iGB@ICE Startup Pulse: Paris Smith on what drives a successful startup

Paris Smith is a well-known figure in the gambling sector, having served 14 years as the CEO of Pinnacle and formerly the COO of Betcorp. Smith stepped down from the top position at Pinnacle in 2023, remaining in an advisory role for the group.

The former Pinnacle leader now acts as an angel investor for the industry and makes up one third of the Defy the Odds startup launchpad. In December 2024 Smith joined other investors in backing sports betting marketplace WagerWire in its latest funding round.

Smith joined SavageTech CEO Tom Lemke, MFC Game CEO Michael Lee and WagerWire’s Travis Geiger at the iGB@ICE and WagerWire Startup Pulse studio in January to share her views on gambling’s burgeoning startup space.

For Smith, humility, hunger, smarts and passion are critical qualities in successful founders. She advocates for realistic expectations and collaboration among startups. Prominent challenges, she says, are determining a startup’s valuation and securing funding at a pre-seed stage.

Speaking on the ethics of the gambling sector, Smith notes: “I’ve always been able to go to bed knowing that I’ve done what I believe is right and I think that that’s kind of the balance. But gaming is an industry, it’s a business.

“You know, we’re not running to people’s houses and putting a gun to their head and telling them they have to gamble. It’s an entertainment industry.”

Original Article