¿Where to find funding for a startup?

[rxnaldo]

To summarize quickly and avoid going into too much detail, in one of my journeys here on the forum, i documented how i grew a sports betting group on Telegram from zero to 1400 members, and also a channel about prop players to over 1k subscribers. But when i got to the monetization part, i got stuck.
Among the many ideas i was looking for to offer some REAL value to my followers, it occurred to me that the best way to monetize, given my situation and context, was to create a sports statistics platform.

When i talk about my situation and context, i mean that im not a tipster;
I simply enjoy sports betting and built a community around it.
Now im looking to monetize in a way that provides them with REAL value.
I want to offer them something i know they will use and benefit from, not simply monetize the community by selling promotions to tipsters or random people who just want to take money out of them.

The idea behind the platform idea is to offer users statistical data in a summarized and visually easy-to-understand way. Initially, I planned for the platform to be free in a limited way, and if you want access to all the matches of the day and all the information, a membership of $10-15 per month would give you access to the entire platform.
But i haven't decided anything yet, and i need to check all the options.
There are a thousand ways to monetize in the world of betting.
Lets continue...

WHAT I HAVE SO FAR

- Telegram community (chat group) with over 1.4K members, active daily, where users exchange bets and comment on the day's matches.
- A Telegram channel with over 1,100 subscribers where I publish player statistics (prop players), usually NBA and NFL players, with an average of 800 to over 1k views per post, 65% notifications enabled, and many reactions and forwards from users, hence so many visits per post.
- I could also get 100% real, segmented, and targeted members for Telegram groups (or new groups in different languages) for just $0.03 per member added.
This would mean "unlimited" users/traffic interested in sports betting joining the group or branded groups.
- Mass promotion on Twitter (X) by retweeting from accounts with thousands of followers (over 19 million followers across all accounts) to try to make promotional posts go viral.
- Functional sketch of the platform to show a developer so they can develop the backend, login/registration system, connect APIs, and make modifications and corrections.
- Monetization system.

WHAT I NEED

- Startup funding (for APIs, development, launch promotions, etc.)

EXTRA

I could cover several months' expenses out of my own pocket; it's really not that expensive, at least to start and push the first months.
But i was advised not to use personal money on this, to create an MVP and project evaluation, and to seek funding to ensure long-term financial security on the project.
It's quite an ambitious project for my first one, but I believe in the idea and think it could be a huge success, not only because of the idea itself but also because of how easily I could promote the project based on my knowledge and by leveraging my trusted contacts who would help me and be part of the project.

Below i will include screenshots of the platform sketch to better understand the project; I will censor some parts for obvious reasons.

So the question is... what would you do?
Where should i look for funding?
I've seen websites and platforms where people publish their projects, but I don't know if I can trust them much, or what they ask for in return for funding... I'll be reading your replies!

IMPORTANT
I'm not seeking funding here on the forum, only information.
Anyone who wants to contribute ideas and suggestions is always welcome, please share it in the comments.
But if someone messages me privately offering something, they will be reported to the admins.

PD2: I think I explained everything too briefly in the thread and maybe I forgot something, but I hope it's all clear.

 

[Jonathan Miles]

To summarize quickly and avoid going into too much detail, in one of my journeys here on the forum, i documented how i grew a sports betting group on Telegram from zero to 1400 members, and also a channel about prop players to over 1k subscribers. But when i got to the monetization part, i got stuck.
Among the many ideas i was looking for to offer some REAL value to my followers, it occurred to me that the best way to monetize, given my situation and context, was to create a sports statistics platform.

When i talk about my situation and context, i mean that im not a tipster;
I simply enjoy sports betting and built a community around it.
Now im looking to monetize in a way that provides them with REAL value.
I want to offer them something i know they will use and benefit from, not simply monetize the community by selling promotions to tipsters or random people who just want to take money out of them.

The idea behind the platform idea is to offer users statistical data in a summarized and visually easy-to-understand way. Initially, I planned for the platform to be free in a limited way, and if you want access to all the matches of the day and all the information, a membership of $10-15 per month would give you access to the entire platform.
But i haven't decided anything yet, and i need to check all the options.
There are a thousand ways to monetize in the world of betting.
Lets continue...

WHAT I HAVE SO FAR

- Telegram community (chat group) with over 1.4K members, active daily, where users exchange bets and comment on the day's matches.
- A Telegram channel with over 1,100 subscribers where I publish player statistics (prop players), usually NBA and NFL players, with an average of 800 to over 1k views per post, 65% notifications enabled, and many reactions and forwards from users, hence so many visits per post.
- I could also get 100% real, segmented, and targeted members for Telegram groups (or new groups in different languages) for just $0.03 per member added.
This would mean "unlimited" users/traffic interested in sports betting joining the group or branded groups.
- Mass promotion on Twitter (X) by retweeting from accounts with thousands of followers (over 19 million followers across all accounts) to try to make promotional posts go viral.
- Functional sketch of the platform to show a developer so they can develop the backend, login/registration system, connect APIs, and make modifications and corrections.
- Monetization system.

