Monkey Knife Fight: Betting Big, Playing Bigger
Imagine telling your grandma you work at a place called Monkey Knife Fight—and then trying to convince her it’s a legitimate business and not an underground animal fight club. Spoiler: It was very real, very legal, and very successful.
MKF wasn’t just another DFS platform—it was the fastest-growing one, with a name bold enough to make people look twice and a product good enough to make them stay. We took on DraftKings and FanDuel, but instead of playing by their rules, we flipped the script. And guess what? It worked—so well that Bally’s bought us for $90 million.
How We Made It Rain (Metaphorically. Mostly.)
✔ Scaling a Challenger Brand – We weren’t the biggest DFS platform—but we were the scrappiest. I helped turn MKF into a serious contender by using smarter marketing, niche audiences, and sports partnerships that actually made sense.
✔ Keeping Players Hooked (In a Fun, Legal Way) – Acquiring customers is cute. Keeping them engaged? That’s the real flex. I helped create VIP programs, personalized retention campaigns, and gamified incentives that kept players coming back.
✔ Affiliate & Influencer Marketing That Didn’t Suck – DFS players trust people, not banner ads—so we built a killer affiliate network and teamed up with sports media, YouTubers, and industry personalities to get players in the door. And it worked.
✔ Big League Sponsorships – You know what helps build a brand? Plastering it all over the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLS. We did that. It helped. A lot.
✔ E-Commerce & Merch Because Why Not? – Sports fans love competition and cool merch, so we launched MKF’s e-commerce store, because hey, why leave money on the table?
✔ We Let Data Drive Everything – We didn’t just throw money at ads and hope for the best. Every move we made was backed by data, and we used analytics, customer insights, and conversion funnels to keep CPAs low and LTV high.
✔ Wearing Too Many Hats (In a Good Way) – This wasn’t a job—it was a daily juggling act of marketing, product, operations, partnerships, and everything in between. And I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Why This Was a Game Changer
Monkey Knife Fight wasn’t just another DFS brand—it was built to shake things up. We didn’t play it safe. We bet on bold ideas, aggressive growth, and a player-first experience. And the payoff? A $90M acquisition, industry-wide respect, and a fanbase that actually gave a damn.
From launch to acquisition, I was right in the middle of making sure MKF wasn’t just big—but built to last. And it worked.