#appcampus

We are very proud to announce the release of the first mobile version of Dengen Chronicles exclusively for Windows Phone users.

As you may recall, we had a great experience in AppCademy last year, enjoying the intensive training with world-class coaches from Nokia and Microsoft. We learned a lot and we came back to Italy with a strong commitment to developing an amazing Dengen app for the Windows Phone Store. Learning and experimenting are huge parts of our startup path and we have consciously worked, in order to be true to our ambitions.

We are sure that the new game mechanics will make the difference: the smart integration of NFC and movement sensors will offer users a special gameplay, winking at mobile consoles.

Dengen Chronicles on Windows Phone Store 

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Da questa mattina una decina di startup stanno lavorando insieme ai mentor di Microsoft al Mobile App Accelerator Camp di Torino, dove va in scena una formula già testata con successo lo scorso maggio a Roma sotto il nome di Appspark. Il MAAC è una full immersion di due giorni pensata con l’obiettivo di aiutare le startup che vi partecipano ad affinare il proprio progetto per conquistare uno dei grant messi a disposizione ogni anno da AppCampus. I team selezionati saranno infatti supportati da BizSpark, AppCampus e Nokia per mettere a punto la propria app per Windows Phone, il piano di business e la strategia per presentare una mobile app di successo

Enjoy this post by our CEO Andrea Postiglione, who recently had the great chance to visit Rovio’s HQ in Espoo, Finland.

I’m at Rovio’s headquarters, really close to Aalto University, where I’m attending AppCademy, an immersive training camp, with great guys from all over the world.This is so amazing, I’m actually here with some of those guys and I can see wood blocks and green pigs everywhere, it seems like I’m kind of just thrown in the Angry Birds game. This is a great opportunity to think big and see first-hand what the right approach and a huge commitment can generate in just a few short years. That’s an exercise every startup should do.

Anyway, I can’t fantasize any longer as Mighty Eagle is giving a little welcome speech. I mean of course Rovio’s CMO, Peter Vesterbacka. He is actually one of the minds behind the incredible success of the most popular Finnish game company.

“As a matter of fact, we can’t identify ourselves as a video game company anymore.” says Peter “We produce entertainment, we are concerned with education and definitely, we focus our efforts in creating a lifestyle.”

That’s really not bad, considering they were in danger of bankruptcy in 2009. Now they boast more users than Twitter and guess what? They are more influential than ever. The sky is the limit, literally!

Angry Birds Space just took things a step further: the collaboration with NASA opened them up to higher educational purposes. What’s more, on the occasion of the launch of a new Angry Birds episode, they made Red Bird land in Red Square for a massive outdoor celebration. “When you get to invade the Red Square, nothing is impossible.”

They got great results, so they can afford not to be modest. Without a doubt, that is the right approach if you want your business to go global.

The other side of the coin is that, when it comes to networking, they have a pretty straightforward attitude: they like to be direct and upfront. You just feel free to talk, even though you don’t have much time. And time is a key factor in this context. We are given only 30 seconds (yep, 30 seconds) to introduce ourselves and convey our value. So, this is a great chance for Mangatar.

I immediately realize I have to gain his attention, somehow. I just need a good ice breaker: “Thanks for welcoming us.” I smile “Curiously enough, I feel particularly at ease here. Maybe that’s because I’m from a small Italian town named Angri!” A good laugh sometimes is the best way to create a genuine connection with your potential investors. It’s a kind of trick, but it does work when you have very little time to make an impression.

I talk about Dengen Chronicles, emphasizing its value proposition and the importance of characterization. Besides, I can rely on a strategic visual support: I give Peter some of our stunning business cards, artistically designed by our talented Art Director. They always work their magic.

The conversation naturally shifts to characters. The character design is paramount, in the words of Rovio’s CMO. It is the result of a careful and thorough work, which inevitably impacts on every aspect of the product.

“The success of Angry Birds – points out Vesterbacka – lies in several factors. But the character design makes the difference. By the way, have you had a drink yet?”

It’s precisely on the character design that Rovio builds a $200 million empire. They offer us Angry Birds soft drinks, which are outselling Coke and Pepsi in Finland.

Angry birds are everywhere, from T-shirts to stuffed animals. “Just think of Hello Kitty…” My goodness, I know all too well what he means. Hello Kitty is one of the most powerful examples he could ever choose.

Apart from some exceptions, the character merchandising is a lesson we have yet to learn in Italy.

We are now discussing about usability. Their minimalist approach is setting a new standard: they decided to remove textual descriptions in order to increase the conversion rate. Thus, Angry Birds could attract far larger audiences. “Even a two-year child can now play the game” That’s certainly true: my child is fond of Angry Birds. That’s another precious piece of advice.

Much to our surprise, he concludes: “Setting aside for a while the gaming world, I would highly recommend you do some self-publishing. You will have the opportunity to learn a lot. Plus, you will be able to sharply focus on marketing.” In point of fact, education publishing is Rovio’s next big business.

After such an inspiring talk, we’re definitely ready to embrace the future.

1st June - Someone’s neat idea of a game..guess its that monkey game someone was jamming at startup weekend #helsinki

For those who wondered how @appcampus actually looks like: Wonder no more watch the video.

I made this video the last days really early, that’s why it is so empty. I think it doesn’t really get the vibe of that place. Actually it is even hard to explain, you really have to be there to understand. All this people from around the world with creative ideas and all in the same process of making it reality.

Today on day 4 we first had a session where we talked about the business canvas from Steve Blank. We talked about it quite detailed. Obviously everybody could buy the book, which is probably a good idea for somebody who wants to found a startup, but the real value of the session are the additions and the experience of the coaches. Also the feedback of the other team can be very good.

Today at #appcademy we are supposed to imagine our key customers.

But with a complete different approach. Because when you think of a startup you always ask yourself what are my customers. Bit in the lesson today we take, that a little bit further.

Our task is to do a collage on which we imagine a customer. But it had to be a “real” person. So we had to came up with a complete story about their live.

So in our case we have the 16yr old student John Dorian, his 37 year teacher Barbara Streusand. And other players are the principal Skinner and the politician Quimby.

All teams were provided with a loit of magazines and enough white space.

You might think that is a pretty silly way of thinking about your customers. There were even teams who didn’t join, bur I already took alot out of it. Although it is a imagery person you really start to see some thinks you didn’t take into account earlier.