Serbia has great potential for investing in startups, but it is necessary to build an ecosystem that would attract investments from all over the world – is the frequent conclusion of numerous panels and conferences dedicated to the development of domestic startups. When we take into account the specifics of gaming companies (higher risk on the one hand, and quick return on investment on the other), as well as the general knowledge of this milieu by venture capital holders- the situation seems to become even more difficult. Finding investors who are used to investing in “more traditional” industries or ICT niches seems as an incomprehensible challenge, while the competition of companies that are in the race for fresh capital is constantly growing…

Within this program, we will not be able to offer you a golden recipe on how to reach the desired investment. We have dealt with similar issues through various previous SGA programs dedicated to pitching (including the first episode of GFB). But what we will deal with on this occasion, in cooperation with our renowned partners and lecturers, is to prepare you for the moment when you will really have the opportunity to enter into this type of cooperation. We will especially deal with the legal and financial aspects of such contracts and transactions, explain the due diligence process and many other aspects of “closing” a business like this, highlighting the most common mistakes that startups make when given a seemingly “juicy” opportunity. At the same time, we will try to show you how to do business, from the very beginning of your company, in order to be as ready as possible for this type of qualitative leap and scaling of your team and company.

Our colleagues from the leading regional law firm Karanović & Partners will help you with that, as well as members of the team of the local office of Deloitte, who have been cooperating with SGA since its founding in 2018.

In addition, we will host a representative of one of the renowned VC funds focused on the field of game development, Martin Macmillan from Pollen VC, who will, through a Q&A, address the participants of GFB directly from GDC and share his first-hand experiences, bringing us closer to what investors are actually looking for in the gaming studios they invest in.

This episode will be largely complementary to the next one, which will be dedicated to M&A (merger & acquisition) scheduled for April 5, and we invite you to follow them both, and use your opportunity to ask direct questions to our partners. The event will be held in the area of ​​Nova Iskra in Dorćol, and in the case of the participation of colleagues from the region, a video stream will be organized.

Game Funding Bootcamp is a new initiative of SGA that aims to address these challenges, and through a series of lectures and workshops that will be realized in the period between January and April 2022 to teams and companies from Serbia and the region, present various potential sources of funding, with the participation of domestic and international experts and a number of partner organizations.

HOW TO APPLY:

Interested participants (company representatives, interested individuals or professionals) should click the APPLY NOW button on this page. The application deadline is Monday, March 21 by the end of the day.

PAYMENTS:

All program modules are FREE of charge for all full-time SGA members, i.e. those who pay the Start, Pro or Premium membership package (maximum two people per team / company). Associate members of the SGA (Free Membership) can attend 2 of the 5 modules of their choice (one person per team / company) free of charge.

Teams and companies from the Western Balkans can register one person free of charge, while each additional participant is charged. These scholarships are provided by the Reconomy project.

The full price is 50 EUR per person, per module. Payments can be made exclusively on the basis of invoices issued by SGA to legal entities (companies, organizations, or registered entrepreneurs), by bank transfer.

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The GFB program will be implemented through several hours of hybrid sessions (live and online) that are organized every two weeks starting from February 8, 2022. Each of them will be dedicated to one of the mentioned funding models, and this is the schedule that awaits you:

05.04. – M&As (hybrid)
19.04. – Pitching + Negotiation skills practical workshop (live in Belgrade)

The SGA will promote each of the thematic modules separately, and you will be able to apply for them according to your specific interests or needs.

Game Funding Bootcamp program is implemented in cooperation with a number of SGA partners, including Help! Serbia (within the RECONOMY project), Swiss Entrepreneurship Program, Deloitte Serbia, Karanović & Partners and others, as well as numerous SGA members who will share their experiences so far. with interested game creators from across the region.