Funding Flowchart for Game Startups in Finland

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Find an angel investor who shares Don't want to your goals and values. Or a wealthy person who you could turn into an angel. "Pooling" several angels is common. One (not much used) way of pooling See also: Business Finland branch You can ask them. angels is Equity Based Crowdfunding. But be mindful, this is always a risk to See also: Crowdfunding branch your relationships. No See also: Business Finland branch Choose wisely – pick smart money. Yes Can be angel or VC, depending on your situation. Wealthy Complement with public funding. friends or See also: Business Finland branch family?

Yes Do it. No Contact experienced Can you gaming angels and get build some feedback. Yes before Learn and iterate. Avek Digidemo funding? is right down your alley. Yes

Proven, serious Do you have Check Business Finland Innovation track record for No a superstar No Voucher. this or a team? See also: Business Finland branch previous game? Funding FlowchartQuick and dirty for game startups in Finland Sure, give crowdfunding a shot! Yes Art However, be very mindful – not all forms Are you willing to put are available or legal in Finland. Bootstrap and build it anyway. in months of work As an entrepreneur you will need to (yours or a hired Yes stretch, learn and take risks. Scalable Suvi Kiviniemi product? professional) in marketing and PR? No Or... Yes Yes Go back to Quick and dirty to No square one. start building a No Are you Go back to Publishers. Start finding out which business soon, square one. ones work for you – depends on what or more an artistic ambitious, Will a fraction of you do & what you're looking for. endeavour? driven, and them funding you Don't contact the perfect one first, use aiming to grow? take you to your No others to give you feedback first. minimum internal See also: Business Finland branch goal? Before you start your race (or rather,Yes your marathon) towards funding, please read this: No Work on it. Do you have a very Yes We want investors! clear picture of your Nobody owes you funding – but nobody aims to deny you Lookingfunding, to build aeither. demo for a The people at each funding organisation simply aim to target audience, where Project investments. great new idea. Somedo investors their and job organisations well. Each source ofDo funding you also want has its own goals and motivations. Try to understand them and develop your team and Build a Yes to reach them, what they specialize on this. No some marketing following. want and how to talk to Seegame also: Business accordingly, Finland branch and you’re moremuscle likely and to get funded. And, listen, this is important – don’t just try to make your pitch sound likeDo you them? feedback on the We were thinking have a No you match their goals. You’re onlyproduct? harming yourself if you do, denying yourself and your company the growth.crowdfunding. following already? We have a (somewhat) proven SQUARE 1: Every source of funding wants you to be successful - butproject, their and just definitions want that of success vary. Find one that matches your definition of success, and go for it, full in. This way, when you developfunded. your team and productGet tothis gamebetter funded. match their requirements, you’ll get Creative Europe funding couldcloser be for you. to success even if you still fail to get the funding. Yes Check cultural funds; maybe I'm a solo indie game artist, Suomen Kulttuurirahasto Are you good It's a big co- production just let me do my thing! working grant could work for When you get deniedwith funding – nearly everyone does at some point – don’t get discouraged, and be sure to ask for feedback. Most with a strong story. you, and there are others too. Go backappreciate to it whenbureaucracy? you do. Listen and learn. Ability to listen and learn is one of the best, if not the best feature you can showcase. square one. No Discussing these things with other game entrepreneursWe have more isspecific also needs. a good idea. Business Finland Invest your own money

sounds good! Yes Most teams use several forms of funding during their first couple of years. Get to know your options at least superficially early Goton, savings? and it will be easier for you to plan your road to success – whatever that means for you. Buying We want to do it our way! No Check Business Finland Yes expert OR Work elsewhere part- time Market Explorer Do you have services? None of the other branches (beware of burnout) or can you Yes This flowchart is designed to help gameWe're companies entering new in Finland understand the local funding scene, and plan workedtheir out. funding route. Rules,Can you sell find another markets. Are you an oy (Ltd.) with at some of your No job? names and restrictionsYes of specific tools may change – please refer to original leastsources, one full time too. This flowchart was made in May 2021, andteam's it time? employee plus some part- Hiring No Check Businessis property Finland of LGIN (Living Game Intelligence Network) & Metropolia UAS. Feeltimers, free in VATto andshare! foreign Talent Explorer prepayment registry, and Keep it as a hobby for now, talent? with no tax debt (or with a learn things and build traction. payment plan)? Yes

