Blog

Mavenhut is one of the projects present for the spring edition of VentureConnect, on 31 May. We were not at all surprised with the quality of the project, nor with the all starts team of Mavenhut: Cristi Badea, Bobby Voicu and Elvis Apostol.

The way the guys describe themselves is building “social games with a classic flavor”, just as George Lucas brings Star Wars (the old series) to the 21st century: better gameplay, social features. Cristi Badea is not at all new to the startup zone, focusing on games for some time now and becoming a pro on making us feel even closer to our computer screen. Also, Cristi is a two times participant in the VentureConnect pitching process with different startups of course.

One other thing that we appreciate about Mavenhut is that they have “go-power” as they are building a community of potential investors interested in the gaming zone and the possibility Mavenhut brings. If you would be interested to find out updates regarding several performance indicators of the company, sign up here.

Since we believe in the success power of Mavenhut, we thought of asking Cristian a few questions and also see his skilled pitching abilities. Game away!

1. What’s your definition of a successful entrepreneur?

It’s hard to define such a thing, but I’ve noticed some patters. A successful entrepreneur is that guy who in focused and likes to be surrounded by people just as smart as he is.

2. You’re part of the wonderful team Mavenhut. Can you let us more about the startup and the concept it addresses?

At Mavenhut we consider that classic single player games can be transformed in social experiences. A game like Solitaire, which is a genuinely single player game – would be much more fun if you play it with your friends – and every day we act upon this vision.

3. You were part of this spring’s StartUp Bootcamp. Can you describe the process and the entire atmosphere – was it what Mavenhut needed?

Yes indeed, we were one of 10 teams that have graduated the Startup Bootcamp program in Dublin. Early this year, from over 150 applications from all over the world, 20 teams were shortlisted – and after two days of interviews with different mentors, the selection took place. Also, at the end of the program we have been awarded with the “People’s choice” prize.

Overall the experience was quite useful for us, since it helped improve several processes within the co-founding team. Along with Elvis Apostol and Bobby Voicu, now we have a system in place that will offer more value to future team members and also makes sense as a business opportunity for investors.

4. There’s an entire mania with online gaming. What’s your key differentiator from so many others?

For a gaming company, it’s all about the processes you have in place. Working in small batches, always focusing on metrics and learning faster than others are just a few of the advantages we have.

Experience plays an important role up to some extend and fortunately for us, so far we have published 4 games and worked with more than 6 different international titles from top social game developers in the past 5 years.

5. You’ve started this business in Romania. Was this any drawback?

The company is registered in Ireland and we are strongly considering recruiting from Romania. As a drawback, I would have to mention that is slightly difficult to find people that are driven by a common passion as yours. Also the financial environment here makes it harder to raise capital or to consider a long term strategy for your company. Finally, the lack of incentives and support for the startup ecosystem, especially when we compare this to Ireland.

6. Mavenhut was one of the most appreciated startups for the spring edition of VentureConnect. How was the experience, since this was your second participation?

It’s obviously a major improvement on all ends – as a startup we have done our homework more thoroughly and overall, I feel that VentureConnect is now a main stream event. I noticed the number of investors was way higher than back in 2010, during the 2nd edition. Keep up the good work.