Gamefound

Gamefound is a crowdfunding and community platform headquartered in Wroclaw, Poland, specifically tailored for the tabletop game industry. The company was founded in 2016 by Marcin Świerkot, the CEO of board game publisher Awaken Realms, and Szymon Matyjaszek, who serves as Gamefound's CTO. Initially, it was developed as a pledge manager to handle the complexities of Awaken Realms' own successful crowdfunding campaigns, addressing needs like managing add-ons, language editions, and shipping which existing platforms did not systematically support. This internal tool was soon offered to other creators, leading to its growth as an independent platform. Although it originated as an offshoot of Awaken Realms, Gamefound now operates as a separate entity.

The platform serves board game creators by providing a comprehensive, all-in-one solution that covers the entire project lifecycle, from the initial announcement and follower acquisition to campaign fulfillment and long-tail sales of remaining stock. Its business model is based on charging a percentage-based fee on the funds raised, which is competitive with other platforms. For backers, Gamefound offers a user-friendly and localized experience with features designed to enhance their participation. In February 2022, the company secured a significant strategic investment of $4.5 million from Ravensburger's Next Ventures fund to fuel further growth and team expansion. A major milestone occurred in July 2025 when Gamefound acquired the pioneering crowdfunding platform Indiegogo, a move set to integrate Gamefound's advanced technology across all of Indiegogo's categories and significantly expand its market reach.

Gamefound distinguishes itself with a robust suite of features designed for the specific needs of complex tabletop game projects. Creators benefit from an integrated pledge manager, which simplifies post-campaign order and shipping management. The platform also offers tools like 'Stretch Pay,' allowing backers to pay for pledges in interest-free installments, potentially increasing support for higher-tiered pledges. Other key features include automated EU/UK VAT handling, multilingual support, advanced analytics dashboards, and various marketing tools like 'Adfound'—an in-house marketing engine—and pre-launch follower gifts to build momentum. The platform continually releases new features, shipping updates approximately every two weeks to enhance the experience for both creators and its community of over one million backers.

Keywords: crowdfunding, board games, tabletop games, pledge manager, game publishing, Marcin Świerkot, Awaken Realms, Ravensburger, Indiegogo, game financing, community platform, tabletop crowdfunding, game development tools, creator services, backer community, project funding, game campaigns, miniatures, RPG funding, game fulfillment