So, 2018 we were accepted into an incubator. STING – Stockholm Innovation and Growth. I thought I could share a bit of insight in what that has done for us, and what kind of magic that happens inside (this kind) of incubator.
The Office
First of all, the summer was a very busy time for all of us, so we delayed the start of the program until the fall. Come fall, we could hop into their offices in the middle of the city. This was a welcome change, since before that time, we had just been working from home, meeting up once per week in a café. Now we were in a co-working space, bundled up with all the other incubate companies. We had roll-calls and got to know them a bit. Chatting at the coffee machine or at lunch with other new companies is nice too.
So the office in itself, was a really nice perk.
This is the lounge area downstairs where they served breakfast every Thursday:
The Coaches
We also got to use different kind of coaches. At first, I didn’t really understand why we would need a coach. I mean, we can build games. But that was back when I seriously underestimated how long it takes to not just build the game, but to actually build a company at the same time. Our business coach has started and operated companies before, and still do! His experience is very valuable in more ways than we would have guessed starting out. The shareholder’s agreement, the investor pitches, the investor contacts – all have been improved immensely. He is also the very best sounding board for all our thoughts or current problems/possibilities.
We also have access to a pitch coach, a more corporate coach and a team coach, as well as a whole menagerie of expert coaches with varying fields of interest.
In short, we are MUCH better equipped to deal with the founder life than we would have been.
More Advantages
STING also provides a lot of other services that we have not gotten around to use much yet, such as recruiting help and pr/marketing.
Since January, we also have our very own room, of which we pay very little, courtesy of STING. There are four of us now, and it is really nice to not bother anyone when we need to point excitedly at our screens because of new and amazing things we have made, and that we need to have loud conversations about – RIGHT NOW. We also have a ton of plants. <3.
The Disadvantage
Our main (only?) fear that made us hesitate a bit at the start, was if the administrative tasks would take too much time from actually making the game. And well. They do take time. But I believe we have a better shot at getting this company to really lift off than we would have if we would have just ignored all of it.
Image credit: Shutterstock
In Summary
I can wholeheartedly recommend to join an incubator if they will accept you. 100% of all incubators I’m a part of are awesome.
