Underdog Named #3 Startup in US by LinkedIn

Underdog, the fastest-growing sports company in the U.S., was named the number three startup on the 2025 LinkedIn Top 50 Startups List in the US, up from number 15 in 2024. This is the third consecutive year Underdog has made LinkedIn’s Top 50 Startups List, recognizing the company for its rapid employment growth, job interest and attraction of top talent. Underdog is the only sports company to make the list this year.

LinkedIn’s annual Top 50 Startups List has been a leading indicator of what companies are poised to reach the top of industries and achieve massive growth, serving as a literal “who’s who” of breakout companies, with Uber, Airbnb, Ramp, Robinhood, DoorDash and many more leading companies making the list when they were in early stages. LinkedIn’s Top 50 Startups List only includes companies under five years old.

This past year has been transformational for Underdog, catapulting the company to the top of the sports gaming industry:

• In only its fifth year of operation, the company will reach nearly $500 million in revenue, making it the fastest growing sports company in the US.

• The company announced Series C funding led by Spark Capital at a $1.3 billion valuation.

• Underdog recently became the first sports gaming operator in the US to offer prediction markets, in partnership with Crypto.com.

• This fall, Underdog reached Number 1 in the free sports app category of the app store, above all of the largest operators in the industry.

• The company has made major hires to its C-Suite, and on the development side, Underdog has taken an aggressive, AI-native approach, hiring top engineering talent and launching various AI learning programs to support growth, mentorship, and AI experimentation.

“We got here through a relentless, simple focus: people and product. Our belief is if we have the best people and build the best products, we can build the biggest company in the space – and we are on our way. This year, with all the incredible disruption the industry has faced, has been more proof of concept, as we have the ability to create innovative offerings with speed and scale to take advantage of opportunity. We’ll hit nearly $500 million in revenue in 2025, our fifth full year,” said Jeremy Levine, Founder and CEO of Underdog.

Now available in 40 states, Washington D.C., and Canada, Underdog is not only innovating in sports gaming, but also on its fan-first content ecosystem. With popular YouTube shows like The Arena and Fantasy Football With Josh and Hayden, Underdog isn’t just delivering new ways for American sports fans to express their opinions on sports, it’s cultivating loyal communities and changing the way fans engage with the sports and players they love.

LinkedIn’s annual startup rankings are based on LinkedIn data across four categories: employee growth; jobseeker interest; member engagement within the company and its employees; and incoming talent from LinkedIn’s Top Companies list. To be eligible, companies must be fully independent, privately held, have 50 or more full-time employees, be five years old or younger and be headquartered in the US.