Proof of Usefulness Report

Smarkets

Analysis completed on 1/30/2026

+782
Proof of Usefulness Score
Unicorn Utility

Smarkets is a highly established, profitable fintech/betting scale-up with significant revenue (£25M+) and a sophisticated technical architecture (Rust/Erlang/Kafka). While the submission form was filled out somewhat lazily (e.g., claiming 'everyone' as the audience and 'most people' as users), the underlying project reality is verifiable and robust. The company operates a regulated exchange and sportsbook with tens of thousands of daily active users, placing it in the top tier of established technology businesses compared to the calibration baseline.

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Score Breakdown

Real World Utility+225
Audience Reach Impact+170
Technical Innovation+162
Evidence Of Traction+190
Market Timing Relevance+80
Functional Completeness+5
Subtotal+832
Usefulness Multiplierx0.94
Final Score+782

Project Details

Project URL
smarkets.com
Description
Smarkets is an exchange platform for betting and trading on sport and politics. We operate two main consumer products - the Smarkets exchange and SBK sportsbook app - in the UK, US, and other global markets.\n\nBeing a Software Engineer at Smarkets means working in high-performing teams that have control over the features they ship and the code they write. We have built a modern tech stack around Linux, Kafka, Postgres, and Kubernetes using Python 3, C++20, Rust, and React.\n\nThe Smarkets platform is used by tens of thousands daily through the app, website or REST API. We are continuously developing new features for these platforms, or improving performance, scalability and usability in the backend.

Algorithm Insights

Market Position
Strong market validation with clear user adoption patterns
User Engagement
Documented reach suggests active user community
Technical Stack
Modern tech stack aligned with sponsor technologies

Recommendations to Increase Usefulness Score

Document User Growth

Provide specific metrics on user acquisition and retention rates

Showcase Revenue Model

Detail sustainable monetization strategy and current revenue streams

Expand Evidence Base

Include testimonials, case studies, and third-party validation

Technical Roadmap

Share development milestones and feature completion timeline