Novig CEO Defends Nude Sydney Sweeney Ad, Offers No Apology

^{Novig founder and CEO Jacob Fortinsky, Sydney Sweeney}

Novig founder and CEO Jacob Fortinsky has responded to criticism from professional female athletes over the prediction-market platform’s provocative ad campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney, Front Office Sports reports.

Novig launched the ad last week, showing Sweeney nude and covering herself with sports equipment. The campaign drew sharp criticism from professional athletes around the world, who accused its creators of sexualizing women and their connection to sports.

Fortinsky did not apologize for the campaign or acknowledge that it was a mistake. Instead, he argued that the ad was never intended to represent women’s sports — its goal was simply to get people talking about Novig.

“Sydney is an actress, the biggest movie star in the world. We’re a sports-focused prediction platform. That’s exactly the message she was delivering,” Fortinsky said.

He also said Sweeney had played a major role in shaping the campaign. “Sydney really drove a lot of the visual direction and the messaging,” the Novig chief said.

Fortinsky added that the company had expected some backlash. He said some segments of the public already viewed Sweeney negatively, so Novig anticipated that critics would speak out against the campaign.

Even so, Novig is pleased with the response. “At the end of the day, I think Sydney nailed the essence of our platform. And we’re really pleased with how positive the overall reaction turned out to be,” Fortinsky said.

One of the campaign’s goals was to make Novig a more recognizable brand and close the awareness gap with larger prediction platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket ahead of the NFL season. The campaign certainly attracted attention: the video has generated more than 13 million views on X and over 2 million on YouTube.