StartPlaying raises $6.5M so tabletop players can rent Dungeon Masters
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StartPlaying has raised $6.5 million so tabletop players can rent professional Dungeon Masters.
The San Francisco company has created an online platform to help players find tabletop roleplaying games to join and rent professional Game Masters.
It may be a geeky enterprise, but it says a lot that Andreessen Horowitz, one of the biggest game investors, chose to lead the round via its general partners Jonathan Lai and Andrew Chen.
The funds will go towards scaling marketing to reach new players, broadening StartPlaying’s network of industry partnerships, and hiring top talent. The company aims to double the teams’ size by the end of the year, said Nate Tucker, CEO of StartPlaying, in an interview with GamesBeat.
“We’re investing in putting together a world-class team,” said Tucker. “We believe this will be the key to maintaining StartPlaying’s momentum.”
Lai said in a blog post that “more than 40 million people play D&D around the world and sales have grown by double-digit percentages for the last five consecutive years. No longer a fringe hobby, D&D features prominently in mainstream and celebrity culture.”
A16z’s investment in the platform forecasts the consolidation of such games into the mainstream and the rise of a professional avenue for skilled players.
“Beyond growing a user base, this is about community,” said cofounder Devon Chulick. “Whether it’s helping Game Masters and players find each other or collaborating with industry partners, we’re proud to have the opportunity to bring people together through the power of games.”
Since it was founded in September 2020, StartPlaying has seen over 100,000 games hosted by
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