Scaling a stock market for sports: How PredictionStrike streamlined onboarding and slashed fraud with Plaid

PredictionStrike is the world’s first sports stock market, allowing users to buy and sell shares of their favorite athletes as their performances fluctuate over time. By integrating Plaid’s onboarding solutions including identity verification and account linking, PredictionStrike has streamlined user onboarding, reduced fraud, and supported fast-paced growth.

We caught up with co-founder and CEO Deven Hurt to learn how Plaid helps them deliver a seamless, trustworthy experience to users—and why our streamlined onboarding products like Plaid Layer make up an exciting part of their product vision.

Plaid: For those who may not be familiar, can you give us a quick overview of PredictionStrike?

Hurt: PredictionStrike is a sports stock market where users can buy and sell virtual shares of pro athletes. Share prices change based on athletes’ game-time performance, as well as on the buying and selling behavior of our users. We recently launched a new product called Sparks, where users can enter contests based on the combined performance of multiple athletes, for higher payouts. It’s been a lot of fun for our community.

Plaid: What sets PredictionStrike apart from other fantasy gaming and trading experiences?

Hurt: A lot of fantasy platforms focus on all-or-nothing outcomes—either win big or lose everything. PredictionStrike offers something different: a more granular, stock-market-like experience. Users can invest based on longer-term convictions, be it a playoff run or an entire career. That sense of building and compounding value makes the experience really unique and sticky for our users.

Plaid: What challenges were you facing before implementing Plaid?

Hurt: Onboarding was a huge pain point. We had a lot of friction with users linking bank accounts, especially when we had to use micro-deposits. Coverage wasn’t consistent across banks, and the delay often caused users to drop off. Identity verification was another challenge—we needed a way to quickly and reliably KYC users, especially because we’re in a regulated space. We also run users through exclusion lists to meet compliance standards. Without a seamless onboarding process, it was tough to get users funded and active.

Plaid: How does Plaid fit into your current onboarding flow

Hurt: Today, a user signs up and enters their phone number first. We use Plaid’s Identity Verification (IDV) to verify users' identities against KYC requirements, exclusion lists, and fraud checks. If IDV can’t complete it automatically, we fall back on collecting more information manually.

Users then link their bank account using Plaid Link, and we run Plaid’s Balance Check to ensure users have enough funds at the time of deposit. These tools help us keep the process secure and seamless.

Plaid: You’ve also been exploring Plaid Layer—what excites you about that product?

Hurt: After testing Layer in our flow, we were really happy with how much smoother it made the experience. Users could get through onboarding in just a few clicks, which kept them engaged at that critical first moment. We’re excited to ship it live to all users. For a platform like ours—where timing and ease are everything—that kind of efficiency is huge.

Plaid: You mentioned a big focus on fraud reduction—can you share more about that?

Hurt: Absolutely. Before Plaid, we dealt with a lot of fraud, especially credit card fraud. Since implementing Plaid’s IDV and balance check, fraudulent attempts have plummeted. We’ve had far fewer chargebacks and much better visibility into who our users really are.

There was even a case where IDV helped us identify the individual responsible for identity theft that impacted a user's mortgage account. That kind of behind-the-scenes protection has been really important for us. In fact, we’ve only had two chargebacks in the past three months, which is a massive improvement over where we started.

Plaid: What role do trust and speed play in your user experience?

Hurt: They’re everything. Sports happen in real time—users need to get in quickly and feel confident their money and data are safe. If onboarding is slow or feels sketchy, users just leave. Plaid helps us remove that friction and build immediate trust.

The faster someone can onboard, the faster they can make their first deposit and start using the product. That first deposit is key to turning an app visitor into an active, loyal user. 

Plaid: What led you to choose Plaid?

Hurt: It felt like a no-brainer. As we considered potential providers, most of us recalled using Plaid in our own lives and agreed it was an incredible experience. Plaid was the only company we reached out to—and that’s a decision that we couldn’t be happier with.

Plaid: What advice would you give to other gaming or trading platforms currently considering Plaid IDV or onboarding tools

Hurt: Honestly, just implement them. These products check all the boxes you need from a compliance, security, and user experience standpoint. IDV and tools like Layer enable you to create a truly frictionless environment for users—and that’s what drives real growth.