Community-building at the Accelerator Kick-off

CDG-Booster Accelerator Round 2 started with insightful conversations, company pitches, and essential networking among the selected creative digital companies from Estonia, Finland, and Sweden.

On the first day of the CDG-Booster Accelerator kick-off in Tartu, Estonia, Stefan Lampinen, founder of Game Advisor Ltd, delivered a thought-provoking keynote, inviting founders to view game funding with fresh eyes. Instead of seeing money as handed down from distant institutions, he explored how power is shifting toward communities, creators, and players themselves.

Tools and technologies developed in gaming have spread into other industries, such as systems to keep people engaged and virtual currencies. This change has made things feel hazy for new studios because old guides and common venture capital phrases don’t fully fit the current situation.

Stefan said the real skill today is learning to work within ongoing feedback cycles. It’s less about following a perfect five-year plan and more about noticing, adjusting, and improving while the game is active. In this world, funding and support from communities of players, fans, small supporters, and online followers can sometimes offer a more flexible option than traditional investors, especially when paired with accessible, inexpensive technologies.

For CDG-Boosters target companies, Stefan’s message was challenging yet hopeful: the opportunity exists, especially in community-driven models, but it takes courage to leave the safety of old ways and learn to work with these new cycles.

As the dust settles, everyone will definitely have new connections and perspectives to carry along on the 12-month growth journey.