Liz Bloom Wins DraftKings’ Third-Annual Sports Gaming Innovation Challenge at MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference
First Place Finish Earns Her Cash Prize Along with DraftKings Summer Internship
BOSTON, March 6, 2019 – Today, Liz Bloom won first place for her prize-linked savings accounts pitch at the third-annual DraftKings Sports Gaming Innovation Challenge to kickoff MIT’s Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. DraftKings, a Boston-based, premier digital sports entertainment and gaming company, invited students from across the country to submit and present a pitch for game ideas revolving around either a new fantasy sport, a novel way to play fantasy for a current DraftKings sport, or a new idea for DraftKings Sportsbook.
“The winning idea of prize-linked savings accounts by Liz Bloom demonstrated a soundness of game analysis, business application and community involvement,” said Matt L’Heureux, director of fantasy sports revenue at DraftKings. “This challenge empowers students to apply their classroom learnings in a practical setting, all while flexing the kind of entrepreneurial skillset that is the lifeblood of DraftKings, so congratulations to Liz along with everyone who participated and made lasting impressions on all of us judges.”
For her first-place efforts, Liz will receive a cash prize, an internship at DraftKings, which is headquartered in Boston, and lunch with CEO and co-founder, Jason Robins. The second and third place teams will also receive cash prizes and special access to sporting events.
“This was my first experience with DraftKings’ student competition, and it was a pleasure to serve among the judges panel to hear such wide-ranging and innovative concepts from the students,” said Matthew Berry, ESPN senior fantasy analyst. “The future of fantasy sports and more is clearly in good hands, and a special kudos to Liz Bloom for taking home the top prize today.”
DraftKings whittled the finalist field down to just five teams from dozens of applicants. Each of the top teams had roughly ten minutes to present their game ideas to a panel of judges, comprised of senior leadership product team members from DraftKings, professors from MIT as well as ESPN industry experts. Students from a variety of universities and colleges competed for the grand prize.
This is DraftKings’ third year hosting the competition in partnership with MIT Sloan to drive product innovation and offer students the unique opportunity to have direct access to the company and showcase their creative and critical thinking.
About DraftKings
DraftKings is a U.S.-based digital sports entertainment and gaming company created to fuel the competitive spirits of sports fans with offerings that range across daily fantasy, regulated gaming, and digital media. Headquartered in Boston, and founded in 2012 by Jason Robins, Matt Kalish and Paul Liberman, DraftKings’ daily fantasy product is available in 8 countries internationally with 15 distinct sport categories. Launched in 2018, DraftKings Sportsbook offers mobile and retail betting for major national and global sports, and currently operates pursuant to state regulations in Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. DraftKings is the Official Daily Fantasy Partner of the NFL and PGA Tour as well as an Authorized Gaming Operator of the MLB, NBA and XFL.
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