WHAT I NEED

- Startup funding (for APIs, development, launch promotions, etc.)

EXTRA

I could cover several months' expenses out of my own pocket; it's really not that expensive, at least to start and push the first months.
But i was advised not to use personal money on this, to create an MVP and project evaluation, and to seek funding to ensure long-term financial security on the project.
It's quite an ambitious project for my first one, but I believe in the idea and think it could be a huge success, not only because of the idea itself but also because of how easily I could promote the project based on my knowledge and by leveraging my trusted contacts who would help me and be part of the project.

Below i will include screenshots of the platform sketch to better understand the project; I will censor some parts for obvious reasons.

So the question is... what would you do?
Where should i look for funding?
I've seen websites and platforms where people publish their projects, but I don't know if I can trust them much, or what they ask for in return for funding... I'll be reading your replies!

IMPORTANT
I'm not seeking funding here on the forum, only information.
Anyone who wants to contribute ideas and suggestions is always welcome, please share it in the comments.
But if someone messages me privately offering something, they will be reported to the admins.

PD2: I think I explained everything too briefly in the thread and maybe I forgot something, but I hope it's all clear.

This actually reads like a solid thought process, especially the part about not wanting to monetize by pushing low-value promos to your community. That’s where a lot of projects lose trust fast.
Given what you already have, the biggest decision doesn’t seem to be if you can monetize, but how lean you start. A lightweight MVP that validates whether users will actually pay for structured stats (even a small subset) might answer more questions than external funding at this stage. Once there’s proof of paid demand, funding conversations usually become easier and less risky.

Also, staying aligned with your role as a community builder rather than a tipster makes sense. If the platform genuinely helps users make better decisions on their own, that value compounds over time. Funding sources aside, clarity on validation and scope control early on looks more important than scale right now.

 

[Rufai]

what would you do?

I would partner with a developer and create an MVP.

 

[Filogery]

Yes I have to admit it's an interesting project but people are too dubious nowadays and finding a partner is not always easy. But there is no specific platform for that type of funding. You'll want to check forums.

 

[hailmaryrecordings]

It will be hard to find a partener but you must prove the concept actually work and generate already some income become extending the investition

 

[alangstudio]

To summarize quickly and avoid going into too much detail, in one of my journeys here on the forum, i documented how i grew a sports betting group on Telegram from zero to 1400 members, and also a channel about prop players to over 1k subscribers. But when i got to the monetization part, i got stuck.
Among the many ideas i was looking for to offer some REAL value to my followers, it occurred to me that the best way to monetize, given my situation and context, was to create a sports statistics platform.

When i talk about my situation and context, i mean that im not a tipster;
I simply enjoy sports betting and built a community around it.
Now im looking to monetize in a way that provides them with REAL value.
I want to offer them something i know they will use and benefit from, not simply monetize the community by selling promotions to tipsters or random people who just want to take money out of them.

The idea behind the platform idea is to offer users statistical data in a summarized and visually easy-to-understand way. Initially, I planned for the platform to be free in a limited way, and if you want access to all the matches of the day and all the information, a membership of $10-15 per month would give you access to the entire platform.
But i haven't decided anything yet, and i need to check all the options.
There are a thousand ways to monetize in the world of betting.
Lets continue...

WHAT I HAVE SO FAR

- Telegram community (chat group) with over 1.4K members, active daily, where users exchange bets and comment on the day's matches.
- A Telegram channel with over 1,100 subscribers where I publish player statistics (prop players), usually NBA and NFL players, with an average of 800 to over 1k views per post, 65% notifications enabled, and many reactions and forwards from users, hence so many visits per post.
- I could also get 100% real, segmented, and targeted members for Telegram groups (or new groups in different languages) for just $0.03 per member added.
This would mean "unlimited" users/traffic interested in sports betting joining the group or branded groups.
- Mass promotion on Twitter (X) by retweeting from accounts with thousands of followers (over 19 million followers across all accounts) to try to make promotional posts go viral.
- Functional sketch of the platform to show a developer so they can develop the backend, login/registration system, connect APIs, and make modifications and corrections.
- Monetization system.

WHAT I NEED

- Startup funding (for APIs, development, launch promotions, etc.)

