For my venture pitch, I developed Called It!, a social sports prediction platform designed to give fans a healthier and more responsible way to experience the excitement of predicting games, competing with friends, and proving their sports knowledge without risking money.
For this venture, I decided to step outside the box of traditional teaching and education and explore an idea that connects several of my personal passions: education, sports, technology, community, and social responsibility. Called It! is an idea that has been sitting with me for a few years, and this assignment finally gave me the opportunity to take it from an idea in my head to an actual working prototype.
The venture was also inspired by the growing problem of online sports wagering and the way gambling has become increasingly integrated into the sports experience. I wanted to explore whether education could assist those with a gambling problem and play a preventative role rather than waiting until someone develops a gambling problem. David described this approach as a form of “remedial education”—an opportunity to help reframe behaviour before the problem becomes more serious. Called It! uses gamification, social competition, and education to encourage a different relationship with sports prediction and potentially change behaviour before financial risk becomes part of the experience.
Called It! combines an Elo-style Sports IQ, odds-based points, leaderboards, communities, and social competition to create an alternative to traditional sports wagering. Based on our research, we are the first sports prediction platform that includes these features. Rather than focusing on financial rewards, Called It! rewards knowledge, strategy, skill, and reputation. The goal is simple: keep the excitement of making the call while removing the financial risk.
I particularly enjoyed this project because it allowed me to explore entrepreneurship outside of my traditional role as an educator while still connecting back to what I value as an educator: learning, responsible decision-making, community, and creating positive experiences for others. It also gave me the opportunity to finally follow through on an idea that I have been thinking about for several years.
The venture site explores the problem of online sports wagering, the research supporting the concept, the Called It! solution, its innovative features, market opportunity, competitive advantage, future vision, and why I believe it has the potential to become a leading responsible sports prediction platform. I have also included my one-minute elevator pitch on the homepage. If you are one of the ten assigned to this venture, please create a Called It! account, it takes seconds and you can use a fake email if you like, to view all of its features. The link to Called It! can be found on the home page. Here’s the link to my venture pitch:
https://sites.google.com/view/calledit/home?authuser=0
Thanks for checking out Called It! — and remember, don’t tell us you know sports. Prove it.
Hi,
Called It! is a clear and well-developed venture. I especially liked how the pitch presents a healthier alternative to sports wagering while keeping the parts that many sports fans enjoy, such as prediction, competition, and social interaction. The connection between sports, education, and social responsibility gives the idea a strong purpose.
One of the strongest parts of the venture is the Sports IQ concept. The Elo-style rating, odds-based points, prediction history, and global leaderboard make the platform different from traditional betting and prediction apps. Instead of rewarding users with money, Called It! focuses on knowledge, skill, reputation, and competition. Another strength is the market positioning. The pitch connects the idea to sports betting, fantasy sports, gamification, and the growing interest in healthier alternatives. This makes the opportunity feel broader than simply creating another sports app.
One area that could be improved is user validation and evidence of behavioural impact. Although the platform removes financial risk, it still uses odds, prediction, and competitive scoring. I would like to see evidence that these features actually encourage healthier behaviour and do not create some of the same habits linked to gambling. The founder also recognizes this challenge in the reflection.
A small pilot study with real users could make the venture stronger and provide useful evidence for both future development and potential investors.
Hi Jessy,
Great job! Thanks for sharing your VP, and I really enjoyed learning about Called It! Here is my detailed review below.
REVIEW
I was immediately drawn to Called It! because it is different from many of the other ventures and addresses a real and growing concern. I especially liked the idea of giving sports fans the excitement of making predictions and competing with others without having to wager money.
One of the strongest aspects of the venture for me is that there is already a functioning platform, which made it much easier to visualize how the concept would actually work. I also found the odds-based point system, Sports IQ, and social competition particularly interesting. I think the odds-based point system is really innovative because connecting points to real-world odds adds more strategy to the predictions. I also think the leaderboard is a great idea and could really draw people in and encourage them to keep coming back.
