US sportsbook investment veteran links up with sports betting comparison site startup

US sports betting content and data startup OddsJam has gained high-profile support with the addition of former Don Best MD Benjie Cherniak as a strategic advisor. A veteran of the sector, Cherniak has invested in a number of emerging US operators seed funding rounds, quite often providing strategic advice to businesses looking to enter the space or develop enough of a product to be acquired by larger businesses. A key aspect of this is Cherniak’s 12 years of experience as MD of Don Best Sports, which he led until its acquisition by Scientific Games in 2018. He later went on to found Avenue H Capital in 2021. Cherniak’s previous investments include Canadian sports firm Parleh Media Group, fantasy sports platform Ultimate Odds, and Betcha, which was later bought by Vivid Seats for $25m.

In his new role as an advisor to OddsJam, Cherniak will provide support on the product-development side while helping drive OddsJam’s B2B strategy on behalf of co-founders Alex Monahan and Ankit Goyal. The addition of Cherniak coincides with the beta launch of the OddsJam Screen, an all-in-one odds comparison board featuring real-time lines from over 100 sportsbooks across the US and globally. All odds update in less than one second, with every price move highlighted via color-coding to indicate a real-time alert. The OddsJam Screen is expected to be fully deployed by early November. OddJam co-founder Monahan hailed Cherniak as a “true trailblazer” in the sector, highlighting the potential effects on the startup’s B2C and B2B journey. “Benjie’s experience leading Don Best – a platform that played a major role in inspiring us to launch OddsJam – and his deep understanding of data-driven products and how to forge partnerships in the sports betting space are invaluable assets that will be key to our continued growth,” he said.