In line with an SEC Type D submitting, Sisu Recreation Ventures, a pre-seed and seed fund that invests in gaming startups has raised a $50 million first shut of its new fund. Nevertheless, the corporate declined to remark.
Paul Bragiel of Sisu, which launched in 2014, did nevertheless remark that the agency had made a number of investments over the summer time, together with in a Zynga founder’s new enterprise. Sisu group members have been concerned as entrepreneurs, operators and traders in corporations like Treatment, Unity, Disney, Niantic, Funcom and EA.
The fund has up to now made 14 investments. Half in present portfolio corporations, reminiscent of in Decision Video games and Lightheart Leisure, and the remaining in new additions, together with Theorycraft Video games, Playco and Core Loop.
Bragiel mentioned the Sisu fund III investor base is nearly completely from the video games business, together with international studios like Supercell, platform holders and publishers like Sony and Ubisoft, in addition to particular person founders of studios.
“A lot of founders from the Sisu household have gone on to begin a number of profitable ventures and these are the sort of founders we like to assist. Our purpose is that if we put money into a founder as soon as, we hope to again all future corporations they begin,” he mentioned.
Sisu says it invests earlier than a product is prepared and metrics are there, it additionally works with particular person founders in a “studio builder” format.
Current examples of this embody Lightheart Leisure with their first recreation Mr. Autofire, in addition to Mainframe Industries with their but unannounced cloud-native MMO.
Up to now the fund has had eight exits, together with Small Big Video games acquisition by Zynga for $700 million, but in addition King buying Hatrabbit, Helsinki Gameworks acquisition by Subsequent Video games and Flaregames acquisition of Kopla Video games.