Investment market: Why companies are looking for partners rather than money | Yogonet International
Summary
At SIGMA Rome RedCore’s Investments team came away with a clear view: startups and scale-ups in iGaming are increasingly seeking partners who bring operational expertise rather than just capital. Key takeaways included that while almost every company mentions AI, only around 5% are actually monetising it in meaningful ways; Web3 conversations have shifted from speculative gimmicks to practical uses like KYC, smart contracts and balance transparency; and the main bottleneck for growth is operational talent, not money. RedCore argues the market is moving towards an M&A-driven partnership model where investors provide people, processes and integration, not merely funds.
Key Points
- About 95% of firms talk about AI, but only ~5% have practical, monetised AI use cases (predicting LTV, real-time personalisation, dynamic reward/risk management).
- Web3 in iGaming has matured beyond NFTs and hype, focusing on concrete use cases: decentralised balances, blockchain-based KYC/AML, smart-contract bonuses and transparency.
- Operational capability (COOs, product leaders, processes) is the primary bottleneck for many companies — capital is plentiful, competence is scarce.
- Startups increasingly demand partners who can provide operational teams, integration and industry know-how rather than pure VC funding.
- RedCore promotes an M&A-driven partnership model: cooperative business development, ecosystem integration, group expertise and access to resources.
- Of 45 projects reviewed, 21 were flagged as promising because they had MVP+, traction and teams ready to integrate with a partner.
- Market consolidation is expected: strong platforms will absorb contractors and studios, and B2B platforms addressing real problems will continue to grow.
Context and relevance
This piece matters for founders, investors and operators in iGaming, MarTech and RegTech. It signals a structural shift: with capital less scarce, the premium moves to operational competence and rapid, structured scaling. For strategic investors and corporate groups, the note points to M&A-style partnerships as the most effective route to accelerate revenue and stability. For founders, it’s a reminder to prioritise team, processes and regulatory readiness if they want to attract the right partner.
Why should I read this?
Short version — if you’re involved in iGaming (or thinking of investing there), this tells you what people actually want now: partners who fix execution, not just cheques. Saves you trawling through dozens of pitches and hype pieces; this one cuts to the practical change in investor demands.
Author’s take
Punchy and to the point: the era of ‘give us cash and we’ll figure it out’ is fading. If you want to scale faster than the market, you need partners who bring teams, systems and regulatory smarts — exactly what RedCore pitches.
