[pocketgamer] 22 year old raises $3.7 million for Roblox tool platform Gamebeast

LiveOps and data insight platform Gamebeast has raised $3.7 million in a pre-seed funding round led by J2 Ventures.

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a16z Speedrun, The Mini Fund and Spaceport CEO Le Zhang also participated in the round, as reported by GamesBeat.

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The funds raised will go towards building Gamebeast’s no-code tooling platform, tailored towards user-generated content and beginning with Roblox’s ecosystem. In time, the firm plans to extend its tools to other UGC platforms - a hot topic of 2024 that even EA is looking to make the most of.

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"Across diverse fields"

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By building out its platform, Gamebeast aims to supply not only developers with tools to support their games but also the military sector. The latter is an area planned for further exploration, and as such no additional details have yet emerged.

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In the meantime, Gamebeast will focus on enhancing its platform "for strategic game and data acquisitions" by offering services like LiveOps support, A/B testing, and management tools. The platform also aims to promote games, encourage spending from free-to-play gamers and further engage those already monetised.

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"Gamebeast is revolutionising the way developers create and optimise Roblox experiences. Our platform empowers developers to seamlessly detect and address player pain points, ensuring an engaging and rewarding experience," said Gamebeast CEO Zander Brumbaugh.

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"Beyond gaming, Gamebeast’s robust capabilities are also being explored for defence applications, where real-time updates and automated analysis can enhance training simulations and strategic planning. We’re excited to see how Gamebeast can drive innovation across diverse fields."

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J2 general partner Christine Keung added: "Gamebeast’s success among Roblox developers is evident, and its tech and platform hold huge potential for defence.

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"Gamebeast’s gaming expertise is crucial for the Air Force and initiatives to leverage industry experts in creating and analysing advanced digital environments. Non-dilutive funding and co-development with the DoD will help Gamebeast scale and provide the military with non-forceful conflict prevention methods."

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Youthful initiative

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Gamebeast’s pre-seed round follows its founding in late 2023, evolving Brumbaugh’s childhood development on Roblox into a new enterprise to provide tools to other games creators. During his years creating Roblox experiences, he amassed almost 500 million lifetime game visits.

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Now aged 22, Brumbaugh runs a team of 16 employees (as per Tech News) and is looking to empower creators’ data-driven decisions. As a young entrepreneur in the field, he is currently completing a Masters degree in Computer Science at the University of Washington.

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