Iñaki Pedroarena-Leal

Ex @a16z @StartEngineLA @BirdRide | @USC | surf sail ski

[Iñaki Pedroarena-Leal @inakipl3]

@suffiyanmalikk @Farshchi @Lux_Capital @VardaSpace @zoox @goformic @CovariantAI 👍👍

[Iñaki Pedroarena-Leal @inakipl3]

Sad to see the impact of the LA fires. If anyone in your network needs a safe place to store a car/camper van/RV, or larger animals (horses, etc) please direct them my way (7inaki7 at https://t.co/AQlI28Dn9v). Happy to offer space (south of San Diego-Mx border). All my best LA!

[Iñaki Pedroarena-Leal @inakipl3]

@RussellExolta @Techweek_ @PhotoSesh Nice job on this one @ChrisSeshadriMS @ShariSeshadri . S/o @PhotoSesh ops team.👆😎

[Katia Ameri @KatiaAmeri]

NY Tech Week is TOMORROW!🗽 🎉

There are over 50+ AI events at NY Tech Week 🤯

(here’s my shortlist):

🧵 7 AI events at NY Tech Week:

[Iñaki Pedroarena-Leal @inakipl3]

@KatiaAmeri Going to be a non-stop week of investors and founders in the big city. Let's do it!

[Katia Ameri @KatiaAmeri]

We at @a16zGames are excited to bring together the gaming industry for #NYTechWeek! To understand the future, we can look at the past and what better place to start than 1970s arcades?

🧵 A brief history of digital games in NYC:

[Iñaki Pedroarena-Leal @inakipl3]

@KatiaAmeri @a16zGames 🎮NYC🎮 Spoken to several awesome gamers that are coming out to Tech Week to share what they're building.

[Katia Ameri @KatiaAmeri]

Check out & register for the full list of events happening on https://t.co/PEAADG0olS and follow @Techweek_

[Iñaki Pedroarena-Leal @inakipl3]

@KatiaAmeri @Techweek_ I'll be at a few of those ☕️👨‍💻

[Iñaki Pedroarena-Leal @inakipl3]

Get your tix!

[a16z @a16z]

Tech Week is back. And we’re coming to NYC!

The ecosystem hosted 750+ events in SF/LA this year, and there are already 300+ on the calendar for #NYTechWeek.

To celebrate, we're giving away 3 tickets to @a16z's @Techweek_ welcome party kicking it all off.

Full details below ⬇️

[Iñaki Pedroarena-Leal @inakipl3]

@a16z @Techweek_ Starting off NY Tech Week with a fun mix of founders and investors at the welcome party!

[Katia Ameri @KatiaAmeri]

Although this #NYTechWeek is our first @Techweek_ in NY, it's on track to be our biggest yet with over 300+ events! This should come as no surprise when considering the history of NY tech...

🧵 History of NYC’s tech powerhouse:

[Iñaki Pedroarena-Leal @inakipl3]

@KatiaAmeri @Techweek_ Been talking to some solid founders in NYC that are coming out to Tech Week.

[Iñaki Pedroarena-Leal @inakipl3]

@andrewchen Excited to meet this next cohort of founders!

[andrew chen @andrewchen]

🚨 LAST CALL FOR SPEEDRUN 2024 🚨

Here's the link:
https://t.co/qxpAXpmajV

We are investing $500k in dozens of preseed startups at the intersection of Games x Tech

You have just a few more days left to apply for A16Z SPEEDRUN closing THIS SATURDAY, 9/30

[A16Z GAMES @a16zGames]

Join @joshlu @ndrewlee and @m_katkoff as they chat through SPEEDRUN, the accelerator at the intersection of games x tech, which gives aspiring founders an opportunity to make their dreams a reality.

Apply here before 9/30: https://t.co/aqLa8q5Bra

https://t.co/rDA39Pkg4V

[Lester @Chen]

Escaping the Death Zone
The time in development spent "finding the fun", validating retention, branding, community building, publishing, and forming a launch plan.

A MEGAPOST of what @DougMcCracken, @justinspaine, and I breakdown as part of our @a16zGames SPEEDRUN Accelerator.
1) When starting, your brand is your only asset.

You have to start building your brand early, don't skip this step:

🏛️ Define your company culture
📖 Share your story
👾 Develop your game/product brand position

2) Don't wait to define your company culture.

Culture helps to ensure alignment and hire against the right criteria.

Learning from @Supercell's early days:
"Write down your values and define your culture (and revise as you learn and evolve as a company)."
3) Company Branding attracts like-minded talent!

📕Share your story with the world in the most authentic way possible.

❌Don't outsource this, write it yourself. Own the communication and build your reach via social & press.

4) Develop and iterate on your brand very early on
→ Who is your game for?
→ Why should they care?
→ How will you communicate and create a feedback loop with them?

In the early days, you'll need to iterate as you test & learn and the game evolves...

5) If content is king 👑, platforms are the kingdom 🏰

Understanding 'where' you upload is often as important than 'what' you upload.

-Is your audience even here?
-Is your creative tailored for the platform?
-How is your content getting discovered?
-Is your tone genuine to the medium?

6) "Content Tailoring" 🪡

TikTok = Trends-based Creativity
YouTube = Story-based Creativity
Storefronts = Sales-based Creativity

For each medium (and there are many), leveraging similar but different principles in copywriting, video production, and subject matter is make or break.

7) Cold Start Community

Content acts as a primary mechanism to drive back to an accumulating community over time.

EVERYTHING IS CONTENT (early sound, concept art, dev notes)
8) One-size-fits-all publishing is a relic of an old era

Yet with more options than ever, many studios struggle whether to self publish or partner
Be clear about what you need (and what you don't):
💰 a check?
🤝 a partner?
💒 both?

Publishers can take a lot off your plate (tradeoff = control) but new models are emerging that can unbundle the publishing stack.

9) Respect the 'Publishing Meta'

💳 Wallets are tighter
💸 3P publishing $ are shifting to subscription models
🏘️ More development is being brought in house

But there's more investment in games and ways to reach players than ever before - cast a wide net!

10) IF YOU MADE IT THIS FAR

This is an extremely brief snapshot of our SPEEDRUN curriculum.

More info here: https://t.co/qQ1IH4XnCV
Applications close September 30th (NEXT WEEK!)

[Chris Dixon @cdixon]

Excited to announce that we’re leading a seed investment in @ProofOfPlay, an on-chain game studio and tech company that’s committed to building a future with composability, interoperability, and permanence at the core of gameplay. 🎮🛠
https://t.co/pAkRnob2um

[Iñaki Pedroarena-Leal @inakipl3]

Welcome to the @a16zGames team @SamiraBehrouzan! 😎🐢

[Samira Behrouzan @SamiraBehrouzan]

Life update: I've joined @a16z as Marketing Partner for the @a16zGames Team. I'll be focused on our Games x Tech Accelerator, SPEEDRUN, and brand initiatives.

Here's why I'm excited for this next step in my professional career:

[Tech Week @Techweek_]

💥Big news: the NY Tech Week calendar is now live!