As the saying goes, you miss all the shots you don’t take, so we took one. In early May we were very early in our startup journey. Development had started on an initial product, and we were in the process of legal company setup, but it was still super early. Regardless, we put together a pitch deck and submitted for a long-shot opportunity. Studio Foundations applied to the summer 2024 cohort of A16Z GAMES SPEEDRUN, which is an accelerator program where Tech x Games intersect for companies to receive some funding, mentorship, and be part of a great community. Our proposal got through the initial screening, and we got an interview with the SPEEDRUN team where we answered a ton of questions about why we’re targeting the problem(s) we are to solve, what makes us the right people to solve them, what our competition looks like, the size of the market opportunity, and other excellent questions. Though had great answers, we ultimately didn’t get in, we were a finalist, got THIS close, and got something very valuable… …feedback on our business from experts in the games investments space. So why didn’t we get in? It’s still too early for our business, which was the risk we knew was there when we applied. Critical things in-flight that address that are: - finishing development on MVP of our first product/service - lining up a few design partners for feedback & iteration - getting customer validation We’re close on all of them, so work continues. Applying for SPEEDRUN was a great experience and continues to prove out the validity of our approach and goals. #buildinpublic #gamedev
Well done, taking your shot. Onwards!
Well done for getting so far in the process with Speedrun! They're one of the best accelerators, so that's still a great accomplishment. And yes, you don't know if you never try!
Still a big accomplishment!
Congratulations on reaching the finals with A16Z GAMES SPEEDRUN! Even though it wasn’t the outcome you hoped for, it’s clear that the experience has been incredibly valuable. Your journey underscores an important lesson for all startups: every challenge and setback is an opportunity to learn and grow. It’s inspiring to see how you’re leveraging this feedback to strengthen your approach and drive your business forward. Keep up the great work!
Thanks for sharing the lesson. Sounds like not only are you on a mission to help your customers iterate quickly, but you are also learning and iterating quickly too. 👏
Quality Assurance Lead | Software | EA Sports | NCWEST | Meta VR | MS Hardware | Google Stadia | 8 years experience with 5 years in a leadership capacity
6moVery awesome learning points. You will get there. If you ever need QA knowledge please reach out. I'm trying to keep fresh while looking for a new role.