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

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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