Richard P. Blankenship is only 29 years old, but is already a cofounder of one of the quickest growing fintech companies on the market today, Prizeout.?Prizeout is based out of New York, and has already closed 4.5 million dollars in series A financing. Prizeout is another great byproduct of Blankenship?s uncanny ability to foster relationships that lead to tremendous business opportunities.
The creation of Prizeout took place when Blankenship had dinner in Las Vegas with fellow cofounder, David Metz. Metz was the CEO of FleetWit, a trivia app, while Blankenship worked as the Chief Revenue Officer for Poker Central, a poker media company. The two were negotiating a deal for months as FleetWit was keen on utilizing Poker Central?s live production ability to create a hybrid trivia and poker show. The collaboration would be great for both companies, so both Metz and Blankenship knew that they had to strike a deal during their three months of negotiations. During this time, the two became very friendly, and Metz mentioned an idea he had for a financial technology company to Blankenship, the inception of Prizeout.
Blankenship would play a key role in Prizeout as he was intimately familiar with the gaming industry, identifying that companies in gaming had billions of dollars of consumer funds, and that such consumers needed a better way to withdraw these funds. Blankenship then realized that if consumers could get their funds quicker, with a benefit like gift cards, this would be a popular withdrawal method for both consumers and gaming companies.
Blankenship saw immense potential in Prizeout, wiring Metz capital to seed the startup the following month. The foundation of trust that was built over several months between Metz and Blankenship led to a handshake deal, and the two entrepreneurs embarked on a journey that is sure to disrupt this niche industry for the foreseeable future. Metz was so impressed with Blankenship and the value that he could add to the company, that he eventually made him a cofounder. Blankenship went from being the first investor of Prizeout, to becoming the Chief Revenue Officer, as well as cofounder.
Metz is one of the many individuals that found value when working with Blankenship, he was easy to trust and had great ability to empathize with others, creating interpersonal relationships that would serve as a launchpad for numerous business ventures.
Fellow entrepreneur Jeff Liboon is another salient example of how relationship building and taking an interest into the personal lives of others led Blankenship to establish successful business partnerships. Blankenship first met Liboon when Liboon was the head of marketing for the Amazon App Store, during Blankenship?s time as the CRO of Poker Central. Liboon wanted to apply Poker Central live production services to Amazon?s Esports events. The two later teamed up to create Estars Studio, an esports production company that serviced companies like that of Amazon. The two built a valuable friendship where Liboon became an early investor in Prizeout, and Blankenship invested in Liboon?s MightyKidz. MightyKidz is childcare facility that is quickly rising to the top of its industry, as it was ranked #344 on INC?s 5000 list. The two are so close that they take family vacations together, and Blankenship is the godfather to Liboon?s daughter.
Blankenship has created a vast portfolio at 29 that most entrepreneurs would be envious of, he attributes this largely to working hard, being humble, and taking care of people that take care of him. Blankenship is the personification of his favorite saying, ?Your network is your net worth?.