Exploding Kittens continues to rock the gaming universe.
Five years ago, award-winning Xbox game designer Elan Lee teamed up with The Oatmeal founder Matt Inman to launch a new board game concept, Exploding Kittens. The duo hoped to pull together a modest $10K via Kickstarter. What followed is the stuff of legend: in just 30 days, 200K+ backers contributed $9M, shattering all previous Kickstarter records.
That historic debut jump-started the creation of an IP empire that many see as the future of entertainment. On its surface, EK may look like a typical retail card/board game. But the company is swiftly migrating its content, characters and gameplay into today’s hottest digital entertainment platforms – streaming, board, console, mobile and party gaming.
Meanwhile, major film and theme park deals are already in the works. This is consistent with their brand ethos: “Since the beginning, Exploding Kittens has aimed to inspire people to put down their screens and connect, laugh and play in the physical world,” says Elan Lee, Co-Founder and CEO.
Why you should care.
• EK has ~30 games in-market
• Mobile app is a top-30 premium game on iOS, Android and Nintendo Switch
• First Netflix project in production with more film, TV and theme park deals in the pipeline
A Bit More Context.
• Profitable since day one
• Revenues approaching nine figures
• ~30% growth projected in 2023
• Triple-digit margins outpace industry comps – still accelerating
• Strategic investors: The Chernin Group and Paris-based Asmodee Group
• Asmodee sells over 39M games per year across 50 countries
Where JJA Fits In.
To nail the role of Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), Carly wanted a partner she could team up with to form an unstoppable dynamic duo. The spec called for a skillset to compliment Carly’s own superpowers. That meant a proven builder – a go-to-market visionary who could serve as revenue, marketing and business development leader across D2C, eCommerce and retail channels.
After an exhaustive search, Carly and her board offered the job to Jed Paulson, a veteran of eBay, REI and Accenture. As Jed celebrates his first anniversary, the company has been acquired by French games powerhouse Asmodee, which in turn was acquired by Swedish holding company Embracer Group. Big wins all around.
“Carly was a joy to work with and an absolute talent magnet. Her rare blend of passion, humility and intellectual honesty meant she was always ready to meet candidates and provide invaluable feedback. With Jed, we knew we’d found a great match.”
– Jim Jonassen, Founder, JJA.co
