Elite Game Developers

Why I Didn’t Start Another Games Company

What twenty years in gaming taught me about timing, meaning, and where to build next.

Oct 24 • 

Joakim Achren

12

2

The Founder Checklist: How VCs Decide Who to Back

What VCs really mean when they say they “bet on the team.”

Oct 10 • 

Joakim Achren

9

September 2025

$400K Founders and the Startup Burn Dilemma

High pay, high stakes: what founder salaries reveal about startup risk.

Sep 26 • 

Joakim Achren

7

1

Why AI Makes “Punching Above Your Weight” the New Normal

Now you can bootstrap for way, way, way longer.

Sep 12 • 

Joakim Achren

3

August 2025

Another 20 Reasons You Hear 'No' from VCs

All the ways that your startup isn't a fit for the venture capital funding model

Aug 29 • 

Joakim Achren

15

1

Lessons from the Only Major Bull Run in Gaming VC History

Analyzing the single sustained period when gaming was a great fit for venture capital, and what founders and investors can learn for the next paradigm…

Aug 15 • 

Joakim Achren

12

2

Burnout revisited

What Startup Burnout Taught Me About Control, Recovery, and Doing Less

Aug 1 • 

Joakim Achren

14

4

The 10 Questions That Reveal a VC’s True Character

How to reference check your investors before signing them on.

Aug 1 • 

Joakim Achren

1

July 2025

H1 2025 recap

Here I share the highlights on what's been happening on my Substack during the first half of 2025.

Jul 18 • 

Joakim Achren

4

Using AI Memory to Discover Who I Really Am

A personal experiment in self-discovery with the help of artificial intelligence

Jul 4 • 

Joakim Achren

4

1

June 2025

New Platform Gold Rush

Betting on games in Roblox, UEFN, Telegram, Discord, and beyond

Jun 20 • 

Joakim Achren

10

2

How Mobile Game Studios Secure Series A

The approach to building a billion-dollar mobile gaming company in 2025

Jun 6 • 

Joakim Achren

7

1