Dmitry Belianin: “There’s no silver bullet when it comes to angel investing”

In today's interview, we sit down with Dmitry Belianin, a seasoned iGaming industry veteran who has recently made a decisive switch towards investment. Becoming an angel investor has been an important part of his transformative journey within the industry, allowing him to focus his efforts on projects he is passionate about, and which he believes have a universal across-the-board impact. Read our full interview with Belianin to find out more about what is on his mind, and where he is focusing his efforts next.

It’s been a few months now since you transitioned from a marketing role to investing. What made you take the leap?

I’ve been in online gaming for the best part of two decades, and the way I’ve kept myself on my toes is by constantly trying new things. I think it’s important not to get too comfortable, as that’s when complacency can set in.

Over my career I’ve dived into just about every part of our industry. I’ve been an affiliate, I’ve helped bootstrap start-ups, I’ve worked on B2B products, I’ve headed up marketing for a multi-national operator.

It’s been the ride of a lifetime, but more than that, I began to realise it was also quite a unique experience. In gaming, as in most industries, people tend to pick a niche, gain expertise, and slowly climb the ladder. My career has been a series of jumps into the unknown. Not only have they worked out well, but they’ve also given me a different perspective.

So, while I loved every minute of the five years I spent as a CMO, I knew deep down it was time to jump off the ladder and see where I landed!

How are you applying what you learned during your successful stint as a CMO to angel investing?

There’s no silver bullet when it comes to angel investing. Obviously working at a Tier 1 operator gives you a glimpse behind the curtain of how a successful gaming business is run, but it’s not enough by itself.

I think there’s inspiration and lessons that can be learned from a lot of diverse, and not always traditional places.

You can read Paul Graham’s blog.

You can watch Stringer Bell, Tony Soprano and Logan Roy manage their empires on HBO.

You can sit in the corner of a pub with a couple of founders after a long day at ICE, and listen to what’s driving them insane right now.

These are all really valuable, and they inform my outlook in ways that aren’t always tangible.

Q: What projects are you working on that you are particularly excited about right now?

Perhaps the best thing about being an angel is the freedom you have to deep dive into projects that spark something inside you.

I’ve already been lucky enough to find a couple.

There’s Blask, where I’m a co-founder and managing partner. Blask solves market intelligence for iGaming in such a comprehensive, game-changing way that it genuinely feels like a once-in-a-generation opportunity.

We’re leveraging AI to provide real-time, in-depth data from markets around the world. We’ve only been live for a few months, and are still building out the product, but our early users already can’t imagine life without it.

Then there’s the affiliate company Already Media, where I’m a managing partner. We’re growing extremely quickly - the team recently topped 250 people - by focusing aggressively on emerging markets, such as India and Brazil. We’ve opened brand new offices in Warsaw early this year, and have big plans for continued expansion in 2025.

On top of this, I’ve also been having great fun talking to founders from across the industry as part of my 15m series. The idea is you only need 15 minutes to learn something that can improve your business or personal performance. It’s a real honour to hear some of this wisdom directly from so many successful founders.

Q: What advice would you give to those who want to make the jump from a traditional role to investing?

First and foremost, put your ego aside. Investing is unforgiving, and your previous reputation counts for nothing.

Beyond that, try to use your expertise to find an edge. Whatever you did previously might not be directly applicable, but it should help you understand an opportunity.

Q: Looking ahead, what trends are going to be decisive in online gaming over the next 12 months?

I’ve always found it useful to look at macro trends that are playing out globally, and then think carefully about how they might impact iGaming.

AI is an obvious one right now. The technology is accelerating so quickly via huge investment. It’s going to make a lot of things that feel impossible suddenly become very simple. It’s a strong part of our thesis behind Blask.

Emerging markets are another big one. I’m betting big on India, Bangladesh, Brazil and other countries as these are the countries that will be driving economic growth over the coming decades. It will be no different with gaming.

In terms of slightly more fringe areas, I think blockchain still has a lot of space to run. Obviously some brands have done amazing things in the crypto space - just look at how quickly Stake.com has become perhaps the most recognisable betting brand in the world. But I think we’re still just scratching the surface there.

But remember, more important than any trend is the team. Invest in the best people, and you can’t go far wrong.

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