Spielbound
Spielbound is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a 3,888+ title playable board game library in Omaha, Nebraska, with co-located for-profit cafe and outreach programs serving educators, seniors, local designers, families and general hobby gamers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersOmaha, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Spielbound does
Spielbound is a Nebraska-incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2012 in Omaha, Nebraska, operating what it describes as the largest playable board game library in North America with 3,888+ cataloged titles available for on-site play at a single 4,000+ square foot location at 3231 Harney St. The organization delivers its mission through four programmatic arms: an Education Outreach program partnering with the UNO College of Education to train future educators and supply lesson plans; a Stay Sharp seniors program focused on cognitive health in partnership with UNMC, Community 360 and area YMCA branches; the Spielmasons collective for local board game designers; and the Everyone Plays volunteer program that delivers free daily game demonstrations 365 days a year. A separate, for-profit sister business — the Spielbound Board Game Cafe — operates at the same address and provides beverages and casual food, sharing foot traffic with the nonprofit while remaining a distinct legal entity.
Technology is intentionally lightweight: a web-based, searchable catalog populated via the BoardGameGeek public API for game metadata (image, description, tags, player count, play time), with volunteer-driven manual curation for in-house fields such as game location and condition. Payment processing is handled through PayPal and Google Forms for volunteer onboarding. There is no proprietary platform, mobile app, or AI/ML layer. The organization relies on a 30+ person volunteer base to handle game cataloging, daily demos, event coordination and program support, which keeps the paid headcount in the 11–50 range.
Revenue mechanics are diversified across $5 day passes, annual memberships (discounted for teachers and adults 55+), direct donations and grants, with a separate for-profit revenue stream generated by the cafe. The single disclosed capital event is a 2012 Kickstarter campaign that raised $27,621 from 326 backers. Distribution is omnichannel in a constrained sense: walk-in foot traffic at the Omaha library plus mobile outreach to schools, libraries, senior centers, museums and community partners across the greater Omaha metro. Customer segments are horizontally distributed across educators, seniors, hobby gamers, families and local designers, with no single segment dominating.
Spielbound firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Spielbound
- Legal name
- Spielbound
- Website
- https://spielbound.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Spielbound is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a 3,888+ title playable board game library in Omaha, Nebraska, with co-located for-profit cafe and outreach programs serving educators, seniors, local designers, families and general hobby gamers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Spielbound industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Board Game Library
- NAICS
- Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Game Subscription & Membership Services (BPAMAKAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Board Game & Puzzle Specialty Retailers (CRALALAA)
Keywords
Where Spielbound is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Omaha
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Spielbound business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Day Passes and Memberships: Visitors pay $5 day passes or become paid members to access the game library and play games on-site. Memberships are discounted for seniors (55+) and teachers.
- Kickstarter Campaign: Initial funding through crowdfunding - 326 backers contributed $27,621 during the 30-day Kickstarter campaign
- Donations: Accepts direct donations as a 501c3 nonprofit organization, including game donations for the library
- Spielbound Board Game Cafe Partnership: Separate for-profit entity serves coffee, beer, and wine at the same location providing complementary revenue through shared foot traffic
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Day Pass |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Teacher/Senior Discounts |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Spielbound product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Spielbound operates a nonprofit board game library in Omaha, Nebraska, providing public access to over 3,000 cataloged board games through day passes and annual memberships. It complements library services with daily free game demonstrations, community outreach programs for educators and seniors, a designer collective, and a separate for-profit sister cafe selling beverages and select games. The organization's mission centers on education, community engagement, and accessibility of board gaming.
Product overview
Spielbound is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that operates as a community-centered board game library and cafe in Omaha, Nebraska. Its core offering is a publicly accessible game library with over 3,888 cataloged board, card, and tabletop games available for play on-site. The organization is structured around its nonprofit library operations complemented by a separate for-profit cafe entity (Spielbound Board Game Cafe) that provides beverages. Spielbound's mission is delivered through four main programmatic arms: the core Board Game Library, the Education Outreach Program for schools and teachers, the Stay Sharp Seniors Program for cognitive health in older adults, the Spielmasons game design collective, and the Everyone Plays volunteer program that provides daily game demonstrations and community outreach.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Stay Sharp: Senior wellness program focused on the cognitive benefits of board gaming for older adults
- Spielmasons
- Everyone Plays
Products and services
- Spielbound Board Game Library A nonprofit board game library offering over 3,000 cataloged games available for patrons to play on-site in Omaha, Nebraska. Games are donated by the community and cataloged by volunteers.
