Lars Jornow is a partner at EQT Ventures, an active mobile games investor and multi-stage VC, who is looking for mobile gaming or cross-platform studios to connect and possibly collaborate with.
Jornow joins us for Investor Connector at Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #5, a fringe event which pairs pre-selected developers who are seeking funding with investors.
Before the event takes place next month, we caught up with Jornow for his thoughts on investment and how the current pandemic has affected getting funding.
PocketGamer.biz: Tell us a bit about your company and its primary Investment focus?
Lars Jornow: EQT Ventures is a multi-stage VC firm with €1.2bn under management and a focus on European tech start-ups.
What kind of companies/projects are you interested in?
In terms of Pocket Gamer Connects, I'm primarily interested in mobile gaming or cross-platform studios that have made a playable version of a game with €100m+ annual revenue potential.
What are the key advantages for founders when they raise investment from your company?
EQT Ventures is an active mobile games investor with a portfolio of high performing studios like Reworks, Popcore, Traplight Games, Warducks and Small Giant Games. We have operational experience from helping studios scale promising mobile games into top 50 grossing evergreen franchises. Our team consists of people with extensive operational experience in companies like King Digital, Spotify, Booking.com and so on.
Do applicants need a pitch deck and if so, what information should a founder be sure to include to interest you enough to want to know more and have a meeting?
No.
What do you expect to learn from a founder at the first meeting?
Learn about the team they've assembled and the game(s) they're producing.
Could you give any advice for developers or teams for pitching over video calls?
Hide 'self view', makes you more present.
How has the investment cycle changed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic? Typically, how long is it taking to close deals?
No change really, except we do more investments over video calls and no need to meet physically. The first meeting and signed term sheet is typically in the two to six weeks range, depending on check size and complexity of decision.
What trends do you see emerging in games over the pandemic that are likely to persist post-pandemic? Conversely, what trends do you think are short term?
More and more people discover the joy of playing games on their mobile devices and it's never been a better time to start a game studio.
Want to meet Lars Jornow at Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #5?
You could meet Jornow and many more investors online next month by signing up for Investor Connector at Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #5. So if you’re seeking funding, sign up here. Applications close this Monday Feb 1st.
Please note you can only sign up for the Investor Connector if you’re a registered attendee of Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #5. Book your tickets now and you could save more than $210 with our Mid-Term offer.
We’re also allocating a limited amount of free passes solely for small indie developers, enabling them to meet investors and publishers, and learn from the industry’s biggest names. If you think you qualify, sign up here.