EXTRA

I could cover several months' expenses out of my own pocket; it's really not that expensive, at least to start and push the first months.
But i was advised not to use personal money on this, to create an MVP and project evaluation, and to seek funding to ensure long-term financial security on the project.
It's quite an ambitious project for my first one, but I believe in the idea and think it could be a huge success, not only because of the idea itself but also because of how easily I could promote the project based on my knowledge and by leveraging my trusted contacts who would help me and be part of the project.

Below i will include screenshots of the platform sketch to better understand the project; I will censor some parts for obvious reasons.

So the question is... what would you do?
Where should i look for funding?
I've seen websites and platforms where people publish their projects, but I don't know if I can trust them much, or what they ask for in return for funding... I'll be reading your replies!

IMPORTANT
I'm not seeking funding here on the forum, only information.
Anyone who wants to contribute ideas and suggestions is always welcome, please share it in the comments.
But if someone messages me privately offering something, they will be reported to the admins.

PD2: I think I explained everything too briefly in the thread and maybe I forgot something, but I hope it's all clear.

You’ve clearly done the hardest part already — building trust and an active audience.
From my perspective, the biggest question isn’t monetization ideas, but validation. Before funding, I’d want proof that users will pay for stats, not just engage with them. Even a very small paid test can say more than a polished platform.

 

[rxnaldo]

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions, any other ideas??
Im still looking for options

 

[Fiducia]

I can't see any value nor a business case. The screenshot is blurred. What's the point?

 

[Diabolic-]

This really resonates. I’ve actually built something in this space that solves a related problem, so I understand exactly what you’re trying to do here. Not going to go into details publicly, but if you ever want to chat privately about what I’ve learned, lets talk further.

 

[norsutom]

Here's what I would do (and could help you with):

1. Build a better outline of the flow. Is it a web dashboard? Do the stats get sent daily to channels etc.
2. Work out the cost of the APIs you need. From doing something similar sometimes the setup cost is like $5k, othertimes it's just $XXX per month.
3. See if it's possible to offset the initial cost. E.g. Say you think $7k is enough to get an MVP people would pay for. Offer people beta access, lifetime deals etc. 5 lifetime @ $999 + 10 beta access (1m or so) @ $99 gives you $6k. That's your upfront costs taken care of.
4. Partner with someone that can build this and offer them equity, minimal cash upfront, or royalties/revenue share.
5. Take feedback, use the MRR of beta and new users to fund growth.

If you can add 5-10 users per month and keep churn low, you're looking at 30-60 users paying say $99 per month = $3-6k MRR. That's plenty to reinvest in upgrading, more APIs etc.

In terms of monetising, setup an onboarding flow that shows the current offers for different sportsbooks (you take an affiliate fee on it all) and that will juice up your numbers. Add referral bonuses (refer a friend, get a free month etc) and that'll keep the CAC lower.

Hope that helps!

 

[vamnt1]

Here's what I would do (and could help you with):

1. Build a better outline of the flow. Is it a web dashboard? Do the stats get sent daily to channels etc.
2. Work out the cost of the APIs you need. From doing something similar sometimes the setup cost is like $5k, othertimes it's just $XXX per month.
3. See if it's possible to offset the initial cost. E.g. Say you think $7k is enough to get an MVP people would pay for. Offer people beta access, lifetime deals etc. 5 lifetime @ $999 + 10 beta access (1m or so) @ $99 gives you $6k. That's your upfront costs taken care of.
4. Partner with someone that can build this and offer them equity, minimal cash upfront, or royalties/revenue share.
5. Take feedback, use the MRR of beta and new users to fund growth.

If you can add 5-10 users per month and keep churn low, you're looking at 30-60 users paying say $99 per month = $3-6k MRR. That's plenty to reinvest in upgrading, more APIs etc.

In terms of monetising, setup an onboarding flow that shows the current offers for different sportsbooks (you take an affiliate fee on it all) and that will juice up your numbers. Add referral bonuses (refer a friend, get a free month etc) and that'll keep the CAC lower.

Hope that helps!

Great

 

[alexandrpham]

I don't have any advise about niche you should go but there is 2 books I recommend you should read to find the way.
1. High Ticket Courses - The Fastest Way for Coaches - Joel Erway
2. The Pocket Guide to High Ticket Selling - 12-Phase Sales - Dan Henry

Believe me, YOU WILL FIND YOUR WAY after read these book.

 

[PHOSPHO]

DM for a talk. We could make this work, and expand it even further.
If you have a specific model to distribution for a segment of populous, we can scale that for other niches.
Do not miss the chat. Let's make a move before people catch up.

 

[Chronos Tech]

At this stage, it’s hard to find an investor because there’s no guaranteed income. First, you need to find ways to turn low traffic into a steady income

 

[Armagedd0n]

BHW has a JV section. You should make a thread there and try seek for a partner.