Approaching VCs for Funding and the Concept of Hybrid Casual Games

This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers special session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let’s not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously. Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ignacio Monereo,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠ Youtube: https://youtu.be/ZdPgvU0v_Sk Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-29stniv6f-oLJzhx2U_mRB_ppXnJ9hvQ --------------------------------------- Summary In this conversation, Nacho Monereo, a partner at Boost Capital, shares his career journey from working at Google and Facebook to becoming a venture capitalist. He discusses the requirements and skills needed for a VC role, including the importance of relationships and sales skills. Nacho also explains the due diligence process and how to filter and analyze pitch decks. Additionally, Nacho discusses deal flow strategies and the challenges of closing deals and deploying capital. He also shares his preference for investing in mobile games and explains how gaming principles can be applied to other industries. The conversation then delves into the process of pitching a game to a VC, considering bootstrapping as an alternative, and the factors VCs consider when funding a game or company. Nacho provides advice on when to approach VCs, the importance of diligence on VCs, and the benefits of executing quickly and diversifying funding. --------------------------------------- Agenda 00:00 Introduction and Background 01:05 Career Journey 03:26 Transition to Venture Capital 05:49 Challenges at Google Play 12:55 Due Diligence Process 17:33 Filtering and Analyzing Pitch Decks 20:06 Ideal Time to Reach Out to VCs 23:23 Ticket Sizes and Pro Rata 38:18 Closing Deals and Deployment 39:28 Preference in Gaming and Investments 39:55 The Difficulty of Free-to-Play Mobile Games 41:27 Investing in Mobile Games 42:25 Applying Gaming Principles to Other Industries 43:39 Pitching a Game to a VC 44:42 Considering Bootstrapping 45:41 Factors to Consider in VC Funding 47:00 Building a Successful Game or Company 49:21 When to Approach VCs 52:07 Executing Quickly and Diversifying Funding --------------------------------------- Takeaways Building relationships and having strong sales skills are crucial for a venture capitalist. The due diligence process involves analyzing the team, product, market, and round details. The team's experience, vision, and ability to work well together are key factors in investment decisions. Deal flow can be generated through networking, referrals, and proactive outreach. Closing deals requires careful consideration of legal clauses and other provisions. Investment preferences can vary, but a focus on mobile gaming and other emerging trends is common. The mobile gaming market is highly competitive, but there are still opportunities for success and exits. Investors in the gaming industry prefer mobile games due to their familiarity and comfort in making investment decisions. Gaming principles, such as user acquisition, engagement, retention, and monetization, can be applied to other industries like FinTech, HealthTech, EdTech, and PropTech. When pitching a game to a VC, it is important to have a clear vision, a strong team, and a focus on building a successful game or company. Consider bootstrapping and validating your game concept before seeking VC funding. --------------------------------------- Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it! Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple! Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me