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Gaming Leaders Summit
Join top gaming industry professionals live on May 20-21 in Los Angeles for an in-depth examination of the strategies required to thrive in a constantly evolving landscape. This event will feature valuable insights from prominent industry voices and thought leaders.
Game Changers Announcement
Lightspeed, GamesBeat, and Nasdaq are thrilled to unveil the second edition of Game Changers, an annual initiative that celebrates and boosts 25 exceptional startups in the gaming and interactive media sectors.
Further details about this year’s program, including categories, timeline, and panel of judges for the nomination process, will be revealed during GamesBeat Summit 2024 at the Marina del Rey Marriott in Los Angeles. The enlightening panel, titled “Lightspeed x GamesBeat Game Changers — Innovations in Gaming & Interactive Media,” is scheduled for May 20. Esteemed speakers will include Moritz Baier-Lentz (Lightspeed partner), Sophia Xing (Inworld AI Director of Product), Chris Bell (Gardens Interactive CEO), Jani Penttinen (Bitmagic CEO), and GamesBeat lead writer Dean Takahashi. Startup submissions for this year’s list will open in June.
Together with GamesBeat, Nasdaq, and a panel of industry experts, Lightspeed is thrilled to introduce the second year of Game Changers, a prestigious list designed to showcase and accelerate the growth of 25 outstanding startups in the gaming and interactive media realms. For the first time, comprehensive details about the categories, timeline, and panel of judges for this year’s selection process will be revealed. We are excited to embark on this journey once again and believe that with another year of experience, we are better equipped to identify and reward the most innovative startups.
Insightful Program Overview
Following a brief overview of the program, there will be an engaging panel discussion featuring some of the most captivating innovations in the gaming and interactive media fields. The panelists will share insights from previous Game Changers winners and judges, which in the past included professionals from notable organizations such as Activision Blizzard, Amazon, ByteDance, and Disney, among others.
The discussion will delve into various aspects, including the five categories of the Game Changers program, as well as the future of gaming as envisioned by startup game studios, AI advancements, and upcoming innovations in the gaming industry.
A year has swiftly passed, and Game Changers is about to make a grand return.
Last year’s exceptional winners encompassed companies like Beamable, Dreamhaven, Gardens, and StatusPro. The complete list of winners can be accessed here. Lightspeed is proud to continue sponsoring the Game Changers program alongside GamesBeat for the second consecutive year.
During the previous edition, the gaming and venture communities were invited to nominate the most outstanding startups across five crucial categories:
- Game studios,
- Gaming platforms (e.g., UGC & social),
- Interactive technology (including AI & 3D),
- Extended reality (AR/VR/MR), and
- Blockchain & Web3.
All entrants needed to have operated for no more than five years and employed no more than 50 full-time staff. In addition to assessing vision and execution, emphasis was placed on companies that uphold principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and sustainability.
We received a wealth of high-caliber entries. Following careful evaluation by Lightspeed investors and GamesBeat editors, the initial pool of entrants was narrowed down to 100. Subsequently, the nominees were evaluated by a distinguished panel of judges comprising C-level gaming executives and operators with extensive leadership backgrounds at esteemed organizations such as Activision Blizzard, Amazon, Disney, and Microsoft, among others.
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