Rising ICON #60: Greg Kajewski
What name do you prefer to be called?
Greg Kajewski
What are your pronouns?
He/Him
Where did you grow up?
Small Town in Iowa
What city are you currently based in?
Minneapolis, MN
How do you typically introduce yourself to new people?
Great to meet you, I’m Greg. Co-Founder of BettorEdge, a social gaming platform connecting you to bet with your friends. We remove the house helping you have more fun and win more!
What’s one thing you wish more people knew about you?
I have a lot of passion for seeing cool, innovative things being built. There’s something about when working on a product and customers see it and respond with “this is nothing like anything I’ve seen before” or “this is amazing” that keeps me going everyday. I’m fortunate that BettorEdge is the second time in my career where I’ve experienced this. From there, it’s been awesome to connect with other founders to find ways to help them experience these moments too.
Who do you help?
Sports fans looking to have more fun as they watch sports with their friends and followers. We also help businesses better connect with our community and their customers; it’s had amazing results in the early days!
What are you building now?
BettorEdge, an online community and social betting marketplace that offers no vig sports betting while improving a user’s betting experience through media, analytics, and premium features.
With social betting being a newer concept, it’s a streamlined experience of what you’re already doing in group chats, Twitter, Venmo, Excel, at the golf course, ball game, etc, but on a purpose-built platform.
What were you building ten years ago today?
I was an early employee at an Enterprise Planning company, called Anaplan. We helped large companies, like Unilever, plan more efficiently across their organization. It was a great experience to go through an IPO and see firsthand how to scale an organization.
What do you predict of yourself 10 years from now?
Something at the intersection of innovation, efficiency, and charitable causes. I’ve always gravitated towards technology innovation that makes people’s lives easier/better. When you can also do that with an impact, it leaves an awesome legacy for what’s been built. We have a program now with BettorEdge called BE4Good where we do just that and have shed some light while raising funds for some great causes!
What’s a fact or statistic you wish everyone knew about your industry?
I wish more people understood that sports gaming platforms often make money at your expense (via losses or taking away winnings that you should be entitled to). It’s crazy really that this is one of the only industries where they want to keep you just happy enough to come back, but down enough that you don’t actually win.
Why do you believe the work you do matters?
I see sports gaming as a growing industry where new members are being taught by individuals that may not have their best interest in mind. Creating a better product and experience while educating new users on that value goes a long way in helping sports fans navigate the future.
Additionally, we’re pretty quick to find fun and unique ways to give back to important causes!
Who is your mentor and what is the best advice they’ve given you?
I’ve been fortunate to have many awesome mentors and coaches over the years. Louis Peacock is one of the most influential and taught me how to plan, tackle and approach situations with a level head to overcome obstacles or roadblocks. Josh King has shown a style and approach to leadership that is endearing. Thankful for great mentors even though their best advice has been through leading by example.
What piece of content about you or your company are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of the recognition of BettorEdge in the sports gaming industry. Not only did we win “Rising Star of the Year” by the coveted sports betting conference from SBC, we followed up with being shortlisted for “Responsible Operator of the Year.” Extremely proud of both of those because it quickly showed our impact on the industry.
What publication do you hope to appear in next?
Anything that features our brand or community in a fun light and understands how social gaming can help connect users the way fantasy sports or brackets connects friends or families engaging around sports.
Who would you love to be interviewed by?
Jeremy Clarkson/Richard Hammond - I watched a lot of Top Gear while living in London and they’re just goofy guys who seem to enjoy life and it shows in their production.
If you had to give a TEDTalk tomorrow, what would the title be?
I’d be torn between:
What Sports Betting Companies Aren’t Telling You
Winning in Sports Betting Should Be Boring
What award would mean the most to win?
Awards aren’t something I think a lot about, but any recognition or award for BettorEdge is great. It helps more people find our platform and recognizes all the hard work of our team, partners and the space that we’re carving out in a new and upcoming industry.
What makes zero sense to you?
How Minnesotans can’t take the last piece ;)
What’s a word in your industry you hope gets re-evaluated?
Same-Game Parlay - it’s advertised the most by sportsbooks because it’s where the house (usually) makes the most money
What game are you changing?
How people enjoy sports with their friends, family and (even) foes
What’s the next thing you’re a part of that you want to invite more people to participate in?
We often do daily or weekly challenges on the BettorEdge platform. They’re a fun way to compete and enjoy banter in an online space. Check them out at BettorEdge.com/competitions
Also, we’re always hosting watch parties or other fun events where we’d love to meet interesting people!
Where can we follow you online?
Linkedin.com/in/Gregkajewski
Twitter.com/gkajewski
What’s one thing that makes every leader better?
Listening to others and learning from other’s experience
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We’re grateful to each Rising ICON for their transformative work. Thank you, Greg, for sharing your story!
LAUREL is a media relations partner for bold leadership. For nearly a decade, we’ve helped leaders build effective strategies for scale and growth specializing in digital executive presence and go-to-market strategy for emerging brands. To follow along with the RISING ICONS series, nominate a leader or subscribe to our weekly email newsletter. To accelerate your own rise, get our free guide to visibility, FIT(lite).
“There’s something about when working on a product and customers see it and respond with “this is nothing like anything I’ve seen before” or “this is amazing” that keeps me going everyday.”
Notice: It’s important for our readers to understand the origin of the interview content. The featured ICON contributed responses that were not edited from the original submission. All claims are made solely by the contributor and do not reflect the views of LAUREL or its partners. Thank you for supporting innovation leaders. We’re convinced, the future is bold.
