Founder Simulator
36 months. One company. Keep the account above zero, build something people want, and do not burn yourself out.
A game, not startup advice. The numbers and processes are sharpened for play; real grants, tax duties and social-insurance obligations work differently.
How to play
- Name your company and choose an industry and a founder type — both change costs, growth and market size for the whole run.
- Each month, pick exactly one action: improve the product, do marketing, hire someone, pitch investors, network, or take a breather.
- Read the closing statement. New customers grow out of awareness and product quality, churn falls as the product improves, and the fixed costs run every single month.
- Events offer a choice of two. Some are permanent — a co-founder costs 20% of the company, an accountant on retainer costs €250 a month for good.
- Keep the account above zero. Go negative and you get exactly one emergency loan; after that the run is over.
Founder Simulator is a free business browser game on DropPlay in which players steer a company they founded through 36 months of product work, marketing, hiring and investor rounds. You begin by picking one of five industries — a SaaS tool, a café, an online shop, a trade business or a fitness app, which differ sharply in price, cost of goods, fixed costs, market size and churn — and one of three founder types. After that each month allows exactly one action, followed by a closing statement showing new customers, churn, revenue and costs. Fifteen random events put decisions with lasting consequences in your way, and energy and morale can fall far enough that a burnout costs a whole month. The run ends in insolvency, a sale, a return to employment, or three years survived. It runs straight in the browser on desktop, tablet and phone, with no download and no sign-up.
Tips & strategy
- Product first. Marketing only works at 70% while the product is below 30, and churn is tied directly to product quality — a weak product means the customers you paid for leave again.
- Do not hire before revenue covers the fixed costs. Each person costs €2,000 to recruit and €3,630 every month after that — €3,000 gross plus roughly 21% of employer social-insurance contributions. Including the month you spend in bed.
- Only pitch once product, awareness and customer count are there. The odds start at 10% and grow with all three; an early pitch just burns energy.
- Watch your energy. At zero you lose an entire month and still pay for it — more expensive than any breather you could have taken beforehand.
- The industries play completely differently. The fitness app earns €7 per customer across a market of 50,000; the trade business earns €220 across 200. One wins on volume, the other on referrals.
- The penny pincher is underrated: €8,000 more capital and 10% off every cost compounds across 36 months far better than a one-off bonus.
FAQ
How do you play Founder Simulator?
You choose an industry and a founder type, then make one decision a month for 36 months. After each action you see the month's closing statement with new customers, churn, revenue and costs. The goal is to keep the account above zero and make the company as valuable as you can.
How can the game end?
Four ways: insolvency, when the account is empty and the emergency loan is gone or the product is too weak to qualify; a return to employment if you take a job offer; a sale to a corporation once the company is worth more than €350,000 and an offer arrives; or the regular ending after 36 months with one of four ratings.
Which industry is the easiest?
The SaaS tool is the most forgiving: low start-up costs, low cost of goods and the highest valuation multiple. The café is the hardest — €12,000 to start, €3,200 a month in fixed costs and a ceiling of only 700 customers.
What happens in a burnout?
If energy hits zero you lose an entire month. Product and awareness each drop four points, the fixed costs are taken anyway, and you come back with 45 energy. Prevention is cheaper: “take a breather” restores 35 energy and 12 morale.
Is Founder Simulator realistic?
The mechanics model real relationships — churn falls with product quality, fixed costs run regardless of revenue, and equity once given away is gone for good. The numbers are sharpened for a run of about fifteen minutes, though. It is a game, not startup advice.
Is my result saved?
Your best result — what your own share was worth at the end — is stored in your browser through the LocalStorage API and never leaves your device. Runs in progress are not saved; a game is meant to be played in one sitting.
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