SUPERDEBATEThe world loves to argue.
We’re turning it into a sport.
The future of debate. Online and on stage.
SUPERDEBATEThe opportunity
We are building the UFC of competitive debate.
The fragmented category
School
Students learn to debate on organized teams.
College
Trained competitors seek ways to continue after graduation.
Public
Leading thinkers attract audiences to major debates.
Online
People watch, respond and create their own content.
Define the category
We’re building the home of competitive debate. On stage. Online. Worldwide.
Turn leading thinkers into must-watch events. Give everyone the tools to debate, create and compete. Build one brand across the entire sport.
02
SUPERDEBATEThe system
One sport. Watch. Create. Compete.
Watch
Featured debates
Leading thinkers and prepared opponents, on stage and online.
Create
Your own debates
Find an opponent online. Debate, record with consent and share.
Compete
Clubs to championships
Practice in local clubs. We’re developing rankings and qualification for a national circuit.
03
SUPERDEBATETraction
Live product. First sales. A national ambition.
The platform is live. Chicago, Boston and New York are selling tickets. Next: turn early interest into repeat participation and sponsor relationships.
12+
Events delivered across four cities
800+
Registered users · Oct 17, 2026
7
Countries represented at the Infinita Debate Championship
33
Paid ticket orders · Jul 21–Oct 18, 2026
Sales snapshot: October 18, 2026 (UTC). Orders are purchases, not attendee counts.
Published debate
Who pays for the stadium?
Art Rolnick vs. Victor Matheson
Watch the full debate ↗04
SUPERDEBATEThe participants
Leading minds are taking the SuperDebate stage.
Manolis Kellis
MIT professor; Broad Institute member
Sir David Spiegelhalter
Cambridge professor emeritus; Fellow of the Royal Society
Pedro Domingos
UW professor emeritus; author of The Master Algorithm
Robin Hanson
George Mason economist; author of The Age of Em
Anthony Fowler
Professor, University of Chicago
Garett Jones
Professor of economics, George Mason
Lawrence Lessig has agreed to join them. Topic, interlocutor and date are being finalized.
Chicago participants include faculty from Northwestern, DePaul and Chicago-Kent.
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SUPERDEBATEThe season ahead
Chicago. Boston. New York.
Chicago
Oct 21
The Ferris
Two AI debates, audience voting and a Socratic dialogue.
New York
Nov 16
Manhattan
Launch showcase. Venue to be announced.
Boston
Nov 17
Laugh Boston
With Modus Ponens Institute and MIT’s Manolis Kellis.
Chicago
Nov 18
The Ferris
The second showcase, with audience-selected lightning rounds.
Venues
4
Chicago venues offered by partners, including a 300-seat auditorium
500+
Target capacity for future flagship shows
Three launch cities. One national ambition. These shows establish the talent, audience and commercial relationships for a national circuit. The platform keeps debate moving between events.
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SUPERDEBATEThe platform
The world is our debate stage.
One resolution. Two opponents. An audience with a say. Explore the platform ↗
Already live
Match. Debate. Record. Share.
Match with an opponent automatically. Debate on video, record with consent and share. Create short takes. Build an audience.
In development
Your record. Your ranking.
We’re developing shared records, rankings and qualification to connect online debates, local clubs and live competition.
Built in-house
Founder-built technology powers video debate, discovery, events and AI practice.
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SUPERDEBATEOur growth model
Watch a debate. Join the next one.
01
Featured debates
Give audiences a reason to show up: leading thinkers, hard questions and prepared opponents.
02
Media and distribution
Publish the debates and share the strongest moments so new viewers can discover SuperDebate.
04
Partners and revenue
Turn audience interest into ticket sales and sponsor support for the next round of programming.
03
Community and talent
Invite viewers to find an opponent, join a club and create debates of their own.
SuperDebate08
SUPERDEBATEThe market
Start with the audience. Grow through participation.
Audiences
Watch ideas compete.
People who follow leading thinkers and want to take part in a live debate.
Participants
Step into the debate.
People looking for opponents, practice and an audience, online and in local clubs.
Institutions and brands
Bring people together.
Partners seeking debate programming and sponsorship opportunities.
National audience context
53.3M
College-educated adults in 55 large U.S. metros
Chicago and Boston
4.52M
College-educated adults across two launch markets
Participation reference
265K
Toastmasters members worldwide
Audience context, not measured demand or a revenue forecast. Census ACS 2020–2024; Toastmasters International, 2025.
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SUPERDEBATECompetition
The ambition: an entire sport under one brand.
Intelligence Squared
Expert debates, podcasts and memberships
Munk Debates
Main-stage debates and a supporter library
Jubilee
Digital debate formats and brand partnerships
Toastmasters
Speaking clubs and an annual speech contest
SuperDebate
Watch leading thinkers. Become a competitor.
Live todayFeatured debates, ticketed shows, video matching, recording, short takes and local clubs.
In developmentShared records, rankings and qualification connecting the national circuit.
A place for established thinkers. A way in for new voices. A national circuit in development.
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SUPERDEBATERevenue
A sport. A platform. A media business.
