A 30-year-old start-up founder has sold his betting tool OddsJam for a staggering $160 million (£120m) just four years after founding the company. Alex Monahan, from Alexandria, Virginia, revealed that the first person he called after closing the deal in December 2024 was his grandfather, Claus Helbing, who had funded his college education.
Grandfather's Support Key to Success
Alex credited his grandfather, a retired doctor originally from Germany, as his 'lifeline' and 'number one supporter'. Claus set up a college fund for Alex when he was young, enabling him to attend the prestigious Stanford University, where he studied maths and computer science. After graduating in 2021, Alex founded OddsJam, a sports betting analytics platform, and sold it in January 2025 for the eye-watering sum.
Alex said: 'I had mixed emotions when we sold the company. I felt a little bit of relief as it was a lot of hard work. I thought of how I got there and of all the people that supported me along the way, especially when I was younger and when I had no money.'
He added: 'I called my grandfather, who paid for my education, and was always my number one supporter and lifeline. I cried during that call since I knew he was so proud and never wanted a dime.'
From Wall Street to Entrepreneurship
Before founding OddsJam, Alex worked on Wall Street as a trader. He noticed that while traders had access to sophisticated tools, there was nothing similar for sports betting. 'I realised with all the tools that are available to traders, there's nothing really in sports like injury data, betting odds or play by play,' he said.
At age 24, he started OddsJam, working on it for about three-and-a-half years, primarily creating content. He sold the company just before turning 28. After the sale, he stayed on for a year but now works less, saying: 'I don't need to make money. Maybe I'll start another company, maybe I won't. I will still be gambling though.'
Sadly, Claus passed away in November 2025 at age 88, but his generosity allowed Alex to scale back work. 'He said something like, 'good, so you won't have worries anymore',' Alex recalled.