My main question is around the business model. While the platform is intended to remain free and you identify possible revenue through advertising, sponsorships, premium features, and partnerships, I am curious about which of these would eventually become the main source of revenue. I also wonder whether using real-world betting odds and risk-reward mechanics could reinforce some of the gambling behaviours the venture is trying to provide an alternative to, although I know you also addressed this concern in your reflection. This also made me wonder about the intended age group. Would the platform be intended only for adults, or could younger users access it as well?
Overall, I would recommend funding Called It!, with qualifications. I think the concept is engaging, different, and has a lot of potential to grow, but I would want more clarity around the long-term revenue model, intended age group, and safeguards around responsible gaming.
Jodee, thank you for your review and thanks for the questions. I think the business model is something that would evolve as Called It! grows, but my goal would be for the platform to remain free for users. Of the revenue options I identified, I see advertising and sponsorships as the most likely primary revenue sources, with premium features and partnerships providing additional revenue. The larger the user base becomes, the more valuable the platform and its sports audience would be to advertisers and sponsors.
The question about using real-world betting odds is probably the most important one. I intentionally wanted the point system to be connected to actual odds because I wanted predictions to have different levels of difficulty and risk. A heavy favourite shouldn’t be worth the same as a major underdog. Users are competing through their Sports IQ and position on the points leaderboard, rather than risking money and the points system is also designed to show users just how difficult it is to consistently increase their total. Because the points awarded for each prediction are directly tied to the real-world odds, heavy favourites earn fewer points while more difficult underdog calls earn more. This differentiated system makes it much harder to simply accumulate points by picking winners, which can help users recognize that if they were actually wagering money, consistently generating a profit would be much more difficult than it may appear. In that way, the platform can provide the strategy and excitement of making sports calls while also demonstrating the difficulty and risk associated with real-money betting, without users actually losing money.
However, I recognize that this could potentially reinforce some of the same behaviours associated with gambling. The key difference is that there is no financial loss and no opportunity to win real money. My hope is that this creates the strategy and excitement of sports betting without the financial risk.
I also think allowing teens to participate could actually strengthen that purpose. Called It! would be open to younger users as well as adults, because the focus is on predicting sports, learning how odds work, competing with friends, and developing sports knowledge—not gambling. A teenager could create calls, compete in a private league with friends, and build their Sports IQ without ever placing a real-money wager. In that sense, I see Called It! as more of a sports prediction and social competition platform than a gambling alternative that is simply copying gambling.
Thanks again for the review.
FEEDBACK
Hi Jessy,
I think you’ve come with a fantastic, innovative product here. Your elevator pitch starts with a strong analogy that immediately made me curious to hear more, and you did a great job explaining exactly how the app would work in the VP. As well, you made a compelling argument about how Called It sits at the intersection of the four markets.
My concern is in the problem as you’ve stated it. Regarding gambling problems, it seems Called It is meant to be a) preventative, and b) a type of safe gambling for ex-gamblers, but I don’t feel that you’ve adequately justified it as a solution to these. We don’t give non-alcoholic beer to minors and recovering alcoholics with the intent of dissuading them from alcohol. In fact, a quick google search just told me that over 90% of NA drinks are purchased by people who also drink alcohol, so while that analogy hits emotionally, it doesn’t apply as strongly when broken down.
As an NBA fan who hates losing money, I love the idea of Called It and I personally would absolutely use it (Go Warriors!). That said, I won’t invest at this time. I’d change my perspective if the app were more aligned with the problem.
Thanks!
Hey Jason, thanks for the feedback! I truly appreciate it.
I agree that the gambling connection is probably the part of Called It! that needs the most explanation. One of the ideas behind the platform is that users will quickly realize that predicting sports is much harder than they think. As they make more calls, their Sports IQ, win percentage, and overall performance will show them whether they actually have the skill they believe they have.
That’s where I think Called It! can potentially change the way someone thinks about risking money on sports. If someone struggles to consistently make profitable calls in a completely free environment, would they really want to put their own money behind those same predictions? Instead of telling users that they are good at sports because they won a few bets, Called It! gives them a long-term record that can challenge that belief.
