The Games Capital Summit returns to Nordic Game for NG23 Spring – a rare opportunity for venture-ready companies to connect directly with VCs actively investing and seeking opportunities in the games sector.
In the run-up to this May’s event, which has broken records for investor participation, Nordic Game chatted with games funding expert and Games Capital Summit host Jason Della Rocca:
Nordic Game: As a well-known industry figure with decades of experience in the global games sector, as a former IGDA director, strategic consultant, incubator co-founder and government advisor, what motivated you to join Nordic Game as co-organiser and host of the Games Capital Summit this May?
Jason Della Rocca: I’ve been participating in the Nordic Game conference nearly from the start. Back in the early 2000s when I was with IGDA, Nordic Game was a critical event to ensure we stayed connected to all the amazing studios and partners in the Nordic region. I’ve lectured many times, hosted the awards one year, and helped in many other ways over the years. (Except I will never get on stage to sing during maraoke (Nordic Game karaoke – Ed.). Never. Nor should Erik.)
A few years ago, it felt like there was a great opportunity to build a side event focused on venture investing, and I worked with the Nordic Game team to design and coordinate the first few Games Capital Summit editions. Now that we’re past the online-only events phase of the recent pandemic, I’ve jumped back on board to coordinate and host this year’s edition.
All the consulting work I do is about developer success. So ultimately, my motivation to organise the Games Capital Summit is to enable amazing teams to connect with smart investors and build successful games together.
Nordic Game: This year’s Games Capital Summit has attracted a record number of venture capitalists from around the world, with several of them also joining your VC funding panel at NG23 Spring. To what do you attribute the heightened interest among investors to become involved?
Jason Della Rocca: Talent. Investors are always on the hunt for the best opportunities – and the best opportunities are always driven by top talent. The Nordic region has an amazing density of talent and teams working on incredible games and tech. That’s the starting point and this summit would not be possible without that talent density as a baseline.
Of course, sunny Southern Sweden is a lovely place to visit in the spring, and Nordic Game is a long-running, high-quality developer conference that attracts a global audience.
New game-focused funds are also popping up every year. In terms of raw numbers, there are just way more investors actively seeking game-related opportunities than ever.
Nordic Game: From the perspective of an entrepreneur with a games studio or other kind of company in the sector seeking funding, what do you see as the appeal of the Games Capital Summit format and summit setting at Nordic Game?
Jason Della Rocca: We had nearly 100 submissions from studios across the globe (less than half of which came from companies based in the Nordic region). Collectively, all those studios are pitching for nearly 250 million euros to cover their next round of funding. The demand is clearly there.
The format of the Games Capital Summit is quite unique in that it is 100 percent focused on venture-style equity investing (unlike publishers and others who provide project funding), and there are more investors in the room than developers. There are only 12 companies selected to pitch, and we’ll have over 20 VC funds in attendance.
Furthermore, this summit is organised in a more intimate, closed-door format. There is no audience. The teams get to pitch and then sit down and connect with all the investors back-to-back. It is a very efficient and potent process for those seeking funding.
Nordic Game: How do you view the synergy of the Games Capital Summit, for both investors and entrepreneurs seeking funding, with other business development aspects of the Nordic Game conference, like the Executive Summit, the Expo, Developer Showcase, Publishers & Investors Day and MeetToMatch, as well as the wide variety of networking events hosted by companies and organisations at Nordic Game?
Jason Della Rocca: Once the Games Capital Summit is over (on Day Zero of the conference – Ed.), there are three more days of Nordic Game to take advantage of and enjoy. Teams can meet with other potential partners via MeetToMatch, discover new tools in the Expo, gain new wisdom via the lectures, and much more.
Not to mention, even those teams that were not selected to pitch at the Games Capital Summit can still chase down the investors via the networking events 😉
Nordic Game: Thank you Jason, and looking forward to seeing you again soon in Malmö 🙂
Again, many thanks to Jason Della Rocca for his insights, and register now to also join him for his investor panel on Wednesday, 24 May during NG23 Spring.
The Games Capital Summit is hosted by Nordic Game Ventures
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About the Nordic Game conference
Nordic Game is the leading games conference in Europe, and 2023 will mark its twenty-third and twenty-fourth editions with our return to Malmö, Sweden and online as well as to Helsinki, Finland.
Gathering thousands of industry professionals in the spring and autumn each year, Nordic Game is the one and only “home turf” meeting place for the highly successful game developers of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
Learn more about and get your passes now for NG23 Spring on 23-26 May, online and at Slagthuset in Malmö, Sweden.
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