Curious about our startups?
Welcome to our blog series, “Meet a CoMotion Labs Member.” These posts offer a peek into the groundbreaking work CoMotion Labs startups do and why they do it here. Stay tuned for profiles about startups innovating in Software, IT, Fintech (CoMotion Labs @ Startup Hall); Life Sciences, Biotech, Medtech (CoMotion Labs @ Fluke Hall); and Emerging Tech, AR/VR, and Robotics (CoMotion Labs @ HQ). They all work in one of these three physical locations across UW campus, or participate via our virtual Lab in Spokane.
Meet Adventure Game Works
Members:
- Olivia Banks, Co-Founder
- Joe Matthews, Co-Founder
- Frank Lawler, Game Host Director
Company: Adventure Game Works
When: Joined in January 2019
Where: CoMotion Labs @ Spokane
What is your startup all about?
Adventure Games are exciting real-world puzzle games that last one to two hours and are run by a Game Host. Adventure Games are tailored to participants and location to create the most flexible and enriching experience, bringing people together to have fun and create memories that can last a lifetime. We’re launching with the Kids Adventure Game, tailored for 6-12-year-olds and perfect for birthday party fun.
What’s the latest?
We spent May and June rebuilding the Return to Fairyland game and trialed it with 14 girls for a nine-year-old’s birthday party. It was totally awesome! We got some great feedback and made changes to the game for our next trial with a similar group at the end of August.
We are also working on creating a Capture the Flag game and a Minecraft Adventure game as well as expanding our Game Host Network. Game Hosts are professional actresses and actors that are hired by families to host the game.
As undergraduates at Gonzaga University, we were eligible to compete in the Dempsey Business Plan Competition at the UW last spring, and we won second place, bringing home $10k.
The Dempsey Startup Competition was an amazing experience for everyone on the team. As an all-undergrad student team, we learned a ton about putting together a business plan, pitching and developing our presentation skills. We received phenomenal feedback at every round of the competition from hundreds of business leaders in the Seattle area. The team also received lots of encouragement and validation which made us even more excited about launching Adventure Game Works. Special thanks to the UW Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship for hosting and organizing the competition.
Everything we’ve been doing so far has been to prepare us for launch. The team has been working hard to make our games ready for the market!
Startup Advice:
Especially as an early-stage startup, focus on the big things. It’s so easy to get caught up in details that take too much time and slow progress. Set achievable deadlines and don’t be afraid to ask for help. That being said, you’re going to get a lot of advice. Make sure to respect the feedback you receive but understand that you’ll get a lot of contradicting advice, and it’s ultimately up to you to make decisions.
Why do you love CoMotion Labs?
Adventure Game Works loves Brady Ryan, manager at CoMotion Labs @ Spokane! Brady coached us at the Dempsey Startup Competition and helped the team take 2nd place. CoMotion is extremely well connected and is an incredibly valuable resource for any startup.
Connect with Adventure Game Works
Visit our website and send us a message to be added to our newsletter.
Want to incubate your startup here?
About CoMotion Labs: CoMotion Labs, a self-sustaining membership-supported program of UW CoMotion, provides a multi-industry labs system hosting 90+ startups inside and outside the UW community. This incubator supports startups with learning programs, mentoring, networking, and space — in three locations across the UW Seattle campus and a virtual lab in Spokane. We host startups from a variety of industries including Software, IT, Fintech (CoMotion Labs @ Startup Hall); Life Sciences, Biotech, Medtech (CoMotion Labs @ Fluke Hall); and Emerging Tech, AR/VR, and Robotics (CoMotion Labs @ HQ).