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Getting customer or audience feedback on whatever you’re selling should be a no-brainer for any business.
Sadly, it’s easy for a bunker mentality to pervade an organization, which leads to lots of feedback being interpreted as criticism and then dismissed out of hand. This was the case in one of my former workplaces, which meant we ignored some good ideas.
Game testing is a well-established method for gaming companies to get feedback from their audiences and adjust accordingly. It makes sense to a layman like me, so it’s no wonder it’s common industry practice.
What is less common though is how Round Ventures uses this same feedback to help decide which gaming firms are worth investing in. Today’s premium story dives into this unique approach.
Today we look at:
- How Round Ventures uses gamers’ feedback to level the playing field
- A look at the top-funded tech companies in Singapore over the last decade
- Other newsy highlights such as TikTok overtaking Candy Crush Saga in consumer spend and OpenAI setting its sights on India.
Premium summary
Game on
Image credit: Timmy Loen
G.Round is a US-based platform focused on game testing. It has more than 350,000 users from across 190 countries.
Its sister company, investment firm Round Ventures, was launched last year in Singapore and is using G.Round’s expertise to find potential investees.
- Cheat code?: Titles on G.Round receive an average of 700 to 800 reviews and survey responses from users, who earn points for each review that they can then redeem for gaming gear. Rick Nahm, Round Ventures’ general partner and CEO, says using these reviews to decide which companies to back sets the firm apart from other investors, as it allows the firm to dive deep into product viability.
- Testing times: G.Round offers its private testing services to gaming companies at a rate of US$10,000 to US$150,000 per test. The firm also earns from platform fees that it charges for promoting high-rated games on its website.
- It’s a numbers game: Round Ventures is hoping to raise US$80 million, which it will use to fund early-stage gaming firms. It looks to offer US$1 million to US$3 million across pre-series A and series A rounds. Per Tech in Asia data, nearly US$6.5 billion has been invested into Asian gaming companies since 2020.
Read more: One Singapore VC firm’s unique approach to finding next gaming goldmine
Lion City’s share of funding
Apply to join January 16’s closed-door executive roundtable
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