Chris Petrovic recently joined FunPlus as the chief business officer after spending five years at Zynga leading their corporate strategy, M&A and business development efforts.
Petrovic joins us for Investor Connector [https://www.pgconnects.com/digital/investor-connector/] at next month's Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #6, a fringe event which pairs pre-selected developers who are seeking funding with investors.
We caught up with Petrovic ahead of the event for his thoughts on investment and how the current pandemic has affected anyone seeking investment.
PocketGamer.biz: What’s the primary Investments focus of your company?
Our primary investment focus at FunPlus is on quality teams developing innovative free-to-play products in big genres (strategy, RPG, MMO, Shooter, Match-3/Puzzle, etc.). While mobile is our primary focus, we are also extremely interested in cross-platform opportunities.
What are the key advantages for founders when they raise investment from your company?
Unlike financial institutions, we provide a tremendous amount of value add to our investments through our 10+ years of experience in free-to-play gaming and through our 1,700 employees around the world, while also being fair and supportive of the business we are investing in.
Do you 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?
Pitch decks are always welcomed as they add context and dimension to a founder’s story and vision. I am always interested in the founding story of the team, their past work (success and failure), the team they have built or are looking to build, their product market fit viewpoint, etc.
Could you give any advice for developers or teams for pitching over video calls?
Remove distracting backgrounds, be precise in your delivery and practice ahead of time if you are co-presenting with someone.
How has the investment cycle changed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, typically, how long is it taking to close deals?
I believe that the cycle has stayed the same and potentially gotten a bit quicker as global meetings are now more efficient on Zoom than traveling. Plus with the gaming sector continuing to get a tremendous amount of attention there are more interested investors back in the ecosystem which is great to see.
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?
Ongoing consolidation will continue and will likely increase in size and frequency.
2021 will be a challenging year for the mobile industry for two reasons: 1) hard to live up to last year’s COVID-driven results as things slowly come back to “normal” over the course of the year; and 2) the yet unknown impact that IDFA will be on the entire mobile industry, which in my opinion will be a shorter term impact
Cross-platform reality will come into focus this year.
Want to meet Chris Petrovic at Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #6?
You could meet Petrovic and many more investors online next month by signing up for Investor Connector at Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #6. So if you’re seeking funding, sign up here.
Please note you can only sign up for the Investor Connector if you’re a registered attendee of Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #6. Book your tickets now and you could save $440 with our Early Bird 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.
