Novig Expands Core Trading and Growth Teams Following Surge in Platform Volume
Sports prediction platform Novig is adding engineering, growth, and operations staff as trading activity climbs on its peer-to-peer exchange. Founded in 2021 by recent Harvard graduates Jacob Fortinsky and Kelechi Ukah, the New York-based startup operates a dual-currency exchange designed to let sports fans trade directly with one another rather than betting against a traditional bookmaker.
The hiring push follows an aggressive marketing push in September 2026 fronted by actress Sydney Sweeney, who is also an equity holder in the company. As reported by Front Office Sports, the campaign sought to close the brand awareness gap between Novig and prediction-market competitors such as Kalshi and Polymarket ahead of football season. According to Daily Voice, the campaign pushed Novig into the top 20 sports downloads, generated more than 14 million views on X, and drove weekly trading volume up 32.7% to $317.1 million.
The advertisement also generated criticism from professional female athletes, including Australian Olympic swimmer Ariarne Titmus and British sprinter Amy Hunt, who told The New York Times that the spot defaulted to sexualized imagery to sell a betting product. Speaking onstage at an industry event, Fortinsky defended the campaign, stating that Sweeney was the creative lead and that the business never intended to portray female sports. Following the campaign, Fortinsky reported that the exchange crossed $1 billion in cumulative volume within five weeks of launching its prediction market, with internal metrics showing over 250,000 users and more than $6.5 billion in total volume.
Exchange Model and Technical Infrastructure
Novig structures its platform as a high-frequency trading system for sporting events. Rather than placing a wager against a house that builds in a vigorish, participants submit bids and asks across moneyline, spread, total, and prop contracts. Users can take existing market orders or set custom odds that sit on an order book until matched by another participant. Contracts settle at $1 for winning positions, reflecting probabilities that move dynamically as orders clear.
To navigate state-level betting restrictions, Novig runs under a sweepstakes framework using dual currencies: free-to-play tokens and redeemable tokens for cash prizes. Reporting from RotoWire confirms the app is available in 47 states, excluding only Arizona, Michigan, and Nevada. As noted by AL.com, event contracts operate alongside federal oversight from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Under the hood, Novig's stack mirrors low-latency financial systems. The frontend interface runs on React Native for mobile clients. The core order book, matching engine, and trade execution services are implemented in Java, backed by a persistent data layer of PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and Amazon S3.
To maintain execution speed and order processing stability across peak game windows, the engineering team is hiring for roles including Senior Backend Engineer, Core Trading Systems and Software Engineer. Both roles pay between $200,000 and $260,000.
Founders and Background
Co-founders Jacob Fortinsky and Kelechi Ukah conceived the exchange during their undergraduate studies at Harvard University.
Fortinsky, who serves as CEO, graduated with a degree in philosophy, political science, and economics. He previously held roles in investment banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, legislative research, and financial trading. A former sharp bettor who experienced account restrictions from retail sportsbooks after sustaining profitability, Fortinsky focused the business on commission-free, peer-to-peer exchange mechanics that remove the traditional house edge.
Ukah, who serves as CTO, completed his Harvard degree in physics and math in 2022. Ukah's technical background includes engineering and quantitative experience at quantitative trading firm Jane Street and research experience at CERN. Together, the founders entered the Y Combinator S22 batch and raised Series A funding with backing from investors including Forerunner Ventures and Innospark Ventures.
Team Growth and Open Roles
Novig currently employs 55 people and lists 13 open roles. Most positions are based in person at the company's New York headquarters, though select customer experience and specialized functions offer remote and hybrid arrangements.
The hiring plan reflects the operational demands of processing high-volume consumer transactions and managing customer acquisition. On the commercial side, the platform is staffing its user acquisition pipeline through hires like Head of Social and Affiliate GTM Lead. To parse user betting patterns and order flow, the company is also looking for a Product Data Analyst.
On the risk and compliance side, running dual-currency sweepstakes across 47 states requires dedicated account monitoring, reflected in open searches for fraud specialists and finance operations personnel.
| Role | Location | Work Mode | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Backend Engineer, Core Trading Systems | New York | Onsite | $200,000 – $260,000 / year |
| Software Engineer | New York | Onsite | $200,000 – $260,000 / year |
| Product Data Analyst | New York | Onsite | $130,000 – $180,000 / year |
| Head of Social | New York | Onsite | $150,000 – $180,000 / year |
| Affiliate GTM Lead | New York | Onsite | $130,000 – $160,000 / year |
| People Operations Manager | New York | Onsite | $110,000 – $140,000 / year |
| Finance Operations Associate | New York | Onsite | $110,000 – $140,000 / year |
| Performance Marketing Manager, Display & CTV | New York | Onsite | $100,000 – $130,000 / year |
| Chief Fan Officer | Remote / Remote (US) | Remote | $100,000 – $300,000 / year |
| IT Specialist | New York | Onsite | $70,000 – $90,000 / year |
| Growth Operations Coordinator | New York | Onsite | $70,000 – $90,000 / year |
| Fraud Specialist | New York / Remote (US) | Hybrid | $65,000 – $75,000 / year |
| Customer Experience Specialist (Seasonal) | Remote (US) | Remote | $25 / hour |