Happy Friday,

Welcome back to Napkin Notes: the only newsletter that remembers it’s “back to school week” so we throw in an extra dose of memes to keep parents happy.

Today, we’re doing a deep dive into gaming VCs. Why?

• b/c it’s a really interesting category

• there are some big underground $$$ in the space

• and a bunch of you have hit us up to talk about this

• we have a big pitch event coming up in a few weeks

So today’s your lucky day.

Time to buckle up, pour the French press and toss on the slippers. ☕️

📰 Special Message from Bubble

Ever wanted a good reason to visit NYC in the fall? This is your chance.

Our friends at Bubble are bringing together thousands of developers and founders at BubbleCon Oct 1–2 in NYC. Join in person or virtually to learn more about how to build and launch applications without writing code.

Learn more about by registering to BubbleCon here.

🗞 Menu for Today

• 🎮 Top 10 VC in Gaming and how to get a hold of them

• 🗳 Apply to pitch on stage at our next gaming event

• 🍿 Next Gaming Event to speak at or RSVP to watch

• 💡 August 29 Event Recamp

• 👀 Memes of the week

🎮 Top Gaming VCs and How to Pitch Them

On the off chance you’ve been hustling away at your startup and haven’t heard, several prominent VC firms have launched substantial funds specifically focused on gaming.

• a16z secured $600 million for its 2nd gaming fund in April

• Bitkraft Ventures launched its 3rd major fund in the same month for $275m

• Griffin Gaming Partners is seeking $500 million for its 3rd flagship fund

• and more are popping up all over

Some more data that’s compelling is the fact that startups are raising big sums of money to go solve big issues:

• In June, k-ID, a startup focused on gaming safety and privacy for children, secured $45 million in Series A funding; their 3rd funding round in 9 months led by Andreessen Horowitz and Lightspeed.

• Earlier in the year, Build A Rocket Boy, a game development studio, raised $110 million in Series D funding.

• And Zentry, a specialist in Web3 gaming, raised $140 million in April.

The writing is on the wall. Gaming VCs have backed up their trucks with money and are looking to dump it on smart and capable startup founders. Is that you?

If so, today’s a gold mine for ya. We’re gonna share the top 10 VC names (according to our pals at Pitchbook), why they’re a big deal and how you can get a hold of them. Let’s jump to it.

1. Bitkraft Ventures

   • Context: Bitkraf’s backed big names like Fortnite-maker Epic Games and the developer of streaming and social platform Discord. The firm recently expanded into Asian gaming markets and is raising $275 million for its third flagship fund.

   • Investments: 118

   • Deal size: $6.8M

   • Portfolio companies include: Discord, Inworld, Epic Games

   • Website: www.bitkraft.vc

   • Founder of fund: Jens Hilgers

   • Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jenshilgers

   • Email: [email protected] 

2. Shima Capital

   • Context: Focused heavily on Web3 gaming and the metaverse, Shima Capital invests in startups across all stages.

   • Investments: 100

   • Deal size: $3.8M

   • Portfolio companies include: Gunzilla, Jambo, Community Gaming

   • Website: shima.capital

   • Founder of fund: Yida Gao

   • LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/yidagao

   • How to pitch them: fill out this form

3. Andreessen Horowitz

   • Context: Andreessen Horowitz, one of the largest VC firms in the world, most recently raised $600 million for its second gaming fund.

   • Investments: 98

   • Deal size: $15M

   • Portfolio companies include: Mountaintop, Kaedim, Carry1st

   • Website: a16z.com

   • Founder of a16z gaming fund: Jonathan Lai

   • LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jlai84

   • How to pitch them: a16z.com/games 

4. Bonus: Mantis VC

   • Context: Mantis VC, an early-stage venture fund in partnership with The Chainsmokers.

   • Investments: 100+

   • Deal size: $1M

   • Portfolio companies include: Superbloom, Mojo, Stardust

   • Website: www.mantisvc.com

   • Founder of fund: Milan Koch, Drew Taggart, Jeffrey Evans, and Alex Pall

   • LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-o-brien-04b171154

   • How to pitch them: email [email protected] 

Wanna get front of them? We’re hosting a gaming pitch event Sept 26th. And we’re inventing everyone above and more.

Apply to pitch in front of ~1,000 investors here: kern.al/apply/pitch 

🍿 Meet 4 Startups That Raised $5M

🥁 RSVP to our Next Pitch Event Sept 26th

👀 Memes of The Week

Have an amazing weekend.

P.S. Liked the deep-dive? Forward the newsletter to a bestie.