E1: Joel Karacozoff on Founding Balto, Getting Acquired, Syndicate Investing

Superconnector with Matt Joseph

E1: Joel Karacozoff on Founding Balto, Getting Acquired, Syndicate Investing | Y Combinator W19

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E1: Joel Karacozoff on Founding Balto, Getting Acquired, Syndicate Investing | Y Combinator W19

Matt Joseph talks to Joel Karacozoff about his journey from playing college football to starting and selling a fantasy sports startup to running a syndicate

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Mar 14, 2024

Show Notes

This episode features an in-depth conversation with Joel Karacozoff, a former D1 college football player who co-founded a fantasy sports company called Balto, then later sold it to fuboTV (NYSE: FUBO), a live sports streaming company. After selling Balto, Joel launched a syndicate that has invested in nearly 40 startups.

We cover Joel’s journey as a founder, how he started and sold Balto, growth in the fantasy sports industry, his experience at Y Combinator, trends in the streaming industry, his approach to launching a syndicate, whether AI can disrupt the streaming industry, and rising startup valuations.

Chapters

00:36 - Football to Founder

01:16 - Balto’s Origin Story

02:50 - Fantasy Sports

06:29 - YC Experience

08:42 - Fundraising

10:49 - The Cockroach Method

11:31 - Ramen Profitability

12:27 - Getting Acquired

18:30 - Will AI disrupt VOD streaming?

21:40 - Lessons learned from Balto

22:51 - Launching a syndicate

25:12 - Markets to Watch

26:57 - Rising startup valuations

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Superconnector with Matt Joseph

Matt Joseph explores the world of startups and venture capital by interviewing founders, reviewing startup pitches, and analyzing venture capital deals.

Matt holds a JD/MBA from UCLA and an AB from Princeton. Visit superconnector.com for more information and to join our mailing list.

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