Daniel Zimmermann is Changing the “Verse” for Sports Betting
Creative thinker. Multimedia creator. Entrepreneur.
These are three terms that describe Verse Gaming Founder and CEO Daniel Zimmermann perfectly. Zimmerman, a Syracuse University graduate, always knew he did not want to work a nine to five in a cubicle.
At the age of 23, Zimmermann is already revolutionizing the sports betting industry through his company, Verse Gaming.
Verse is the world’s first social network marketplace for peer-to-peer gaming. With Verse, there is no house or casino taking bets because every wager is against another user on the platform.
Daniel Zimmermann’s Journey to Verse Gaming
Zimmermann started his professional journey in sports content through Barstool Sports. He began serving as the President of Barstool Cuse, an affiliate of Dave Portnoy’s media conglomerate, during his time as a student at Syracuse.
Zimmermann was managing a team of 13 camera operators, graphic designers, and media personalities before he was old enough to place a legal wager. His passion for Barstool Cuse made the social media platform prominent throughout Central New York.
Barstool CuseUnder Zimmermann’s leadership, Barstool Cuse’s social channels grew upwards of 2500% from the time he took over the role.
Since the Supreme Court outlawed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in 2018, Barstool Sports has utilized legal betting as a foundation for its success. However, Zimmermann found the gaming industry by sitting with his buddies in his Theta Chi Fraternity house.
The Concept Behind Verse Gaming
The Theta Chi Fraternity at Syracuse played a massive role in Zimmermann’s Verse Gaming concept. The 23-year-old entrepreneur recently appeared on the Knup Sports Show with Ryan Knuppel to discuss his journey.
“What this was born out of was living in my fraternity house and dorms. People don’t want to go through the process of making a sports betting account or using a bookie. That causal ‘let’s put ten dollars down on this game’…We just saw that behavior being way more common than traditional sportsbook behavior.”
Successful entrepreneurs are thinking when others are not, and Zimmermann used these moments to determine that there was a void in the legal betting industry.
He went onto say, “I felt there was a huge hole in the market for something that would allow a casual gamer or bettor to put some skin on the game, but not feel like they were doing something crazy.”
Zimmermann took this idea back to the drawing board and partnered with his roommate, David Rosen, in October of 2018 to form Verse Gaming. The two have worked hard to change the psychology behind betting, where it’s not all about winning money.
Verse has shown that bettors often care more about putting a tally in the win column than receiving a substantial payout through multiple studies.
When will Verse Gaming Go Live?
Verse Gaming is currently in beta mode, and it has been available since the weekend of the Super Bowl. Zimmermann claimed that the product has drastically evolved in a short period.
Verse Gaming, the first peer-to-peer betting platform.The beta is currently closed, meaning you can only access it with a referral code. However, things are starting to accelerate because Verse recently partnered with Sportradar as a member of its Acceleradar program.
Sportradar is a global leader in sports data and analytics. The partnership will continue to help Zimmermann and his programming team enhance their iOS app as they prepare to launch.
Verse has the goal of being live in one legal jurisdiction by Thanksgiving and then rapidly grow throughout 2022. Even though the app is a peer-to-peer product, the company will still have to go through the same licensing product as a traditional sportsbook.
Advice from a Young Entrepreneur
Knuppel ended his conversation with Daniel Zimmermann by asking if he had any advice for listeners with ideas that have not been able to put the ball in motion.
The Verse Gaming founder credits Blackstone LaunchPad powered by TechStars that he had access to as a student at Syracuse. The LaunchPad gives individualized advice from lawyers, accountants, and regulatory experts to students with a vision.
Zimmermann told Knuppel that, “What I have learned is there are a lot of people who have had success in their lives or careers and are looking to turn around and help the next generation. My advice if you have a concept or that drive. 90% of the work will have to come from you, but there are people who will and want to help you. You just need to put yourself in a position to ask…Be active and bold in your approach.”
To learn more about Verse Gaming, please visit the company’s website.
