Startup Spotlight #181: DreamWorld
DreamWorld is a gamified Digital World where people come to socialize, create, and play. Think modern Minecraft MMO.
Latest F2F Case Study - Case Study: Telgorithm's Journey Towards Product-Market Fit Involves "Celebrating Your Successes And Losses"
I got the chance to speak with Garrison Bellack, co-founder and CEO of DreamWorld, about what he’s working on at his startup, and any advice he has for emerging entrepreneurs.
In the wake of the pandemic, two childhood best friends, who used to spend every second of their lives in the world of creative and social MMO games, embarked on the journey of building something beyond their wildest dreams. They deeply believed in a digital world that would be more than just a video game, but an extension of someone's physical life into a digital creative social adventure. As COVID has changed our daily lives by keeping people distant and at home, people crave more outlets for their imaginations, to build, and to be unlimited. Introducing DreamWorld, the first Metaverse created for builders, by builders.
Garrison and Zachary Kaplan co-founded DreamWorld with the vision to design a universe of endless possibilities, whether you build a castle, hang out with friends, or set out on an adventure. What matters most is that you live and build your own dream. While other MMO games put you on a predefined path of story progression, DreamWorld empowers you to pursue whatever you desire with simple, powerful tools, and skills you develop in your adventures. Connect with friends old and new in a digital universe, and build something extraordinary together no matter how many miles you are apart. Dive into adventures with your peers, traveling like you used to in the real world, and also through incredible realms you’ve only ever seen in your dreams. There is no fantasy too small, too far, or too grand as long as you define and build your own dream world.
Enter Your Email Below To Receive Startup Spotlights In Your Inbox Once Per Week:
Startup Spotlight: DreamWorld
Problem: In the wake of the pandemic, people are more isolated than ever, and looking to socialize with other people from the comfort of their homes. Furthermore, for people that want a creative hobby, there aren’t many fun options.
Market: DreamWorld falls into the Gaming sector which has a Total Addressable Market of $86B in the US and $198B globally.
Solution: DreamWorld is a massive digital world where everyone creates together. Think Minecraft or Roblox, a platform where players create, except one immersive social world.
Team: DreamWorld is currently a 7 person team. We’re a mix of software engineers and game developers with members from Google, Apple, and Intel as well as a Game Designer and Game Development professor.
Recent Success:
Bellack: DreamWorld, both as a world and as a team, has made incredible leaps and bounds in its single year of Alpha development. One year ago, DreamWorld players would log in to an uninspiring, barren landscape that Zach and I had put together to test basic game mechanics and concepts. A year later, DreamWorld has fantastically beautiful forests, dramatic deserts, treacherous tundra, magnificent mountains, and wondrous watery depths. The land, which is 7 times larger by area than World of Warcraft’s entire world of Azeroth, is filled with player-created builds and experiences. The team has swelled from 2 to 13, a mix of full-time and part-time, and we’re about to add another member. The passion, dedication, and excitement of the team is immense and centered around both our enjoyment of working together, as well as our development roadmap, which is filled with years worth of industry-pioneering technical feats, and inspiring world-building.
Recent Struggle:
Bellack: We launched a Kickstarter campaign just 2 months after we created the company. The response to our displaying the vision for DreamWorld was staggering. Suddenly we had 5 million people searching for DreamWorld, all finding the pre-Alpha showcasing basic game mechanics, and not the fleshed out world that we were presenting as our development goal! We then had some YouTubers take advantage of the situation and use us as a content vessel for their communities centered around criticizing developers. While we received a lot of hate, people saying we were incapable of accomplishing our vision, we’ve persevered and are on track for a release later this year.
Founder Advice:
Bellack: Firstly you must have thick skin. You will have people telling you your idea is wrong. They may even be right! However, if your idea was obvious and easy, it would have been done already. Secondly, stay focused on developing your product. It’s incredibly hard to work 80+ hours every week year after year. However, too many entrepreneurs get distracted by things such as networking, social media, or telling people why their idea is great. If you’re not spending a majority of your time developing your product during the early stages of your company, consider if it’s truly the best use of your time.
Three Cool Founders You Should Know About:
Bellack: Here are three founders you should check out next!
Amy Yin, Founder of OfficeTogether: OfficeTogether is office reservation and scheduling software for companies who want to empower their employees with the flexibility to work how they are most productive while also honoring the magic of in-person time.
Stacey Hronowski, Founder of Canix: Canix is a software company built from the ground up for cannabis companies.
Vikas Reddy, Founder of LightTwist: LightTwist is a customizable virtual video studio. You can capture live and recorded videos that make you and your space look amazing, even in your bedroom or basement.
Who should I profile next? Leave your suggestion in the comments:
Why you should become a paid subscriber to Founder to Founder:
Get connected to elite tech entrepreneurs through in-depth Founder Case Studies
Receive exclusive documents crafted by top founders on how to build your company
Access a growing audience of venture capitalists, product managers, software engineers, and people passionate about technology
Hear real, raw experiences from entrepreneurs that you won’t see anywhere else
Previous F2F Case Studies:
Case Study: PatchRx CEO Andrew Aertker Warns Of Making Too Many Changes
Case Study: Pillar's Journey To Product-Market Fit Began By 'Living The Problems' Their Users Face
Previous Startup Spotlights:
Startup Spotlight #180: Humming Homes - Humming Homes is building the modern operating platform for the next generation of homeowners - and we’ve started by reimagining the future of property management.
Startup Spotlight #179: Orderlion - Orderlion was founded in 2018 by Stefan Strohmer (CEO) and Patrick Schubert (CTO) to make the global food supply chain more sustainable by helping food suppliers to digitize their key business process
Startup Spotlight #178: Mentorcam - Mentorcam gives you access to high-profile advisors and experts for 1:1 advice on professional growth.
Startup Spotlight #177: Tango - Tango’s free-to-use product is a Chrome Extension that automatically creates written, step-by-step how-to guides in real-time without the need for video recording.
Startup Spotlight #176: Ripplfect - Ripplfect is one of the first US-based companies attempting to disrupt disposables in the coffee industry.
Startup Spotlight #175: Scroobious - Scroobious increases diversity in the startup ecosystem with a virtual platform that mobilizes founders to be more investable and helps investors discover them through hyper-curation.
Startup Spotlight #174: BoldVoice: BoldVoice is a speech and accent coaching app that helps non-native English speakers be as well-understood and confident in English as in their native language.
Startup Spotlight #173: Mandla: Mandla is an innovative, black-owned e-learning language app created for those who seek to strengthen their unbreakable connection with their African roots.
Startup Spotlight #172: Maeve - Maeve is an elegant online platform offering titillating audio only to nourish women's sensuality.
If you enjoyed this article, feel free to check out my other work on LinkedIn. Follow me on Twitter @fredsoda, on Medium @fredsoda, and on Instagram @fred_soda.