161. From Andreessen’s Call to Walking Away: Ioana’s Founder Journey

Sep 30, 2025

Ioana Hreninciuc, co-founder of Runware and former CPO at Huuuge Games, shares her candid insights on the highs and lows of the founder journey. She reflects on the significance of having a co-founder and the raw realities of fundraising, highlighting the necessity of resilience in the face of rejection. Ioana discusses stepping away from her company for mental health reasons and the importance of choosing oneself over burnout. With a focus on the trade-offs of career choices and the significance of work-life boundaries, she advocates for diversity and redesigning business paradigms to support women.

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ADVICE

Find A Real Co-Founder Early

If you plan to build a larger startup, find a co-founder for psychological and scaling support.
Co-founders provide resilience, shared risk, and complementary strengths during the rollercoaster of founding.

ANECDOTE

Viral Side Project Led To A16z Call

Ioana's co-founder built an image-generator prototype that went viral and attracted accelerator interest.
That viral side project plus her 10 years of buildup led to an Andreessen Horowitz offer to join Speedrun in San Francisco.

INSIGHT

Fundraising Is Harder Than It Looks

Fundraising is brutal and often yields 20–30 rejections per yes, testing persistence more than initial luck.
Founders must build resilience and learn from feedback to iterate pitches and product-market fit.

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In this raw episode of Rise and Play, we welcome back Ioana Hreninciuc, co-founder of Runware and former CPO at Huuuge Games and Homa Games. Ioana has held some of the biggest leadership roles in gaming and tech, and today she reflects openly on the founder journey, the highs and lows of VC-backed startups, and the importance of choosing yourself before burnout chooses you.

"It wasn’t luck — it was luck with a lot of homework. Ten years of work led to that one call from Andreessen. But the real lesson is: you can build a company without losing yourself in the process. And if you feel you are — choose yourself first."

From building side projects that went viral, to receiving that life-changing call from Andreessen Horowitz, to stepping away from her own company at the height of its momentum, Ioana shares the raw truths behind the glossy founder narrative.

💡 Key Learnings

* Founding ≠ Career LadderBecoming a founder is not the next rung up from being an executive. It’s a fundamentally different path that demands resilience, risk tolerance, and constant rejection management.

* The Co-Founder FactorHaving a co-founder is not just about skills but also psychological support and surviving the rollercoaster.

* Resilience in FundraisingExpect 20–30 rejections for every yes. Fundraising is harder than dating apps, and persistence matters more than early luck.

* Choosing Yourself Over BurnoutIoana describes reaching anhedonia (a flat emotional state linked to depression). Her decision to step back after fundraising was about survival, not weakness. And the company continued without her.

* Boundaries Create SustainabilityHigh performers often put identity and well-being aside to succeed. Ioana highlights the importance of setting boundaries early to avoid collapse later.

* The Power of Support CirclesPrograms like ORIN, and networks of executives who share openly, can provide validation, reflection, and perspective that family or friends may not fully grasp.

* Diversity Lifts EveryoneMixed teams across gender, race, and background, create healthier, more empathetic, and higher-performing environments for all, not just underrepresented groups.

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