1AM Gaming

What 1AM Gaming does

1AM Gaming is an early-stage venture capital firm focused exclusively on the gaming industry, investing across content, platforms, and technology. Founded in 2023 and domiciled as 1AM Gaming LLC in Santa Monica, California, the firm targets gaming founders and builders with prior operating experience at major franchises and game studios. Its stated thesis is to partner with operators — founders who have shipped titles across mobile, PC, and web and driven international revenue — rather than act as purely financial capital providers.

The firm operates with a deliberately small team: two Managing Partners (Gregory Milken and Frank Liquido) are supported by two Venture Partners (Dan Bunting and Joe Yuan). The partners collectively claim operating backgrounds at Google, Riot Games, Deloitte, Carlyle, Bessemer, Fox, and Warner, and reference franchise experience spanning League of Legends, World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, Apex Legends, Candy Crush, and Hearthstone. The firm does not develop proprietary technology products, APIs, or platforms; its "product" is the investment vehicle itself, including capital, strategic guidance on international expansion, and access to a network of 20 portfolio companies.

1AM Gaming's revenue model is typical of a venture capital firm — returns are generated through equity investments in portfolio companies, realized via acquisitions, IPOs, or secondary sales. As of the available data, the firm has disclosed no fund size, AUM, management fee structure, or carried interest terms, and it has no public revenue figures. Distribution is conducted directly through the firm's website (1am-gaming.com), inbound contact ([email protected]), and partner LinkedIn profiles, with deal sourcing driven primarily by industry network referrals rather than traditional institutional channels.

Name

1AM Gaming

Legal name

1AM Gaming LLC

Website

https://1am-gaming.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

1AM Gaming is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2023 in Santa Monica that invests in gaming industry content, platforms, and technology. It partners with experienced gaming operators and currently backs a portfolio of 20 companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital

NAICS

Management of Companies and Enterprises (55111), Open-End Investment Funds (525910)

SIC

Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)

akta.pro primary industry

Media, Entertainment & Gaming Growth Equity (FSANACAI)

Keywords

• Venture capital
• Gaming investments
• Early-stage funding
• Game studios
• Gaming industry

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Monica

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns / Equity Gains: As a VC firm, 1AM Gaming generates returns through equity investments in early-stage gaming companies. Returns are realized through portfolio company exits via acquisitions, IPOs, or secondary sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

1AM Gaming is a venture capital firm that invests in game industry-leading content, platforms, and technology. The firm partners with game industry founders and builders, providing capital and strategic support to early-stage gaming companies led by operators who have shipped titles at major franchises.

Product overview

1AM Gaming is a venture capital firm that provides investment services to the gaming industry, rather than a product company. The firm focuses on investing in game industry-leading content, platforms, and technology through its core VC investment service. The company does not offer a unified platform with modules, but rather operates as an investment vehicle that partners with portfolio companies including Dorian, Communix, DreamCraft, DropFake, DSTLRY, Empty Vessel, Gridrival, Gulliver's Games, Hydra, Legion Studios, Lightfox Games, Loric, Magic Potion Games, Moon Beast, Octopus Panic, Operative Games, Notorious Studios, Playgig, Rooter, and Treesplease.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 1AM Gaming VC Investment Services A venture capital investment service targeting early-stage gaming companies in content, platforms, and technology. The firm partners with game industry builders who have operational experience at major companies and franchises, providing capital alongside strategic guidance.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• 1UP Ventures: Early-stage venture capital firm focused on gaming and esports startups. Comparable as a sector-dedicated VC investing across gaming content, platforms, and tooling with a similar founder-friendly orientation.
• Bitkraft Ventures: One of the largest gaming-focused venture capital firms globally, investing across content, platforms, and infrastructure in interactive entertainment. Directly comparable as a sector-specialist VC with operator backgrounds and a similar content/platform/technology investment thesis.
• Hiro Capital: Games and metaverse-focused venture capital firm investing in content, technology, and platforms. Comparable as a gaming-sector specialist VC with similar thesis pillars and a global portfolio of gaming companies.
• Galaxy Interactive: Multi-stage investment firm focused on interactive entertainment, gaming, and the metaverse. Comparable as a gaming-dedicated investor backing founders building content and platforms, with similar multi-stage check sizes.
• Makers Fund: Gaming-focused venture capital firm investing in interactive entertainment across mobile, PC, console, and web. Directly comparable due to its thesis of partnering with operator-founders in the gaming industry.
• Griffin Gaming Partners: One of the world's largest venture funds dedicated to gaming, founded by Phil Sanderson and others with deep industry operator backgrounds. Closely comparable as a gaming-specialist VC with an operator thesis and broad portfolio across gaming content and technology.
• Vgames: Tel Aviv-based, gaming-focused venture capital firm investing in interactive entertainment across content, platforms, and infrastructure. Comparable as a gaming-specialist VC with a similar founder-led, sector-dedicated thesis.
• Konvoy Ventures: Gaming-focused venture capital firm investing in early-stage gaming infrastructure, platforms, and content companies. Comparable as a specialist gaming investor with similar thesis focus on content, platforms, and technology.
• London Venture Partners (LVP): Gaming-focused venture capital firm investing in game studios, platforms, and technology with deep operator roots. Comparable as a specialist gaming VC with a similar multi-stage content/platform/technology mandate.

Broad incumbents

• a16z Games: The games-focused investing arm of Andreessen Horowitz, backing gaming startups across content, platforms, and infrastructure. Comparable as an investor in the same gaming thesis, but operates as part of a much larger generalist firm with significantly more capital and broader capabilities.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments8 records

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

Frequently asked questions about 1AM Gaming