Founder’s Quest

Today we’re talking with Dru Erridge, co-founder of Gamebreaking Studios.
 
Dru ended up walking down a path of a co-development studio, initially focused on multiplayer game tech, but the reasons he got there are quite unique. Co-founding with folks that he had built and shipped an indie game on the side of full-time jobs at larger studios, deciding to not take money and so doubling down on the skills at hand with a three engineer co-founding team, then viewing that as giving them a level of freedom to pursue their passion and diversify.
 
It’s been a journey full of lessons on mindset and motivation that I think can help many other folks think about what kind of founding journey they want to pursue — especially in the current market which limits where funds can come from. Let’s jump in.

Today we’re talking with Stephan Cotichini, founder of 81monkeys. We talk about his path from owning a restaurant in his 20s, to working at a fast-scaling game startup, and ultimately choosing not to relocate for a AAA role, instead launching his own studio. That path included work-for-hire gigs, financial risk, Kickstarter, and a brand partnership that came about because fans of that kickstarter spoke up inside a company outside of games.
Stephane speaks candidly about what it means to be a solo founder . He’s open about the emotional challenges, the financial rollercoaster, and the loneliness that can come with being a creative founder acting as a CEO.  I found this conversation full of wisdom, vulnerability, and inspiration. Especially for anyone navigating the journey as a solo founder. Let’s jump in.

This is a bit of a different episode for us, where we dive deeply into a particular aspect of the founding journey. In this case we're talking with Andy Mauro, who's been on the show before, about his recent fundraise and lessons he learned through it specific to pitching, in this case to venture. We try to really break down what actually happened, what he's learned from it, and what could be repeatable by other founders.I really enjoyed going deep on a topic here and trying to extract learning from occurrence, and hopefully there are tangible things here that you feel is applicable to your own journey. Definitely reach out and let me know if you enjoyed this format and would like to hear more like it (and if so, what topics?). Let's jump in.

Today we’re talking with Lisette Teatree-Montgomery, founder of Cornerstone Interactive which got started in 2023. Her background is that of an incredible art and creative director previously working at DoubleFine, Ubisoft, EA, and more. We talk about her journey from working on award winnng games to starting her own studio, what she’s learned along the way, and how adaptability has become central to her perspective on the industry. Let’s jump in.

Today, we talk with Oksana of Seeker Entertainment. Oksana and I first met back in the day when she first joined Riot, when she was already a deeply accomplished engineer and leader. Since then she spent 9 years growing and leading at Riot in a variety of roles, getting further and further from development and building new things. She talks about how that drove her to pursue her founding journey, and the learning and experiences along the way. She’s also one of the few founders to join me who went on a true co-founder dating experience, so it was great to speak more deeply of how she approached that difficult task. Let’s jump in.

Today, we’re talking with Jen MacLean of Dragon Snacks Games, founded last year in 2024. Jen comes from a long history in the game industry at some of the largest players in the space. Microsoft, Amazon, 38 studios as well as a lot of time in the IGDA supporting the entire industry. We talk about what pushed her to start a new studio in this moment of the industry, how the early part of her founding journey has gone, and how she supports herself with a “Personal board of directors.” I found the conversation filled with thoughtful reflection, lessons learned, and a warmth and empathy that made it a delight. Let’s jump in.

Today, I’m talking with Stephen Bell of Gardens. Stephen’s journey is notable in a few ways that make this a really fun discussion. First, Stephen comes more from the world of screenwriting and narrative design and had to learn how to adapt those skills to the role of founder. Second, the founder group of Gardens comes from smaller more indie studios and chose to take a much larger swing — then had to figure out what that meant. Finally, Stephen recently changed roles within Gardens, becoming the CEO. All of this makes for a fascinating conversation filled with humor, humility, and lots of reflection on lessons learned so far. Let’s jump in.

Today we’re talking with Eli Allen of Wild Blue Studios. Eli is a unique guest for our show in a few ways. Wild Blue has been operating for 7 years, where many of the guests I’ve had so far are still in the first few years of their company. Wild Blue is also an art service provider rather than a dev studio, as well as a worker co-operative. We talk a lot about what each of these differences mean for Eli’s founding journey and what he’s had to learn and been challenged by along the way. What I was struck by though is how many similarities and lessons there are here for founders of any stripe. I’m hoping you feel the same way. Let’s jump in.

Today we’re talking with Pavel Afanasiev of Northern Lights Entertainment. Pavel’s founding journey is a fresh one, starting during student protests in Hong Kong, through to a paper written on his way to a Master’s degree in economics and business. And all of this was built on experiences in forums for a large web strategy game, and a passion for bringing political systems to players inside of games. Along the way, Pavel met his cofounder, built a team, got funding, and found that Karaoke, and the community he found there, was important to his sanity as a founder. I really enjoy when folks find their way to founding a studio from fresh perspectives, and found Pavel’s to be incredibly compelling. Let’s jump in.

On today’s episode, we talk with Bernard Yee, founder of Windup Minds. Bernie has a long history in the games industry working at such places as SOE, Atari, Bungie, Popcap, and more. But immediately prior to starting Windup Minds, he was working at Oculus building early VR experiences. It was through that journey that he found the seed of what he wanted to continue as he started Windup Minds. He shares how he found his cofounders and thought about all the assets he did and did not have, as he went on his startup journey. I loved so much of how Bernie thinks about his journey and reflects on it, I hope you will too. Let’s jump in.