Playing Lean (Lean Friends AS)

What Playing Lean (Lean Friends AS) does

Playing Lean (legal entity Lean Friends AS) is a Norwegian private company founded in 2013-2014 by Simen Fure Jørgensen (game creator) and Tore Rasmussen, headquartered in Oslo at Meltzers gate 5. The company designs and sells Playing Lean 2, an analog board game that simulates the Lean Startup methodology — players assume roles as competing startup teams, run experiments using domain-specific experiment cards, build product features, bid on company-block upgrades, and progress customer tiles from early adopters toward majority market, all while recording results on innovation-accounting tear sheets. The game is co-developed with Alexander Osterwalder (Business Model Canvas) and incorporates frameworks from Ash Maurya (Lean Canvas), and is sold with three scenario modules: Hospitality (base), Ride Sharing, and Social Media.

The business model is asset-light and direct-to-consumer. The €159 base game and add-on scenarios are sold via the company's own e-commerce site (powered by Shopify), with global physical shipping. A €899 one-time Facilitator Training certification course — covering game rules, facilitation technique, Lean Startup theory, and workshop templates — generates a second revenue stream and builds a global network of independent certified facilitators who purchase games and run workshops for corporate clients, universities, and accelerators. Marketing relies on content channels: regular blog posts, a YouTube channel, monthly expert webinars, email newsletters, Kickstarter product launches, and community events such as Playing Lean Community Day. The company has no disclosed institutional investment, operates with a small team of 1-10, and has validated traction through multiple oversubscribed Kickstarter campaigns (500% and 469% of goal) and over 1,000 copies of the first edition sold.

Name

Playing Lean (Lean Friends AS)

Legal name

Lean Friends AS

Website

https://playinglean.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Norwegian board game company that sells Playing Lean 2, an analog simulation game teaching Lean Startup methodology to corporate innovation teams, universities, accelerators, and independent coaches through gamified workshops supported by a global certified facilitator network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational board games

NAICS

Doll, Toy, and Game Manufacturing (33993), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (459120)

SIC

Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944), Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAFAAAH

Serious Games & Simulation Studios (Training, Defense, Enterprise)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Gaming & Interactive Entertainment (Video Games, Esports)/Game Development Studios (PC/Console/Mobile)

SECONDARYCRALAFAH

Hobby Games & Miniatures Retail (Tabletop RPGs, Wargaming)

Consumer Products & Retail/Specialty Retail (Hobby, Books, Office, Pet, Toys)/Toy Stores & Games Retail

Keywords

• Lean startup board game
• Innovation training tools
• Entrepreneurship education
• Facilitator certification program
• Experiential learning games

Headquarters

HQ city

Oslo

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Board Game Sales: One-time purchase of physical Playing Lean 2 board game and expansion scenarios, sold directly through the company's website.
2. Facilitator Training: Online training program for coaches and educators to become certified Playing Lean facilitators, providing video walkthroughs, templates, workshop materials, and instructor access for €899 one-time payment with lifetime access.
3. Business Modelling Facilitator Training: Training program covering Business Model Canvas and Lean Canvas tools, with optional certification through exam and reflection paper submission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Playing Lean designs, manufactures, and sells a physical board game (Playing Lean 2) that simulates the Lean Startup methodology through competitive gameplay involving experiment cards, company building, and customer acquisition. The company also sells expansion scenarios and offers an online Facilitator Training certification program that teaches coaches and educators how to run effective Lean Startup workshops using the game.

Product overview

Playing Lean is a board game-based training platform that teaches Lean Startup methodology through gamified simulation. The core product is the Playing Lean 2 board game, which can be enhanced with three expansion scenarios (Hospitality, Ride Sharing, Social Media). The company also offers a Facilitator Training program for coaches and educators who want to run professional workshops, and a companion mobile app called Playing Lean Cards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Playing Lean Academy: Dedicated to providing the best tools for innovators. Established since 2015.