Current offers
Tickets and sponsorships
$30
General admission. Chicago patron: $60. Boston rises from $30 to $40.
$2,500
Show sponsorship offer
$10K
Three-month city partnership offer
$50K
Founding partnership offer
In development
Courses and training
Practice and coaching for individuals and institutions, beginning with a recorded course by Dr. Iain Lampert.
Long-term growth
Media and licensing
Build a debate catalog that attracts audiences, advertisers and distribution partners.
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SUPERDEBATEEvent formats
Free events. Paid showcases. One network.
In development · Free events
Free to attend.
Funded by sponsors.
Sponsors fund the program and reach an engaged audience. Admission can be free while the event earns revenue.
Selling now · Paid showcases
Tickets.
Sponsorships.
Featured speakers, prepared debates and a live audience. Ticket sales and sponsors both contribute revenue.
Expansion model · Local formats
Local hosts.
Regular debate.
Hosts and venue partners can run smaller gatherings with lean production, creating more places to participate.
Planning example · One ticketed showcase
400 admissions × $30 + $2,500 sponsor = $14,500 revenue
Assumes a 500-seat venue. A revenue scenario, not reported sales or profit. Costs vary by format and partner support.
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SUPERDEBATEDefensibility
A catalog. A community. A competitive history.
Building now · Media catalog
Published debates give audiences something to discover, watch and share beyond the live event.
Building now · People and partners
Relationships with thinkers, hosts, institutions and sponsors help us develop future programming.
In development · Competitive records
Shared records and rankings will give competitors a history to build on and audiences a season to follow.
The goal: lasting value beyond any single show.
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SUPERDEBATEThe league we’re building
From local clubs to the world stage.
Local
Clubs and communities
People meet, practice and compete regularly.
National · Planned
City rivalries. Championships.
Connect local competition through shared standards and qualification for a national final.
Global · Long-term ambition
The world stage
Online debate connects people across borders. The ambition is international competition and major championship nights.
Our expansion model · SuperDebate
The brand, platform, formats, media and launch support.
Our expansion model · Local hosts
The venues, relationships and recurring local programming.
Our ambition: championship nights at Madison Square Garden. A global sport anyone can join.
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SUPERDEBATEThe founders
We build the product. We build the business.
Founder & CEO
John Connor
- Chicago debate champion; coached the first urban debate league team to win a national championship
- Founder of Sparkblox
- Product lead at Upland during 15× revenue growth
- Led product for a phone launch at Mode Mobile
- Built the SuperDebate platform
Co-founder
Matthew Rolnick
- Built Groupon sales teams generating more than $10M in revenue
- Experience in events and partnerships at Yaymaker
- Partnerships and live events for Real American Beer and Real American Freestyle
- Leads SuperDebate sponsorships and partnerships
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SUPERDEBATEThe advisors
Built with leaders in debate, brand and business.
Competition and coaching
Dr. Iain Lampert
- IPDA professional national champion in 2023 and 2026.
- Coached students to 1,800+ public speaking championships.
- Founder, Authentalk; COO, ModernBrain.
- Two national championships in trial advocacy.
Company building and partnerships
Brian J. Esposito
- Founder and CEO, Esposito Intellectual Enterprises.
- EIE reports 110+ entities across 25+ industries.
- 20+ years building companies and global partnerships.
- Chief Strategy Officer, SuperDebate.
Brand and culture
Stephen “Stix” Nilsen
- Former VP of Cult Indoctrination, Liquid Death.
- Sports marketing at Red Bull.
- Nearly a decade building Pabst Blue Ribbon through grassroots events.
- Brand collaborations across music, sport and culture.
AI and debate education
John Hines
- Co-founder and CEO, DebaterHub.
- NSF SBIR principal investigator on AI-powered debate education.
- National championship debate coach.
- Carnegie Mellon graduate; Perplexity AI Business Fellow.
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SUPERDEBATEThe investment
$500K to build the next great spectator sport.
Raising · Seed SAFE
$500K
$450K operating budget, plus $50K reserve.
$10M
Post-money valuation cap
20%
Discount
18 mo
Operating runway
Use of funds
$225K
45%
City network and platform
Scale the platform and launch the next wave of cities.
$175K
35%
Flagship programming
Put leading minds on stage and their debates in front of new audiences.
$100K
20%
Championship circuit and reserve
Build the path from local competition to a national championship, with a cash reserve.
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SUPERDEBATEMilestones
Build the national circuit. 18 months.
Our 18-month expansion target
30+
City expansion target
Grow through local hosts and venue partners. Connect recurring events and online participation, then build qualification for a national championship.
The work to prove: repeat participation, sponsor renewal and a model local hosts can run.
Months 1–3
Deliver and learn
Deliver Chicago, Boston and New York. Publish the debates and learn who attends, participates and returns.
Months 4–9
Make the model repeatable
Develop recurring shows and sponsor relationships. Improve online participation and equip local hosts to expand.
Months 10–18
Connect the competition
Establish competition standards and qualification. Build toward a national final as the city network and participation grow.
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SUPERDEBATEBuild the future of debate. With us.
Join our $500K seed round.
John Connor, Founder & CEO
Book an investor conversation