Fmr SIG Quant: How He Turned a Sports Betting Edge Into a $160M Exit at 28 | Alex Monahan

Alex Monahan, former quantitative trader at Susquehanna International Group, Stanford graduate, and founder of OddsJam, joins Personable to reveal how he walked away from one of the most prestigious quant firms in the world, turned a sports betting edge into the Bloomberg Terminal for sports betting, and sold it for $160M at just 28 years old. In this episode, Alex opens up about what SIG taught him about markets and edge that nobody else was teaching, why sports betting is one of the only remaining markets where an individual can genuinely beat the house, and why risk is almost always overestimated in your head. From bootstrapping OddsJam from zero to why he now visits college campuses and helps the next generation of founders build what he built, this conversation is as honest and practically useful as it gets. This is an essential listen for anyone interested in entrepreneurship, quant trading, sports betting, building a personal brand, finding product market fit, and what it really takes to go from a corporate job to a nine figure exit before 30. He discusses: ◽️ How he used everything he learned at SIG to turn a sports betting edge into a $160M company ◽️ Why sports betting is one of the only markets left where an individual can genuinely get a mathematical edge ◽️ How he bootstrapped OddsJam from zero to a $160M acquisition in just four years with no outside investment ◽️ Why risk is almost always overestimated in your brain and what that is costing you right now ◽️ Why building a personal brand before you launch your business is no longer optional it is the only edge that scales 00:00 Introduction and Alex Monahan background 02:30 Why he left SIG and what made him bet everything on OddsJam 07:45 The math behind sports betting and why most people lose for the wrong reasons 14:20 Building OddsJam from zero product market fit content and the first customers 20:45 Personal brand social media and why he wishes he had started posting in college 27:10 What makes the best founders and why risk is almost always overestimated 34:50 The $160M sale to Gambling.com what he learned and why he walked away 41:30 AI edge in quant and betting and how non technical people can still compete 47:55 What is next campus tours mentoring and why he cannot stop working 54:10 Legacy purpose and one thing every listener should do before this episode ends Alex Monahan: ◽️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexmonahan ◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/Amonahan ◽️ OddsJam: https://oddsjam.com/ Harvey Bracken-Smith: ◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/harveybracken-smith ◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/harveybsmith ◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/harveybsmith_ ◽️ Newsletter: https://personable.substack.com/ ◽️ Website: https://www.personable.media/ Personable Podcast: ◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/personable.podcast ◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/personablepodcast ◽️ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@personableclips ◽️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JOTYDER6m2FDrlhop4api ◽️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personable/id1671640111 Additional: ◽️ Fundraising: https://www.loulouracefoundation.org/donate Personable is a podcast dedicated to helping listeners become the best they can be by learning from the world's best in their respective fields. This mission is inspired by my mother, Louise, who encouraged me to become the best version of myself before she passed away from cancer in 2023. This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice. Always consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. Investing involves risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results.