Novig Uses Sydney Sweeney Equity Partnership to Break Into National Conversation on Sports Prediction Markets

Novig released a provocative new advertisement featuring actress Sydney Sweeney on Wednesday. The spot shows her completely naked while covering herself with footballs, basketballs, and hockey pads. Within hours it accumulated millions of views on X and Instagram.

Jacob Fortinsky, Novig founder and CEO, told Front Office Sports that Sweeney is “great at captivating audiences and being the center of attention.” He added that “in some sense, it forces us into the national discourse.” Fortinsky confirmed Sweeney approached Novig about an equity partnership. She is now a shareholder, though he declined to disclose her ownership stake or the payment for the ad.

Sports-Only Focus and Adult-Oriented Platform

Sweeney was drawn to Novig because its product centers solely on sports. Fortinsky said she was “uncomfortable” with some markets offered by other platforms. The ad includes the line “No wars. No death. No politics. Just sports,” which Sweeney helped craft. Fortinsky defended the racy content by stating that “trading is for adults” and that Novig requires users to be 21 or older. By comparison, Kalshi and Polymarket allow users as young as 18.

Sweeney told Complex she does not “like to just put my face on something.” She said she wanted “to get into the weeds of it with an amazing team” and that she “believed in him as a founder” after meeting the Novig team. Additional Sweeney spots are planned, including a responsible trading advertisement.

Concentrated Marketing Bet Over League-Wide Deals

Novig has raised more than $100 million since its formation in 2021. It previously struck a short-term partnership with LIV Golf during the Masters and became the first prediction-market platform to partner with an MLB team, the Mets. Meanwhile Kalshi and Polymarket have secured the majority of major league deals. Polymarket’s MLB agreement is reportedly worth up to $300 million over four years. Both are official NHL partners; Polymarket also holds agreements with MLB, MLS, UFC, and the Yankees.

Fortinsky said Novig is “not interested in necessarily winning every bidding war.” He described the Sweeney campaign as “a very concentrated bet” and “a real decision that this is how we’re going to spend the bulk of our marketing dollars going into football season.” This approach demonstrates how a single high-impact celebrity alignment can generate immediate visibility in a crowded field without matching every competitor spend.

Reporting: Front Office Sports – sports betting

Generated by SCCG’s automated editorial system from published source reporting. SCCG Management holds editorial responsibility.