EGD 053: Having Confidence to Invest in Gaming with Paul Murphy

Today I’m talking with Paul Murphy, who is a General Partner at Northzone VC, a venture capital firm from London UK. Paul was previously the Co-founder & CEO of Dots, the company behind the casual hit Two Dots. Paul left the company to join Northzone in 2018 and has invested in companies like Bunch and Klang Games.

Topics that we cover include:

• Working with founders and giving value add. What does that look like for you and how are you operating differently from other VCs?
• When there’s a company going places, what should the optimal secondary round look like? One that works best for founders, investors, and the company.
• It’s been some years now since King and Supercell came up. What are some characteristics that came into “VC for gaming” after the success of those companies? Has reality been different?
• What is key for a venture-backed startup after they’ve raised?
• A founder wants to build something that lasts. And then you have VC wanting to have an exit on the horizon. How can VC and founders have alignment with the vision, mission, and culture? Does it matter?