Startups Summarized In 8 Bits Of Awesomeness Video Game Style: The Adventure Of The Startup Kid

Killer Infogrpahics, GeekWire,Startup Kid,Startup Video,VoozaEarlier today we told you about GeekWire’s 2013 awards in Seattle last week. The award for the geekiest office space went to Killer Infographics, which also partnered with GeekWire for a creative, totally awesome view of startups. Although known for their “Killer Infographics” the teams at Killer and GeekWire created an 8 bit video game style movie called “The Adventure of the Startup Kid”.

The video was created to play at the beginning of the GeekWire awards which were held last Thursday at EMP Seattle and very well received.

startupkid2The Adventure Of Startup Kid starts off in the office where Startup Kid has an idea that is a mashup where “Twitter meets Kickstarter mixted with FourSquare and Vine”. Of course Startup Kid’s co-worker thinks it’s a great idea and Startup Kid quits his job.

Then of course he goes to dad for seed funding, eventually finds a team, and goes for venture funding.  Each step along the way looks just like an old 8 bit video game with challenges that are like beating level lords at the end of every game. For instance when the team goes for venture funding they have to reach money bags being dropped from the sky by a cloud, reminiscent of getting coins in any Super Mario or Sonic game.

One of the biggest challenges in the game/movie is when it’s time to face the competition. The screen turns red, the space needle turns into a space ship and then they face the competition in a Street Fighter esque battle.

Just after that there’s the final battle where an animated Jeff Bezos pulls up in a semi truck that says Amazon and begins throwing boxes at the Startup Kid. Bezos flies off on a rocket but not before tossing a bag of money to Startup Kid. Startup Kid sort of wins because he gets acquired but then ends up back in a cubicle, presumably acquihired, that is of course until he has his next startup idea.

Check out the video below. More here at GeekWire

This Seattle startup says they “make napalm smell better in the morning”

 

EEATTENDDEAL1 

Seattle Startup: PlayMySurvey Makes Napalm Smell Better In The Morning INTERVIEW

If you’re wondering about the headline Seattle Startup: PlayMySurvey Makes Napalm Smell Better In The Morning, and you’re thinking that PlayMySurvey has to do with survey’s you’re actually right. However, in a light hearted interview with the Seattle based startup that was their first answer to what their company does.

Naturally, their real mission is clearly identified in the name. They make important survey’s more fun to complete by gamifying the survey system.

If Seattle makes you think of Mike Arrington, rain and metal and grunge music, then you’re not too far off. Derek, the co-founder of PlayMySurvey used to play bass for a pretty established regional heavy metal band called Hirmsa. Now he works a day job and has 99 other jobs (but the b*tch ain’t one, oh wait that’s problems), in running PlayMySurvey. He assures us though, like any good company, he has an Indian man doing all the grunt work for half the pay, but his man is actually in Washington State and not coding PlayMySurvey in between customer service calls for some big wireless company out of a Mumbai call center.

If you can tell from our lead in PlayMySurvey takes very important work and makes it a lot more fun. Not just by the duo’s great attitude in building a startup but by adding games and engaging designs into the questions themselves. According to Derek, there are a lot of survey companies and a lot of casual game companies in the Seattle and Redmond area. There’s a huge company in Redmond that not many take seriously these days. Roll that all into one and you have PlayMySurvey.

Check out our interview below

Read More…