First Pitch award was not just shelved since AIStats has raised $1.1 million in pre-seed funds and has reached 700,000 users around the world.

Beyond the Pitch Stage

The First Pitch sits inside a broader startup infrastructure at the event. The Startup Zone gives founders space to run live demos and speak directly with investors, operators, and commercial partners. A dedicated Startup Networking Lounge runs alongside it for conversations that benefit from fewer people in the room. On 1 October, the Product Innovation Showcase Stage gives additional emerging companies a full day of access to operators, investors, affiliates, suppliers, and media.

How to Apply and What It Takes?

The application deadline will be Friday, 24 July 2026. To be eligible, the company must have been created after 2023, operate in the field of sports betting and/or online casino gaming, look to raise investments worth at least €500,000 and be able to show its MVP. It is mandatory that at least one person representing the company attending SBC Summit 2026 do so in person, with all travel expenses being paid by the applicant itself; each of the finalists gets two free entries.

Expert Analysis

SBC First Pitch has become one of the few competitions where the prize package maps to actual startup needs rather than trophy value. The AIStats result proved the model: a live stage in front of serious capital and decision-makers moved the needle within months. For a founder sitting on a product with traction but without the network to reach the right rooms, three minutes at SBC Summit on 1 October could carry more weight than a year of outbound activity. The 24 July deadline leaves little time to deliberate.