Editor’s Note: This is a sponsored post for the DNA Engine Blog by Riitta Annala.
‘And the winner of the DNA Ltd. sponsored seed B category is Havina Productions!’
These are the words you want to hear when taking part in a Pitching Contest and this is exactly what we heard two weeks ago in the Oulu Midnight Pitch Fest. Now it’s high time for a tiny seed phase start-up to start considering itself a serious player in the world of giants!
We are tiny but we have a strong vision. We want to offer language learners a possibility to speak the target language while learning it through a game! We want to make a difference in the world of digital language learning which, by the way, has a huge potential for growth. The market size is estimated to be 2,5 billion USD in 2016 and the growth rates are specifically high in Asia. We have these pieces of the puzzle figured out, as you can see.
We are a team of language teachers, game developers and marketing people who certainly have the enthusiasm to do what we are good at and will achieve a brilliant product, there’s no doubt about that. And we already have a playable demo available. So these pieces of the puzzle are also in place, our team has the credibility.
What’s the problem then? It was very interesting to read Oskari Lehtonen’s blog post below. It is such an revealing article about the world we are entering, and don’t have any idea of what shape or size we will be having gone through it. It takes a lot of growing from us, the entrepreneurs, to learn to handle the harsh realities of the business world, to keep the vision of our tiny start-up clear and not to be tossed around like a bunch of rag dolls changing our pitch 180 degrees every second day. It’s about keeping the focus on things that really matter. What it boils down to is the backbone of the entrepreneurs and there’s no university degree that can teach you that.
I’m a language teacher who, after spending 2,5 years abroad, was lured into the world of IT. Project plans, budgets and team building replaced the world of pedagogy and teenagers. I have travelled far from my comfort zone and will be traveling much further and enjoying every step of the way.
About DNA Engine
DNA Engine is a blog driven by innovations, startups and DNA’s continuous search for leading-edge partnerships. They enjoy seeing companies which are continuously coming up with new innovative products and services that shape their way of using technology. They blog about their own insights on mobile handset ecosystems, innovation-driving companies and ICT phenomena, but also invite interesting guest bloggers to share their views.
