fnGlobal Keynote with Lifetime Member Alan Wilson (February 17, 2021)

Here is the link to the slides that Alan used in the presentation.

Failure is the part we hate talking about — but it’s a critical component of success.

When Alan Wilson, co-founder of gaming company, Tripwire Interactive, was unable to get venture capital, he and his partners had to bootstrap it. Even more of a challenge, they had to get creative when it came to distribution. Today they are well-established in the industry, with over 40 million units sold. To get there, they had to risk failing, the right way.

Register for Alan Wilson’s Founders Network global keynote about turning failures into opportunities and gain insights into:

• Taking smart risks and planning for the worst
• Finding creative methods of funding and distribution
• Making bootstrapping work
• Delegating more

Opening Remarks & Chapter Launch @ 9:30am PT

Join us for opening remarks with Kevin Holmes, Founder & CEO @ Founders Network, to get the latest updates from the Network and opportunities for getting involved. Celebrate the launch of FN's new Washtington D.C. Chapter and meet Anil Karmel, Chapter Director; Barbara Buchanan, Growth Chair and Tony Ma, Membership Chair.

Keynote Speaker @ 9:40am PT

Alan Wilson (Oct'18 Cohort)

Alan is a Lifetime member at Founders Network and the Growth Chair of fnAtlanta Chapter.

Prior to co-founding Tripwire Interactive, Alan had two startups under his belt (one sold, one shuttered) as well as a 25-year “serious” career in the Oil, Defence and Finance sectors.

After the unexpected success of winning the 2004 Make Something Unreal contest, an amateur team, with almost no capital, became Tripwire Interactive in Feb 2005. Bootstrapping to deliver the first game, Tripwire also helped prove the concepts of digital selling of video games, being the first successful non-Valve title on Steam in 2006.

From there, Tripwire has gone on to release multiple titles for PC and Console: Red Orchestra, Rising Storm, Killing Floor and, most recently, Maneater. With over 40m customers worldwide and $250m generated in sales, Tripwire has now added a publishing division to further accelerate growth.

During that time, Alan has been responsible for a wide variety of tasks (apart from actual game design), including Marketing, PR, Finance and Funding. As the company has grown, Alan is now primarily responsible for Funding and M&A.

Stage-Based Roundtables @ 10:15 am PT

Following our Global Keynote, please join your stage-based roundtable facilitated by keynote speaker and executive coach, Nathan Parcells (Sep'11 Cohort), for a 45-minute discussion group covering the following:

• A deeper dive into this month's keynote topic(s).
• A facilitated group conversation on key challenges you are facing and to get support and feedback from your other startup founders.
• 1-1 breakouts to connect you with other FN members and have confidential conversations on topics you want to explore ranging from mental health to team issues.

Nathan is a former startup founder and current executive coach. He works with the founders of a wide range of businesses; from startups (backed by Andreessen Horowitz, LearnCapital, YC, and more) to consulting firms to the CEO/COO of a national chain of donut shops. Nathan's specialty is in team-communication, conflict resolution, and process changes that create stronger culture. Nathan also has training and expertise in DE&I work.

Nathan most recently gave a presentation on techniques for better and more resilient co-founder communication that you can scale to your whole company.

Guests Are Welcome!

Please bring a guest! Every member can bring one (1) guest to each event. Each guest must be a full-time tech startup founder so they can bring new perspectives, skillsets, and experience to your chapter.

All guests must be full-time tech startup founders and you can register them directly on this function page. See How to Register a Guest here.

Confidentiality Reminder

All information shared within Founders Network is strictly confidential. We are built on a foundation of trust, and the community takes confidentiality seriously. Investors, members, and staff all share experiences and opinions off the record. In this roundtable forum, we continue to model our fnValues of Reciprocity, Humility, Authenticity and Inclusivity.