Products and services

• Playing Lean 2 Board Game Award-winning physical board game that teaches Lean Startup methodology through competitive gameplay. Teams operate virtual startups, run experiment cards derived from Lean Startup / Lean Canvas / Value Proposition Design concepts, bid on Company Blocks, and compete to capture an emerging customer market. Used in corporate training, universities, accelerators, and by independent coaches worldwide.
• Hospitality Industry Scenario Base game expansion scenario built around the Value Proposition Design framework in partnership with Alexander Osterwalder. It serves as the core introduction to Lean Startup for any team and is bundled with the Playing Lean 2 base game.
• Ride Sharing Scenario Expansion scenario that explores additional Lean Startup concepts through the lens of a competitive ride-sharing market. Provides replayability for teams that have completed the base scenario.
• Social Media Scenario Expansion scenario that dives into the dynamics of social platform growth and network effects, extending both the concept coverage and replayability of the game.
• Playing Lean Facilitator Training Online certification program (€899, one-time payment with lifetime access) that trains coaches, educators, and innovation professionals to run effective Playing Lean workshops. Includes video walkthroughs of game rules, facilitation, and Lean Startup theory; ready-to-use templates; backstories for all Hospitality Experiment Cards; PDFs, PowerPoints, graphics, and workshop materials; and unlimited access to instructors.
• Playing Lean Cards App Companion mobile application for using Playing Lean cards and storing data about play sessions for future reference.

Quantifiable outcome

• Thousands of entrepreneurs and teams have learned by doing since 2015
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Alexander OsterwalderflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Co-developed Playing Lean 2 with Alexander Osterwalder, inventor of the Business Model Canvas. The partnership grounded the game in Value Proposition Design framework, creating the Hospitality Industry scenario as the core base game. This collaboration is central to Playing Lean 2's positioning and marketing.
• Ash MauryacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Author of Running Lean and creator of Lean Canvas wrote the Playing Lean Facilitator Guide. His Lean Canvas framework is used in Playing Lean scenarios (Social Media, Ride Sharing). His endorsement helped build momentum for the Kickstarter campaign.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Breakout EDU: Educational game platform used in schools and corporate training. Comparable as a serious-games publisher selling physical/digital kits plus facilitator training, although primarily K-12 focused rather than entrepreneurship methodology.
• Strategyzer: Alexander Osterwalder's company, which created the Business Model Canvas and Value Proposition Design tools that Playing Lean 2 is built around. Comparable as a methodology-to-practice enabler for innovation teams, though Strategyzer sells frameworks/workshops rather than board games.
• FunRetrospectives: Community and tooling for Agile retrospective facilitation. Adjacent to Playing Lean in serving the same Agile/Lean coach buyer and offering facilitator training content, though delivered digitally rather than as a board game.
• Design Sprint Kit (Jake Knapp / AJ&Smart): Training and tools for running Design Sprints, an adjacent innovation methodology to Lean Startup. Comparable as a methodology-training business targeting the same coach and corporate innovation buyer that Playing Lean serves.

Broad incumbents

• Mural: Enterprise visual collaboration platform widely used for innovation and Lean workshops. Competes for the same corporate facilitation budget that drives Playing Lean facilitator sales, but as a broad digital incumbent rather than a niche game.
• Kahoot: Public gamified learning platform used in both education and corporate training. Overlaps with Playing Lean in targeting educators and trainers with engaging game formats, though at much larger scale and broader scope.
• Asmodee: One of the world's largest board game publishers. Relevant for understanding the broader hobby/board game distribution and retail dynamics Playing Lean would tap into for scaling sales, although Asmodee is not focused on serious/educational games.

Direct peers

• Innovation Games (Luke Hohmann): Serious games portfolio for product management and innovation workshops, including card-based and physical formats. Directly comparable to Playing Lean as a structured game-based toolkit for running innovation sessions with corporate teams.
• Gamestorming: Catalog of games, visual exercises, and structured activities (originating from Dave Gray/SAMA) for innovation workshops. Directly comparable as an open library of facilitation games targeting the same coaches and corporate innovation audiences as Playing Lean.
• GetKanban: Board game that teaches the Kanban method through play, founded by Mike Burrows. Directly comparable to Playing Lean in format (physical board game for a Lean/Agile methodology), target buyer (corporate trainers, Agile coaches), and GTM (workshops plus facilitator network).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCa2zz0TF7y24TldIEIRl51A
• Xx.com/playinglean
• Facebookfacebook.com/playinglean
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/playing-lean

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Playing Lean (Lean Friends AS)