What Joystick Ventures does

Joystick Ventures is a venture capital fund founded in 2020 and headquartered in Sherman Oaks, United States, that invests in independent video game studios. The firm seeks developers with unique IP, strong team leadership, and a demonstrated ability to collaborate, then pairs capital with publishing and marketing guidance intended to help studios realize their creative vision while retaining creative control. Its disclosed portfolio contains at least twelve indie game titles spanning platformers (AntonBlast, Hell Of An Office), roguelikes (Enter the Chronosphere, StarVaders, Big Boy Boxing), point-and-click adventures (Lost In Play, Around), tactical games (Toy Tactics), detective games (Chicken Police: Into the Hive!, Do Not Feed The Monkeys 2099), and action titles (Phantom Fury, FixFox). The fund earns returns through equity investments in these studios, with management fees and eventual carried interest implied as the revenue mechanics typical of a venture vehicle; no fund size, AUM, or revenue figures are publicly disclosed.

The firm operates with a lean team of approximately seven members, anchored by Managing Partner Ivan Carrillo (an entrepreneur with four prior companies and combined prior valuation of USD 100M+), Principal Justin Berenbaum (also VP of Strategy at Xsolla and GM of Xsolla Funding Club), industry veteran Ed Lin, Eastern Europe pioneer Dmitri Bourkovski (Noviy Disk, Nintendo Russia, Mail.Ru), Analyst Ernest Chung, Controller Oscar Sanchez (ex-CNBV), and Legal lead Andrea Navarro de la Maza. Its core strategic partnership is with Xsolla, which provides an embedded channel for deal flow, publishing support, and distribution. The fund operates across North America, Europe, and Eastern Europe, with an active outreach effort to recruit both new LPs and new game studios into its portfolio as of 2024. No AI/ML capabilities, proprietary technology platform, or product software are disclosed; the firm's competitive positioning rests on industry relationships, brand, and the Xsolla ecosystem rather than a technology moat.

Name

Joystick Ventures

Legal name

Joystick Ventures

Website

https://joystickventures.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital / Game Industry Investment

NAICS

Other Financial Vehicles (525990)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Venture Debt Providers (FSANAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Strategy/4X/Management Game Studios (MPAFAAAK)

Keywords

• Venture capital
• Indie game funding
• Video game investment
• Game publishing support
• Startup financing

Headquarters

HQ city

Sherman Oaks

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Venture Capital Returns: As a VC fund investing in video game studios, Joystick Ventures generates returns through equity investments in portfolio companies. They provide comprehensive venture capital, industry relationships, and expertise to indie game developers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Joystick Ventures is a venture capital fund that invests equity capital into independent video game studios and provides accompanying publishing guidance, marketing support, and industry relationships. The firm partners with indie game developers who demonstrate unique IP, strong team leadership, and collaborative ability, helping them realize and release their games through the Xsolla distribution and publishing ecosystem.

Product overview

Joystick Ventures is a VC fund established in 2020 that provides venture capital, industry relationships, and expertise to video game developers. Rather than a unified product platform, the company offers financial investment and publishing/marketing guidance to indie game studios. Their portfolio consists of investments in various video game titles across different genres, including adventure games (Around, Lost In Play), platformers (AntonBlast, Hell Of An Office), tactical games (StarVaders, Toy Tactics, Enter the Chronosphere), detective games (Chicken Police: Into the Hive!, Do Not Feed The Monkeys 2099), action games (Phantom Fury, FixFox), and roguelites (Big Boy Boxing). The company identifies developers with standout IP, team leadership, and collaboration skills and provides them with the financial backing and publishing guidance needed to realize their vision.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Venture Capital Investment for Indie Game Studios Equity capital investment in independent video game studios and developers who demonstrate unique IP, strong team leadership, and collaborative ability, providing financial backing to develop and release their games.
• Publishing and Marketing Guidance Hands-on publishing guidance and marketing support provided to portfolio game studios, leveraging the team's experience from major gaming publishers to help developers achieve strong commercial outcomes while retaining creative control of their IP.
• Investor Capital Raising Capital raising from investors seeking exposure to the indie video game market, packaged within a specialist venture capital vehicle managed by veterans of major gaming publishers.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• XsollacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerXsolla is a key strategic partner providing the ecosystem for game distribution, publishing support, and funding. Team member Justin Berenbaum serves as VP of Strategy at Xsolla and GM of Xsolla Funding Club, while Ernest Chung serves as Head Playtester and Analyst at both Joystick Ventures and Xsolla Funding Club.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Konvoy Ventures: Venture capital fund focused on the business of gaming, investing across gaming infrastructure, tools, and studios. Directly comparable as a gaming-focused specialist VC.
• Sisu Game Ventures: Early-stage gaming VC investing in game studios and infrastructure with Nordic and global reach. Directly comparable as a specialist gaming VC targeting indie and emerging studios.
• Play Ventures: Early-stage gaming VC fund backing game studios globally at seed and Series A. Directly comparable as a specialist gaming VC targeting indie developers with similar check sizes and stage.
• Bitkraft Ventures: One of the largest gaming-focused venture capital firms globally, investing across seed to growth stages in game studios, gaming platforms, and infrastructure. Directly comparable as a specialist gaming VC serving indie developers with capital and industry expertise.
• Hiro Capital: Venture capital fund investing in games, esports, and digital sports. Directly comparable as a specialist gaming VC with focus on early-stage interactive entertainment companies.
• Galaxy Interactive: Multi-stage investment firm focused on interactive entertainment and gaming, backing studios and platforms globally. Directly comparable as a specialist gaming VC with similar stage and sector focus.
• 1Up Ventures: Single-LP fund backed by Take-Two Interactive focused on gaming and interactive entertainment investments. Directly comparable as a specialist gaming VC serving game studios.
• Makers Fund: Global interactive entertainment VC investing in game studios and adjacent technology. Directly comparable as a specialist fund serving indie developers with capital and publishing guidance.
• London Venture Partners (LVP): London-based seed and early-stage VC exclusively focused on the video games industry. Directly comparable as a specialist gaming VC providing capital and industry support to game studios.

Broad incumbents

• Andreessen Horowitz (Games Fund): Major venture firm with a dedicated games fund investing across gaming studios, infrastructure, and platforms. Comparable as a competing capital source for game studios, though broader in portfolio scope than Joystick's pure-play indie focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/joystick-ventures

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Joystick Ventures