Watchers takes the crown at SiGMA Startup Pitch

In a fierce competition at the SiGMA East Europe 2024, Watchers, a British cloud-based SaaS solution, emerged victorious in the SiGMA Startup Pitch. The company, which specialises in enhancing user engagement for sports betting and iGaming platforms, impressed the judges with its innovative features and potential to revolutionise the industry.

“Watchers is a business already with 80k monthly run rate revenue. It’s an established business. I also really liked the way they’re trying to bring the gambling business with copy-bet widgets—with chat features. These are the kinds of ways that gambling is going, introducing social features.”– Robert Duboff, Director at Velo Partners

Six startups, carefully selected from a pool of over a hundred applicants, battled it out on the pitching stage. Each presented their unique ideas and solutions to a panel of industry experts including Robert Duboff (Director at Velo Partners), Marianna Tavella (Chief Legal Officer of SiGMA Group), Harmen Brenninkmeijer (Managing Partner at NYCE International), Mariusz Gąsiewski (CEE Mobile Gaming & Apps Lead at Google), Vinicius Moraes De Carvalho (Investment Partner at Ikigai Ventures), Vladimir Malakchi (CEO & Managing Partner of Xanada Investments), and Jarek Bialek (CEO of Revenue Capital). While all competitors showcased impressive concepts, Watchers’ ability to seamlessly integrate community chats, audio and video streaming, and AI-powered moderation set it apart.

Watchers’ innovative features, such as copy-bet widgets to stimulate transaction growth and badges to boost user involvement, resonated with the judges. The company’s potential to elevate user engagement and drive revenue for iGaming platforms was a key factor in its success.

As the SiGMA Startup Pitch winner, Watchers will receive valuable exposure and networking opportunities within the iGaming industry. The company’s victory highlights the growing importance of social features and innovative technologies in the online gambling space. While Watchers may have taken the top prize, the other competing startups also demonstrated promising potential. Their participation in the SiGMA Startup Pitch provided them with valuable feedback and exposure, which could help them further develop their ideas and achieve success in the future.