Damage Labs Studio Startup Program

Launching sustainable game studios by marginalized foundersThe Damage Labs Studio Startup program is a free program for founders from historically marginalized and underrepresented backgrounds ready to start a game studio. Explore ethical labour frameworks, alternative financing and structures that center around cooperation. By shifting the focus from simply filling project funding gaps, to designing resilient and investable organizations, this comprehensive program centres the long-term needs of marginalized creators and founders for a more equitable future. It values people and what they can create together in a system with less precarity. We believe this means more and better games, and a healthier industry in the long run! Bringing experts in social finance, together with focused mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs and a thriving community of support, our cohort of founders will find the meaningful supports they need to make and truly change games. The program focuses on;Social Finance and Investment - Learn about repayable investment, and build your knowledge and experience in the use of social finance mechanisms and tools to create cultural impact. Structuring the Business - Learn how to create a social-purpose enterprise, incorporate, or form an artist-run, worker-owned co-op. You'll receive focused mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs. Product Development and Pitching - Learn how market research and design impact your road map and business plan, and hone your pitching chops with support from producers, studio heads and platform representatives. You will;

• Build your game studio from the ground up, with a focus on sustainability, inclusivity, ethical labour principles, and cooperative business models and structures
• 24 weeks of hands-on learning, workshops and critical feedback from experienced entrepreneurs
• Expert social finance coaching to learn how to prepare to pitch for repayable loans that align with your values and capacity
• A new community of founders you can lean on for support as your studio grows
• Focused mentorship from studio founders and heads from around the world

Applications end October 14th, apply today! [fusion_button link="https://damagelabs.ca/" text_transform="" title="" target="_blank" link_attributes="" alignment_medium="" alignment_small="" alignment="left" modal="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" sticky_display="normal,sticky" class="" id="" color="default" button_gradient_top_color="" button_gradient_bottom_color="" button_gradient_top_color_hover="" button_gradient_bottom_color_hover="" accent_color="" accent_hover_color="" type="" bevel_color="" border_width="" border_radius="" border_color="" border_hover_color="" size="" stretch="default" margin_top="" margin_right="" margin_bottom="" margin_left="" icon="" icon_position="left" icon_divider="no" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset=""]Learn More[/fusion_button]