{"podcast":{"title":"The iGaming Leader","slug":"the-igaming-leader-7100266","podcast_index_feed_id":7100266,"rss_url":"https://feeds.transistor.fm/the-igaming-leader","website_url":"https://www.igamingleader.com/","image_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/p_66xt8SvQqZJ1aZxk8F1xFxVlpsh9f4siiOobOvnIY/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9lNTg1/MTBkYjJjNjA5MTU2/ZWFkZDc3OGI4MDgx/NDRmOC5wbmc.jpg","author":"Leo Judkins, Founder - iGaming Leader Mastermind","episode_count":58,"summary":"The iGaming Leader is hosted by Leo Judkins, founder of The iGaming Leader Mastermind. Every other week, Leo sits down with Founders, C-suite executives, and VPs from across the iGaming industry for conversations you won't hear on a conference panel. The real decisions. The hard calls. What leadership actually looks like from the inside. No keynote polish. No PR answers. Just honest conversations between people who know the industry. New episodes every other Wednesday.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-22T12:17:34.597807+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-igaming-leader-7100266"},"episode":{"title":"Founder Mode: Whatever it takes to get the job done","slug":"founder-mode-whatever-it-takes-to-get-the-job-done","published_at":"2026-04-01T03:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-igaming-leader-7100266/founder-mode-whatever-it-takes-to-get-the-job-done","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-igaming-leader-7100266","url":"https://share.transistor.fm/s/02d0cf9a","audio_url":"https://media.transistor.fm/02d0cf9a/4a1dba80.mp3","summary":"In this episode of the iGaming Leader Podcast, Leo sits down with Daniel Graetzer, the former CEO and Founder of MaximBet and Carousel Group. Dan shares a raw, unfiltered account of the \"tumbleweed effect\" that comes with rapid scaling, eye-watering valuations, and the immense pressure of managing a high-profile brand in the US market. The conversation explores the \"staring into the abyss\" reality of leadership, the critical distinction between Founder Mode and Manager Mode, and the high price of isolation. Guest Bio Daniel Graetzer has spent the past two decades working across the full company journey, from building and scaling businesses to transactions, restructurings and exits, across tech, AI, iGaming and digital media. Over that time, he has led strategy, M&A, commercial growth and international expansion across Europe, the US, LatAm and Australia. He has worked with founders, operators and investors through growth phases, complex deals and high-pressure strategic decisions. Today, his focus is on advisory work, investing and supporting early-stage companies. Key Topics Discussed 00:00 - Raising money is just the start, not the celebration 04:00 - Sustainable High Performance 07:30 - Burnout and the \"too little, too late\" reality check 10:30 - Pivot to MaximBet and Nicki Minaj 14:00 - The $250M valuation that felt like a \"momentum trap\" 17:30 - Bullishness vs. Kidding Yourself 22:00 - How stress clouds strategic lateral thinking 26:00 - Empathy vs. Sympathy in the executive suite 30:00 - Stoicism and Values 34:00 - Mindfulness for High Performers 39:00 - Founder Mode vs. Manager Mode Memorable Quotes \"I don't think people should celebrate raising money... it's actually just the start of the next step.\" \"Owning a business is like staring into the abyss while e…","meta_description":"In this episode of the iGaming Leader Podcast, Leo sits down with Daniel Graetzer, the former CEO and Founder of MaximBet and Carousel Group. Dan shares a…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2848,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-igaming-leader-7100266/episodes/founder-mode-whatever-it-takes-to-get-the-job-done/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-igaming-leader-7100266/founder-mode-whatever-it-takes-to-get-the-job-done.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}