I also agree that the non-alcoholic beer analogy isn’t a perfect comparison. The goal isn’t to replicate gambling without money, but to create a competitive sports prediction experience where the skill, social interaction, and excitement exist without the financial risk. The hope is that users realize that making sports calls is difficult, and that realization could make them think twice before putting real money behind their predictions. However, when it comes to business, we know that alternative markets are growing and if gamblers become users because they enjoy the competition within Called It! and not for replacing gambling, it’s still a positive for us, as it is for non-alcoholic beer companies when those who drink are 90% of consumers .
Thanks again for raising this concern—it’s definitely an area where I need to make the venture’s purpose clearer.
Also, good luck to the Warriors this upcoming season, should be a fun one with all of the off season moves and drama!
Hi Jessy,
you’re absolutely right about the person who struggles to make good calls free environment. If I were to offer any advice, I might say to lean more into that educational angle. Perhaps you could market Called It! to gambling research institutes or anti- gambling associations, who could then use their influence to build a user base? Just a thought.
Cheers!
REVIEW
Hi, your venture stood out to me because it reframes an existing behaviour rather than trying to eliminate it: sports fans can still predict, compete, and prove their knowledge, but without financial wagering. That is something worth exploring especially after the World Cup. The Sports IQ system is particularly compelling because it converts individual predictions into a persistent reputation metric, while private groups and leaderboards introduce social and potential network effects, making the platform more valuable as more friends and competitors participate.
I also see strong founder–problem fit. Your experience both as an educator and inside a wagering platform gives the venture an unusually authentic understanding of the behaviour it is attempting to change.
However, the most interesting investment question for me is also a pedagogical one: can gambling mechanics be used to “de-gamblify” sports? Your venture removes money, but retains real-world odds, risk/reward calculations, rankings, and prediction-based reinforcement. These features may teach probability and expose overconfidence, as intended, but they could also normalize the language and decision structures associated with wagering. The founder appropriately recognizes this tension.
That makes behavioural validation as important as user growth. I would want pilots to measure whether repeated use actually reduces gambling intentions or improves risk understanding, rather than assuming a money-free experience automatically produces healthier behaviour. The revenue model also remains exploratory rather than validated.
So my thought on your venture is to FUND WITH CONDITIONS. I would support a staged pilot contingent on evidence of sustained engagement, measurable harm-reduction outcomes, and a monetization strategy that does not undermine the venture’s responsible-gambling mission.
FEEDBACK
I thought one of the strongest aspects of Called It! was how tangible the venture already feels, as you have a working product with many of the features you wish to implement. I’ve also heard in the past that sports-betting is an increasingly challenging issue for students in high school and how your product is aligned to help.
From an investor perspective, my main hesitation is the relationship between product mechanics and the problem it claims to solve. Removing financial wagering clearly removes the gambling, but I do worry that some of the other aspects such as the risk-reward scoring and competitive engagement could still reinforce some of the behaviours associated with sports betting, especially since younger users are part of the intended audience. I often tap into these kinds of mechanics as a teacher through playing language games on Blooket and Kahoot! myself to gamify learning, but from an investor perspective I would want to be careful before entering into this space.
I would become much more confident in the venture if a pilot could demonstrate that Called It! actually changes users’ understanding of risk rather than simply reproducing wagering behaviour without money. I would like to see that social-impact goal clearly aligned with the eventual advertising and sponsorship model.
FEEDBACK
Hi Jessy,
This was an interesting pitch and a very different direction than most of the pitches in our cohort. I really enjoyed learning about your concept that is all based on giving sports fans a safe alternative to regular gambling.
One area I would have liked to see a bit more detail is in the business model and revenue streams. You outlined that potential revenue opportunities included sponsorships, premium features, branded leagues, and partnerships with sports organizations, but it may have given more credibility to the venture to have this area fleshed out in more detail. What would premium features cost and how would partnerships work?
Overall, great job developing Called It!