SuperDebate
Organizing Intellectual Competition
From local clubs to global championships
John Connor | Founder & CEO
superdebate.org
The Insight
The urge to compete intellectually is as fundamental as the urge to compete physically.
Physical competition got organized: gyms, leagues, stadiums, the Olympics.
Physical Competition
Multi-trillion dollar global infrastructure.
Paths for everyone: athlete, coach, referee, fan.
Intellectual Competition
Still unstructured. Scattered across comment sections and dinner tables.
No gym. No league. No path from amateur to champion.
We're building it.
The Opportunity
Massive demand. Zero infrastructure.
Americans competed in high school or college debate.
After graduation, the game ends. No leagues. No venues. Nowhere to go.
They still want to argue. We're building where.
Former debaters prove it works. Everyone else scales it.
The Model
Two tiers that feed each other.
Tier 1: Local Clubs
- Weekly practice meetups
- Peer feedback and skill development
- Low barrier, high retention
Toastmasters: 14K clubs, $39M/yr
Tier 2: Championships
- Ranked competitive debates
- Club → city → regional → national → global
- Media production, star-making
UFC: $2M → $4B in 15 years
Clubs develop talent. Championships create stars. The cycle compounds.
The Platform
Not a pitch. A product.
Events
Create & manage competitions
Clubs
Local chapters, global reach
Debates
1v1 to 5v5, fully flexible
Rankings
ELO-based competitive ladder
AI Training
Practice with AI opponents
Topics
Curated & community-submitted
Tournaments
Automated brackets & scoring
Analytics
Performance insights
One platform. From casual Tuesday nights to world championship finals.
Traction
Not a concept. A proof.
PLATFORM BUILT
- • Full platform deployed
- • Club management live
- • Event ticketing operational
FORMAT VALIDATED
- • 10+ events across 3 cities
- • Strong repeat attendance
- • 250+ Chicago community
PARTNERSHIPS
- • 1871 Chicago: LOI signed
- • Prospera/Infinita: MOU
- • Venues in 3 cities
Product built. Partnerships signed. Format proven. Ready to scale.
Infinite GamesDebate Championship
Part of Infinite Games Festival with tech founders, crypto builders, and governance innovators. Premium production creates the template for all future championships.
This is where we show the world what organized intellectual competition looks like.
Revenue Model
Five engines. Each compounds with scale.
Subscriptions
Club $50/mo, Member $15/mo
Events
Entry fees, tickets
Sponsorships
Local → national
Media
Streaming, highlights
Enterprise
Corporate training
Tournament revenue, sponsorships, and media are upside on top of this base.
Trajectory
Five years to category leadership.
Conservative projections. Based on proven club economics. Championship revenue, media deals, and sponsorships are upside.
Markets That Prove It
SuperDebate combines all three.
Why We Win
Advantages that compound.
Why Now
Three forces converging.
The demand is proven. The gap is clear. First mover wins.
John Thomas Connor
Founder & CEO
Debate Insider
- • 10-year competitor
- • Championship coach (first national champions from urban league)
- • Deep community relationships
Scale Operator
- • Upland: 15x revenue → 300K MAU
- • Sparkblox: $1M+ raised
- • Mode Mobile: 15-person team
The Ask
$500K Pre-Seed
18 months to prove scale
Use of Funds
- Growth (ambassadors, 20-city launch)60%
- Championships (prizes, production)20%
- Product (platform enhancements)10%
- Brand (sponsorship, partnerships)10%
Month 18 Milestones
- Scale: 20 cities, 20 clubs, 400+ members
- Revenue: $100K+ ARR, unit economics proven
- Proof: Regional championships, strong retention
SAFE with standard terms. Clean cap table.
Series A ready.
SuperDebate
For thousands of years, we've tested ideas against each other—around fires, in forums, across tables.
The platform is live.
The community is real.
The timing is perfect.
Let's build the league.
john@superdebate.org
superdebate.org