Join us on the Sports Philanthropy Podcast as host Roy Kessel speaks with OmegaJam founder David Hirsch. In this first episode of the podcast’s seventh season, Hirsch talks about his background in sports and how his jump from practicing law to business allowed him to achieve his goal of generating a positive social impact by creating OmegaJam. 

David Hirsch

Hirsch is a seasoned executive with over 30 years of business experience. He is the founder and CEO of OmegaJam and Platform Gaming Technologies (PGT). He is also a Visiting Lecturer at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. Prior to these endeavors, Hirsch was the President & CEO of Oragenics, Inc., a publicly traded biotechnology company (NYSE: OGEN) that he led from technical insolvency to a market capitalization high of $100MM.

Prior to joining Oragenics, Hirsch founded and operated a boutique legal and investment banking practice with a focus on advising and financing distressed, publicly-traded, emerging technology companies. Hirsch has experience in corporate restructuring as a manager at Deloitte in San Francisco and in venture capital as an associate with the Cottonwood Group, a seed-stage venture firm in Silicon Valley.

Hirsch has earned an MBA (MSIA) from the Tepper Graduate School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University, a JD from Drake University Law School, and a BA in Economics from Indiana University. He is a licensed attorney in the States of Indiana and Florida.

OmegaJam

OmegaJam is the “world’s first B2B2C sports-based contest platform” that connects celebrities, charities, and brands to their audience. OmegaJam features three different types of contests: charity, free-to-enter, and (soon) daily fantasy sports. Charity contests involve registered OmegaJam members playing in sports-based contests to win prizes while supporting a cause, allowing charities to engage with their donor base. Free-to-enter contests are sponsored by major brands and sponsors to engage with customers to increase revenues while allowing entrants to win prizes. Daily fantasy sports contests will allow registered members to play in the many OmegaJam contest formats to win cash payouts. The charity and free-to-enter contests offer four different types of prizes to those who participate. OmegaJam features varying contest formats, such as “Beat the Celebrity,” where entrants play against a designated celebrity; and “Top-X,” where entrants try to predict the top teams or athletes based on performance.

OmegaJam’s Charity Contest program uses a ticketing system that has people donate to get tickets, which are redeemed for entries into charity contests. OmegaJam contests require skill, as higher intelligence in a certain sport gives a participant an advantage over others. Participating in contests is not require as Registered OmegaJam members can receive an entry without donating. Charities can apply to OmegaJam to become a Target Charity, and after approval, can work with OmegaJam to create contests and a hub on the platform.

0:58 – Hirsch’s beginnings in sports

3:04 – Getting into the college sports scene

4:16 – Hirsch’s favorite sports

7:08 – Hirsch’s education and career progression

10:27 – Brief OmegaJam introduction

12:30 – The inspiration to create OmegaJam

17:11 – Choosing sports as the basis

23:07 – “Beat the Celebrity” and growing engagement

26:14 – Conversations about professional tennis

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