- Education Outreach Program
Quantifiable outcome
- Playing board games is more associated with preventing dementia than diet, exercise, or reading (per cited research)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Spielbound
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Spielbound technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature2 records
Spielbound partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- BoardGameGeek.comcoreIntegrated with BoardGameGeek's public API to populate game information including descriptions, images, player counts, play times, and tags for their online library catalog. This partnership enables comprehensive game data without manual entry.
- UNO College of EducationcorePartnership with University of Nebraska at Omaha College of Education to train future educators on incorporating play in the classroom. Includes student/faculty involvement in game-based learning programs.
- Community 360corePartner for Stay Sharp senior outreach program, bringing games directly to seniors and senior communities in the greater Omaha area.
- UNMC (University of Nebraska Medical Center)corePartner for Stay Sharp initiative focused on cognitive health benefits of gaming for seniors, potentially involved in research on geriatric gaming.
- Film StreamsminorCo-sponsored the documentary film 'World Peace and Other Fourth Grade Achievements' and held family game nights as part of KANEKO's interactive PLAY exhibit.
- KANEKOminorHosted four free community game nights at KANEKO facility as part of their interactive PLAY exhibit. Collaborative events including game nights and discussions.
- Spielbound Board Game CafecoreFor-profit sister entity operating at the same location serving coffee, beer, and wine. Separate but complementary business that supports the nonprofit mission while providing beverages and snacks for visitors.
- YMCA (Greater Omaha Area)minorStay Sharp and Spielbound donated over 250 games to be distributed at YMCA branches across the greater Omaha area. Also hosts game nights at YMCA locations.
- Cephalofair GamesminorPublisher that donated Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion directly to Spielbound library. Representatives visited the collection during fall of 2021.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Spielbound competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Snakes & Lattes: Board game cafe chain with multiple locations across North America offering food/beverage alongside a large playable library. Closest for-profit analog to Spielbound's library-plus-cafe model.
- Knight & Day Games: Board game store and play space with regular events and demos. Comparable retail-plus-play venue model.
- Victory Point Cafe: Board game cafe in the San Gabriel Valley with play library and food service. Comparable library-plus-cafe operator.
- Thirsty Meeples: Oxford-based board game cafe offering large playable library with food and drink. International peer with similar library/cafe model.
- Mox Boarding House: Multi-location board game cafe/restaurant in the Pacific Northwest with full bar, food service, and large game library. Directly comparable operating model to Spielbound.
- The Uncommons: NYC board game cafe with curated library, food/beverage, and retail. Comparable library-plus-cafe format targeting urban board game enthusiasts.
- Meepleville Board Game Cafe: Board game cafe offering a large playable library with food and beverage service. Closely matches Spielbound's consumer-facing library/cafe hybrid.
Broad incumbents
- Cool Stuff Inc. Large online board game retailer offering deep catalog, used games, and pre-orders. Adjacent retail incumbent with overlapping customer base but different fulfillment model.
Others
- Our Family Plays Games: Omaha-based board game content, promotion, and community outreach business led by Starla Fitch (named as Spielbound co-founder). Adjacent media/community peer serving the same regional audience.
- BoardGameGeek: Online database and community platform that powers Spielbound's catalog via public API. Adjacent ecosystem enabler for the board game hobby category.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Spielbound social profiles
Digital presenceSpielbound financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Spielbound leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Spielbound subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Spielbound funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Spielbound M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Spielbound
What does Spielbound do?
Spielbound operates a nonprofit board game library in Omaha, Nebraska, providing public access to over 3,000 cataloged board games through day passes and annual memberships. It complements library services with daily free game demonstrations, community outreach programs for educators and seniors, a designer collective, and a separate for-profit sister cafe selling beverages and select games. The organization's mission centers on education, community engagement, and accessibility of board gaming.
Is Spielbound a public or private company?
Spielbound is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Spielbound founded?
Spielbound was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Spielbound based?
Spielbound is headquartered in Omaha, United States, in the North America region.
How does Spielbound make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Day Passes and Memberships are the primary driver. The others are kickstarter Campaign, donations and spielbound Board Game Cafe Partnership.
Who are Spielbound's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Snakes & Lattes, Knight & Day Games, Victory Point Cafe, Thirsty Meeples, Mox Boarding House, The Uncommons and Meepleville Board Game Cafe. Cool Stuff Inc. is listed as a broad incumbent. Others are Our Family Plays Games and BoardGameGeek.
Does Spielbound have an API?
No public API is recorded for Spielbound.
What industry is Spielbound in?
Spielbound's product category is Community Board Game Library. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAKAD, Game Subscription & Membership Services, with a secondary code of CRALALAA, Board Game & Puzzle Specialty Retailers. Its NAICS code is 611620 and its SIC code is 7900.