Stefan Gunnarson of Iceland founded the gaming company Solid Clouds in 2013, after seeing an opportunity in the gaming world to create a new experience. This would be a mix of two of his favorite genres, a 4x massively multiplayer real-time strategy game. For those who aren't gamers, "4X" are strategy games where players typically control an empire and focus on the 4 "X"s: eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate. Massively multiplayer online strategy games (MMORTS) are games where a large number of people can interact within a virtual world. The game Solid Clouds is developing is called Starborne: Sovereign Space. Gunnarson spoke with Nasdaq as part of its 'Founders' series, which aims to talk about the challenges and rewards of founding a company, as well as what drives and motivates them.
Could you tell our audience more about yourself, your background and how you arrived at founding a company?
As long as I can remember I've always liked two things, doing business and playing computer games. My favorite game genres were always massively multiplayer online strategy games (MMORTS) and 4X strategy games. In 2009, I saw an opportunity to combine those two game genres and set out to found a company that would do exactly that.
I was one the first investors of CCP (the company behind EVE Online) and monitored their story closely, so I had a clue about how building a game was done. So in 2010 I started my university studies to complete a bachelor’s degree in computer science. I wanted to get some understanding of the software development process to compliment my business experience. After my graduation in 2013, I founded Solid Clouds with the express purpose of creating a new game genre, a 4X massively multiplayer real-time strategy game, a hybrid of my two favorite genres.
Please give us some detail and information on your company and its products or services.
Solid Clouds has 14 employees, a mix of business people battle-tested in the games industry, veteran game developers with years of experience and hungry new talent aching to prove themselves. We are working on our first title, Starborne: Sovereign Space. It will be a grand strategy space-game which for the first time lets players experience classic 4X strategy in a massively multiplayer setting.
What is your typical day like -- what time do you start, what are some of your daily activities?
I usually start the day at the office around 9:30 am with a cup of coffee and go over my emails. I try to have a talk with most of my employees during the day. Solid Clouds is still a small startup with almost no overhead, so I have many roles such as HR, fundraising, marketing, handling the finances, design work, vision development and so on, however, my days can vary immensely.
What has been the most rewarding point in your work founding a company?
About a year ago, I looked back and remembered pitching the idea to my friends and family. Now, seeing how that pitch has developed into a full scale business with a lot of passionate people on board is a proud moment for me.
What has been the most frustrating point as a founder?
I would say having to wear so many hats. HR and game designing are hugely different beasts, each with different challenges and each with their own frustrations. Since Starborne is such an ambitious project, with over one hundred thousand lines of code and hundreds of illustrations and animations, it sometimes feels frustrating how long completion takes. However, the light at the end- of-the-tunnel glows brighter every day.
How do you develop or cultivate your company’s culture?
The best thing a startup can do to develop and cultivate a great company culture is just to get great people. Talented individuals tend to have great personal values that become reflected in the DNA of the company. What I do is simply step back and allow them to do great work.
What is the most important management or leadership skill needed as a founder?
Strategic vision and communication are extremely important along with the ability to delegate. There is no way that you, as a founder, can do everything best. You need to find smart people who are willing to work with you and empower them.
What is your favorite app or the most utilized app on your phone and why?
Blessing or a curse, I use my Gmail and Google Calendar the most on my phone. I also use VivoSmart3 wristband that allows me to track of my sleep patterns, stress, and heart rate. Thereafter it’s Slack, a chat application built for teamwork, which is extremely useful to see what is going on while away from the office.
What book are you currently reading and why?
I've been reading Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future. Elon Musk seems like a remarkable person. I found the company culture he breeds to be very interesting, especially SpaceX, and also, his belief that he needs to save humanity. He's on overdrive and I don't think anyone would join his companies expecting to sit along for the ride, or that this would be the most fair or family-friendly workplace available to them. You join up to save the world, or at the very least to change it. Many times I have wondered what I can learn from him with regards to Solid Clouds.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
