Invest & Play: Next-Gen Funding in Gaming Start-Ups

Department

Bachelor's program Entrepreneurship, Tourism & Leisure Business

Course unit code

IEL-B-3+5-WPM-IEL

Number of ECTS credits allocated

5.0

Name of lecturer(s)

FH-Prof. Groth Aleksander, PhD, Dilger Thomas, BA MA, FH-Prof. Dr. Mirski Peter J.

Mode of delivery

face-to-face

Recommended optional program components

none

Additional information about examination modalities

Project work and presentation

Level of course unit

Bachelor

Year of study

Fall 2026

Semester when the course unit is delivered

5

Language of instruction

English

Learning outcomes of the course unit

Upon completion of this elective course, students will be able to:
• Understand the Video Game Industry, eSports, and relevant stakeholders, specifically game communities.
• Learn about monetization practices, business and platform strategies when games are offered through early access, crowdfunding, or for free.
• Understand the investment logic of micro-VCs, angel investors, and public funding programs.
• Know different alternative financing models (e.g., crowdfunding, crowd-investing, and community-funded development) and determine which model aligns best with the needs of an early-stage indie game project.
• Evaluate monetization and business model fit using relevant KPIs and benchmarks for gaming studios & start-ups.
• Identify key risks and propose mitigations and value-creation levers.

Prerequisites and co-requisites

None

Course contents

• Introduction to the Video Game /eSport Industry: Business, Monetization, and Platform Distribution Models
• Community-oriented funding models like Early Access, Crowdfunding and alternative financing paths, but also free-to-play business models
• Monetization models like In-app purchases, subscriptions, ads, premium pricing, live-ops, and hybrid models; unit economics and LTV/CAC.
• Micro-VCs and angel investors | funding programs
• Opportunity assessment - Market sizing, segment fit (mobile/PC/console), genre dynamics, and competitive landscape.
• Team and execution risk: Founder–market fit, roadmap, production pipeline, and live-ops capability.
• Financial viability: Cohort analyses, KPI benchmarks (retention, ARPDAU, CPI), runway and milestones.
• Company visits to local game developer studies in Innsbruck (e.g., Stillalive, Clockstone) and Munich (tbd)

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

The course comprises an interactive mix of lectures, discussions and individual and group work.

Work placement(s)

none