This week we sit down with Steve Murray, a managing partner at Revolution Growth, founded by Steve Case (AOL), Ted Leonsis (Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards), and Donn Davis (Exclusive Resorts). Murray boasts more than 25 years of experience in the technology start up space, including in Fin Tech (not to be confused with infant tech). He joined Revolution from SoftBank, where he worked with companies including Fitbit, BuzzFeed, E-Trade, Ziff Davis and Kabbage.
Murray is a board member of Fitbit, and discusses the growing wearables industry from that vantage point. From mindfulness to exercise to sleep, the personal data that you can collect from personal wearables are currently significant, but the next step will be significant improvements in health monitoring of issues like blood pressure, sugar, etc.
Our conversation was recorded just before the SCOTUS decision on sports gambling (New Jersey vs NCAA). Murray suggested (at the 43 minute mark) that this decision is going to shift the jurisdiction of legalized sports gambling to the States; this change is going to be a driver a lot of new technology and start ups. The resolution of this legal gambling issue is going to affect major sports leagues, big media and live sports viewing, fantasy sports. (In Europe, legal gambling allows the tracking of who bet on highly unlikely upsets, helping to keep sports clean). The next phase will be really interesting, as an enormous number of new start ups can create innovative new business models around the new legal gambling.
His favorite books are referenced here; our conversation transcript will be published here tomorrow.
You can stream/download the full conversation, including the podcast extras on iTunes, Bloomberg, Overcast, and Soundcloud. Our earlier podcasts can all be found on iTunes, Soundcloud, Overcast and Bloomberg.
Next week, we speak Ed Yardeni, Founder and Chief Investment Strategist of Yardeni Research, and former Chief Investment Strategist at Deutsche Bank.
Steve Murray’s Favorite Books
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande
A Time to Kill by John Grisham
The Firm by John Grisham
The Rainmaker by John Grisham
