Finnish Game Incubator returns for the third batch – learn the best practices for game business from the best in class mentors and coaches! Free for all who get picked.
Do you have a game studio who wants help in finding the right market or to find publishers and investors?
Are you a part of a Finland-based game team or company looking for mentoring from the best of Finland’s game development industry? Finnish Game Incubator returns again in November 2021 to give mentoring to game teams looking for direction in the game industry. We help with everything from teaching you game production to fundraising.
Together with the city of Tampere, Business Tampere and Ahlman, Pyry Takkunen (Adjective Animal) and Joni Lappalainen (Dreamloop Games) have made a business coaching plan that will feature all you need to make your starting game studio into a business. Our menotrs are CEOs, marketing professionals and other game industry veterans; picked just for you. This coaching is completely free for everyone who gets picked. Spaces are limited, so act fast!
Fully remote on Discord, the 10 week coaching features best-in-business game developer mentors to hone your pitching skills, learn game business and get help from top gaming industry influencers!
- Get the best in business advice in hands-on sessions with veteran games industry mentors
- Weekly crash course in all topics of game development; from idea to release
- Learn to pitch and sell your games on any platform
- Critique and advice from top investors and talent in the industry
- Culminates in a Demo Day event, where you get to pitch for both investors and mentors
- Fully remote on Discord, so you can participate remotely with your team
- During the coaching you will receive the needed knowledge to earn an Further vocational qualification for Entrepreneurs degree from Ahlman
- At the end of the coaching the game teams will show their knowledge with a final thesis, with the central document being a game studio business plan
During the coaching you will learn everything you need to run a game studio – all the coaches and mentors are there for your team for the duration of the course and beyond. Ahlman entrepreneurship coach Minna Erkko is responsible for coaching of the attached Entrepreneurship degree.
The format is simple – the program is attended by mentors who have been in the game industry for a long time. Once a week in a shared keynote they share their knowledge with the picked teams. And after the keynote in scheduled 1-on-1 mentoring sessions you will get tailored mentoring for your specific business case. The mentoring culminates in a huge Demo Day event where teams get to pitch for the masses.
Finnish Game Incubator has already run for three batches and has been attended by 20 game studios. 95% of the teams recommend the course for other teams. We pick the teams with the most potential to succeed in our application process, who need the most help.
Finnish Game Incubator 2021 begins November 2021. Applications are accepted from 1.9.2021 to 22.10.2021. Sign up today – spaces are limited!
The Finnish Game Incubator Team
The team of Tampere Game Hub and Ahlman runs the coaching with weekly hands-on lessons and mentoring sessions.
Pyry Takkunen
CEO / Adjective AnimalCEO of Adjective Animal, an indie game studio in Tampere. Pyry is a professional game developer with years of experience in working in indie studios who knows how to get games out to an international audience.
Joni Lappalainen
Vice Chairman of Tampere Game HubCEO of Dreamloop Games, networking and game production mastermind with experience across the entire game industry – from shipping games to doing B2B.
Minna Erkko
Team Coach of Entrepreneurship at AhlmanDeveloper of team learning since 2006, Minna is responsible for the degree guidance and work as an assessor for the program and the Entrepreneurship degree.
Mentors
The mentors are experts in game business, marketing and working with investors and publishers.
Jyri Partanen
SuperScale, Sampo GamesJyri Partanen has decades of industry experience. He has been part of Games Factory, Rovio and RedLynx and is ready to help lend a hand concerning the day-to-day running of your game business.
Minna Eloranta
CEO, Boom CorpMinna has worked in games for 8 years in various roles, including producer on Angry Birds Seasons as well as Lead Coordinator of IGDA Finland. Now she is the CEO and co-founder of Tampere-based gaming startup Boom Corp, which has raised 1.8M€ in funding since its founding in 2020.
Juuso Turtiainen
Legal AdvisorJuuso Turtiainen is an experienced legal advisor and lawyer who is an expert in the games industry. Juuso helps out teams with publisher negotiations, HR matters, investor talks and more.
Steve Stewart
Business Development and Communications, Dreamloop GamesSteve Stewart has years of experience in marketing and game industry PR – at Ubisoft RedLynx working at South Park Phone Destroyer, for example. Steve is excited to mentor teams starting out marketing their first games.
More mentors to be announced soon!
Finnish Game Incubator has had many mentors from all walks of the game industry – we pick mentors for the incubator batches by tailoring them to the picked game teams. Stay tuned for more mentors!
Apply now!
The coaching runs once a week from November 2021 to February 2022.
Further vocational qualification for Entrepreneurs degree period is 1.11.2021 – 31.05.2022.
Apply period: 1.9.2021 – 22.10.2021
Finnish Game Incubator begins November 2021 online on Discord. Please carefully read the selection criteria.
Applications are now closed. Thank you!
Curriculum
Note that dates and times are subject to change!
| 01.11.2021 12:00 – 14:00 | Starting info / degree information |
| 02 – 05.11.2021 | Team mentoring |
| 17.11.2021 12:00 – 17:00 | Business Opportunities in the Game Industry |
| 24.11.2021 12:00 – 16:00 | Game Product Development (USPs, monetization, retention) |
| 1.12.2021 12:00 – 16:00 | Marketing, PR and Press Releases |
| 8.12.2021 12:00 – 16:00 | Pitching (Pitch Deck) |
| 15.12.2021 12:00 – 16:00 | Fundraising |
| 12.1.2022 12:00 – 16:00 | Legal |
| 19.1.2022 12:00 – 17:00 | Service sales and pricing |
| 26.1.2022 12:00 – 17:00 | Public funding and cash flow planning |
| 2.2.2022 | Pitch training & feedback |
| 9.2.2022 | Demo Day 2022 |
March to April we will organize team-based mentoring for participating in the Further vocational qualification for Entrepreneurs degree from Ahlman and sparring teams on submitting the game studio business plan. In May 2022 based on the team’s schedule we will grade the submissions.
Participating in the degree may entitle you to a stipend benefit to the worth of 400€.
See more info: https://www.tyollisyysrahasto.fi/aikuisopiskelijan-etuudet/ammattitutkintostipendi/
This year, every applicant that participates in the coaching also gets an Further vocational qualification for Entrepreneurs degree from Ahlman! During the course you will gain the knowledge required to get the degree.
You’ll learn everything you need during the ten week course – and the coaches and mentors will help you all the way through. The person in charge of business coaching and thesis affairs is Ahlman business coach Minna Erkko.
Open to all teams in Finland
We have graduated 20 teams from the course already! All game studios in Finland who get picked are welcome.
95% of participating game studios recommend the incubator
In 2020 – 2021 when the game incubator was in full swing 95% of the teams recommend the course for other teams!
* Based on exit survey conducted May 2021.
Fully remote course
The ten week coaching is completely online this year on Discord, the VOIP and messaging service already in use by most game companies and gamers.
All coursework and communications will be online to maintain social distancing and enable remote workflows. Participate from anywhere!