Matt Kalish co-founded DraftKings in late 2011 and helped turn it into one of the largest sportsbooks in America. He stepped down as President of DraftKings North America in March 2026. Now he runs Hardscope, a creator-media company, and he’s still on DraftKings’ board.
Who Is Matt Kalish?
Matt Kalish is a co-founder of DraftKings, the sports betting and daily fantasy sports company he built with Jason Robins and Paul Liberman. The trio launched DraftKings from Boston in 2012. Kalish later became Chief Revenue Officer, then President of DraftKings North America in December 2019.
He’s still on the DraftKings board, and he holds a board seat at FaZe Media too. His career now spans sports betting, daily fantasy sports, and creator media.
Matt Kalish’s Career at DraftKings
Kalish co-founded DraftKings in late 2011, and the company launched its first product in 2012. He spent 14 years at DraftKings in total. Before that, he worked in corporate analytics roles at several companies.
At DraftKings, he ran marketing, customer experience, and sportsbook operations. The Supreme Court struck down PASPA in 2018, the federal law that had blocked sports betting in most states. Kalish also helped position DraftKings to move fast once it fell.
The company then launched its first legal sportsbook in New Jersey. DraftKings went public on Nasdaq in 2020, then acquired Golden Nugget Online Gaming and the lottery app Jackpocket. In 2019, Sports Business Journal named Kalish to its Forty Under 40 list for his role in the company’s growth.
| Year | Milestone |
| 2011 | Co-founded DraftKings with Jason Robins and Paul Liberman |
| 2012 | DraftKings launches its first product |
| 2014-2019 | Chief Revenue Officer, DraftKings |
| 2019 | Appointed President, DraftKings North America |
| 2020 | DraftKings goes public on Nasdaq |
| 2026 | Steps down as President, remains on the board |
Why Matt Kalish Stepped Down as President in 2026
DraftKings disclosed in a November 2025 SEC filing that Kalish would step down as president on March 31, 2026. Both sides call the move mutual. He keeps his board seat, and he’ll receive continued benefits tied to his 14 years of service.
CEO Jason Robins credited Kalish as a partner in building the company from day one. The timing lines up with DraftKings’ move into prediction markets, following its purchase of Railbird Technologies.
Hardscope and FaZe Media: What Kalish Is Building Next
In December 2025, Kalish launched Hardscope, a media company built to help creators grow their brands. The venture grew out of an earlier bet he made on FaZe Media.
In 2024, Kalish put $11 million into FaZe Media and joined its board.
He owns 49% of the company, while GameSquare Holdings owns the rest. Hardscope now gives creators production support, brand deals, and monetization tools across sports, gaming, food, and music.
Matt Kalish vs Kalshi: The Prediction Markets Debate
In May 2026, Kalish went after Kalshi, a prediction market platform regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. He argued that Kalshi’s sports product still lags years behind a typical sportsbook app, and he pointed to a personal bet where he says his odds got diluted by market makers.
That said, Kalshi and its backers disagree. They argue that an order-book pricing model simply works differently than fixed odds do. The dispute raises a bigger question for the industry: can prediction markets really compete with regulated sportsbooks, or do they serve a different kind of trader.
| Feature | Regulated Sportsbook (DraftKings) | Prediction Market (Kalshi) |
| Regulator | State gaming commissions | CFTC (federal) |
| Pricing model | Fixed odds set by the book | Order book, set by buyers and sellers |
| Typical user | Casual sports fan | Trader comfortable with order books |
| Available nationwide | No, state by state | Yes, positioned as a financial product |
The Bottom Line
Kalish spent 14 years building DraftKings into a sportsbook giant, and he’s now applying that same playbook to creator media. His Kalshi criticism shows he’s still watching the sports betting industry closely, even from a board seat. Keep an eye on Hardscope and the prediction markets debate for his next move.
Frequently Asked Questions
What company did Matt Kalish co-found?
Kalish co-founded DraftKings in late 2011 along with Jason Robins and Paul Liberman. The company launched as a daily fantasy sports platform in 2012. It later expanded into sports betting once the Supreme Court overturned PASPA in 2018, and DraftKings is now one of the two largest sportsbooks in the US.
Is Matt Kalish still with DraftKings?
Yes, though his role has changed. Kalish stepped down as President of DraftKings North America on March 31, 2026, which ended his run as a day-to-day executive. He remains on the company’s board of directors, and DraftKings has confirmed he’ll keep receiving certain benefits tied to his 14 years with the company.
What is Hardscope?
Hardscope is a creator-media company Kalish launched in December 2025. It grew out of his earlier investment in FaZe Media, and it now gives independent creators access to production support, brand partnerships, and monetization tools. The company works with creators across sports, gaming, food, and music.
What did Matt Kalish say about Kalshi?
In May 2026, Kalish argued publicly that Kalshi’s sports trading product still lags behind a regulated sportsbook app. He pointed to a personal bet where he says his odds were diluted by market makers, and he questioned how the platform reports trading volume. Kalshi and its supporters have pushed back on several of his claims.
How much did Matt Kalish invest in FaZe Media?
Kalish invested $11 million in FaZe Media in 2024, which gave him a 49% ownership stake and a seat on the company’s board. GameSquare Holdings owns the remaining 51%. That investment later became the foundation for Hardscope, the creator-media company Kalish launched the following year.