No Think outside Check Business Finland Exhibition Yes the box. Alternative ways tend to be a lot Explorer of work with less clear paths. Traveling Do outsourced work for (Also: check if Neogames has a No Remember to learn from others, to an Go back to other companies on the shared booth available) don't do all the mistakes yourself. © Metropolia Universityexhibition? of Applied Sciences and author 2021square one. Can you side Aiming for become international one? growth? Yes No Figure out your Publisher: Metropolia University of Applied Sciences Yes Yes strengths and Check Business Finland Check Innovation Author: SuviCooperating Kiviniemi with Then do. use them. Group Explorer Voucher. some others and No want to buy Publicationsservices? of Metropolia UAS Have you had No Go back to Partner with someone and OIVA- series 35 Innovation Voucher Do you have a square one. Sell a project to someone who co- dev. for this company demo? doesn't know they need one – think Helsinki 2021 before? the holders of a cool IP, or how Lydia Go back to square one. Yes Yes was a project for Alko, or demoing See also: "looking to build a demo" branch hardware properties with software. ISBN 978-952-328-295-7 (pdf) ISSN 2490-2055 (pdf) Have you had Tempo grant for Check Tempo. this company Got angel investors, before? Yes money in the

metropolia.fi/publications Yes company, or some No Yes Go back to own money you can lgin.fi square one. Yes No invest? No Can you Are you already This publication has been madeWilling at to takeMetropolia UASfind and any? is part seeing very Finnvera or bank promising No of the support offered through loans?the Living Game Intelligence growth?

Please be careful. No Yes Network (LGIN). Special thanks to Neogames, Olli Sinermä from Got investors, money in the Business Finland, Joakim Achrén, Tommaso De Benetti, and the Check Research and Yes company, or own Development Loans. mentors and teams of LGIN for feedback! money you can invest? Ask your Business Finland Yes contact person about NIY Yes No (Nuoret Innovatiiviset Go back to Yritykset or Young Innovative No square one. Companies) Can you Willing to take find any? Finnvera or bank No loans? Please be careful. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Find an angel investor who shares Do n't wan your goals and values. t to Or a wealthy person who you could turn into an angel. "Pooling" several angels is common. One (not much used) way of pooling See also: Business Finland branch You can ask them. angels is Equity Based Crowdfunding. But be mindful, this is always a risk to See also: Crowdfunding branch your relationships.

s N e See also: Business Finland branch Choose wisely – pick smart money. o Y Can be angel or VC, depending on your situation. Wealthy Complement with public funding. friends or See also: Business Finland branch family?

Y o Do it. es N Contact experienced Can you gaming angels and get build some feedback. Y e before Learn and iterate. s Avek Digidemo funding? is right down your alley. Y es Proven, serious Do you have Check Business Finland Innovation track record for No a superstar No Voucher. this or a team? See also: Business Finland branch previous game?

u i c Sure, give crowdfunding a shot! k Y

a e However, be very mindful – not all forms n A s r d t Are you willing to put

d are available or legal in Finland. Bootstrap and build it anyway. i r in months of work t s y e As an entrepreneur you will need to (yours or a hired Y stretch, learn and take risks. Scalable product? professional) in marketing and PR? No O r. s .. Ye Y e s Go back to Quick and dirty to o N square one. start building a N Are you o Go back to Publishers. Start finding out which business soon, square one. ones work for you – depends on what or more an artistic ambitious, Will a fraction of you do & what you're looking for. endeavour? driven, and them funding you Don't contact the perfect one first, use aiming to grow? take you to your No others to give you feedback first. minimum internal See also: Business Finland branch goal?

s No Work on it. Do you have a very Y e We want investors! s clear picture of your Looking to build a demo for a Project investments. target audience, where great new idea. s Some investors and organisations Do you also want Build a Ye to reach them, what they want and how to talk to specialize on this. No some marketing following. See also: Business Finland branch muscle and Do you them? feedback on the We were thinking have a No product? crowdfunding. following already? We have a (somewhat) proven SQUARE 1: project, and just want that funded. Get this game funded. Creative Europe funding could be for you. Y e s Check cultural funds; maybe I'm a solo indie game artist, Suomen Kulttuurirahasto Are you good It's a big co- production just let me do my thing! working grant could work for with with a strong story. you, and there are others too. Go back to bureaucracy? square one. No We have more specific needs.

Business Finland Invest your own money s sounds good! Ye Got savings?

Buying We want to do it our way! No Check Business Finland Yes expert OR Work elsewhere part- time Market Explorer Do you have None of the other branches s (beware of burnout) services? or can you e worked out. Y We're entering new Can you sell o find another markets. Are you an oy (Ltd.) with at some of your N job? Yes least one full time team's time? employee plus some part- Hiring N Check Business Finland timers, in VAT and o foreign Talent Explorer prepayment registry, and Keep it as a hobby for now, talent? with no tax debt (or with a learn things and build traction. payment plan)? Yes

Have you had No Go back to Partner with someone and Innovation Voucher Do you have a square one. Sell a project to someone who co- dev. for this company demo? doesn't know they need one – think before? the holders of a cool IP, or how Lydia Go back to square one. Yes Yes was a project for Alko, or demoing See also: "looking to build a demo" branch hardware properties with software.

Have you had Tempo grant for Check Tempo. this company Got angel investors, before? Yes money in the Y e company, or some No s Y es Go back to own money you can square one. Yes N invest? o No Can you Are you already Willing to take find any? seeing very Finnvera or bank promising No loans? growth?

Please be careful. N Y es o Got investors, money in the Check Research and Yes company, or own Development Loans. money you can invest? Ask your Business Finland Y e contact person about NIY s o N (Nuoret Innovatiiviset Ye Go back to s Yritykset or Young Innovative N square one. o Companies) Can you Willing to take find any? Finnvera or bank No loans? Please be careful.