Nick Fajt

We launch mini-series on Acquired with a subject near & dear to our heroes’ hearts: startup fundraising! This has been one of our most-requested new topics, and we’re excited to kick things off with makers of the popular Rec Room social VR app, Against Gravity, which raised one of Seattle’s hottest venture rounds in recent history: a $4m seed led by Sequoia Capital in 2016. CEO Nick Fajt joins to tell the story from company inception to building and shipping the initial product, fundraising as a first-time CEO, what they’ve been able to accomplish with the capital and their vision for the future. We had a blast touching on many classic Acquired themes for the first time “in-action” with a young, growing company, and hope you all enjoy the discussion as much as we did. Let us know what you think in the Slack!Sponsors:WorkOS: https://bit.ly/workos25Sentry: https://bit.ly/acquiredsentryServiceNow: https://bit.ly/acquiredsnMore Acquired!:Get email updates with hints on next episode and follow-ups from recent episodesJoin the SlackSubscribe to ACQ2Merch Store!© Copyright 2015-2025 ACQ, LLCCarve Outs:Ben:  Ready Player OneDavid:  Seveneves Nick: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

In this conversation with Nick Fajt, Founder and CEO of Rec Room, listeners discover the remarkable journey of the platform transforming into a billion-dollar social space. Fajt shares insights on fostering a creator economy and adapting from virtual reality to mobile gaming. The discussion highlights Rec Room's improvisational culture, the significance of user-generated content, and the balance between community engagement and business sustainability. They also delve into future growth strategies and the evolving landscape of digital entrepreneurship.