Startup Founder

How to Play

Step by step guide: all mechanics from founding to scaling.

1

Found Your Startup

Choose your startup type, country and co-founder. Each combination has its own unique advantages.

  • Choose from 10 different startup types (B2B or B2C)
  • Select from 16 countries: USA, Germany, UK, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, Singapore, Poland, Estonia, UAE, Saudi Arabia, China, India or Turkey
  • Pick a Technical, Business or Design co-founder
  • Give your startup a name
2

Build Your Team

Hire engineering, sales, marketing and support teams. Find the right people at the right time.

  • Hire at Junior, Mid and Senior levels
  • Each role has different salary and productivity levels
  • Watch office capacity (Remote โ†’ Large Office)
  • Keep team morale high
3

Develop the Product

Develop features, manage technical debt and improve product quality.

  • Features focused on Retention, Acquisition or Monetization
  • Limit of 3 concurrent feature developments
  • Maintain code quality with Tech Debt sprints
  • Increase your Product-Market Fit score
4

Market & Grow

Activate marketing channels, acquire customers and increase your MRR.

  • Content Marketing, Paid Ads, Social Media and more
  • Each channel has different cost and impact rates
  • Efficient growth with CAC optimization
  • Unlock Referral and Events channels over time
5

Raise Funding & Scale

Raise capital with funding rounds, grow your team and scale your startup.

  • Seed, Series A, B and beyond funding rounds
  • Balance valuation and dilution
  • Cap Table management
  • Reach the IPO goal!

Gameplay Details

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Daily Cycle

  • Make team and product decisions
  • Advance the day โ†’ Simulation runs
  • Review results โ†’ MRR, Churn, KPIs
  • Analyze metrics โ†’ Dashboard, Reports
  • Repeat โ†’ Develop strategy
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SaaS Economics

  • MRR & ARR: Monthly/Annual recurring revenue
  • CAC & LTV: Customer acquisition and lifetime value
  • Burn Rate & Runway: Cash consumption rate
  • Churn: Customer loss rate
  • Tax system: VAT, Corporate Tax, Social Security
โšก

Events & Crises

  • Server crashes and data breaches
  • Key employee departures
  • Co-founder disputes
  • Competitor launches and market changes
  • PR crises and regulation issues