In this Ignite Podcast episode, Michael Waitze is joined by Ferdinand Gutierrez, the CEO of gaming entertainment startup Ampverse. In this episode, Michael and Ferdinand talked about the most important factor in the success of an early-stage venture, the startup mindset, and the future of Ampverse. 

The key to a startup’s success

Michael started off the podcast with a hard-hitting question about the most important factor to the success of an early startup.

Ferdinand clinched back with a straight forward answer: “It’s the mentality. You need to be stronger than the punch.” 

The startup journey is difficult and you need to be psychologically and physically strong to survive the initial pushbacks, he explained. 

The other important factor is to validate your ideas fast. “You need to try to get to the business as quickly as you can.” This means finding out early whether your ideas are feasible or not, he told Michael.  

This is because as long as startups continue to test with real users and learn about what they are doing, they can continue to figure out what users want and improve their products accordingly. 

This was also the case when Ampverse first started out. As Ferdinand puts it: “We didn’t have any technology. We just needed to see if there’s an appetite for what we’re doing.” 

For Ampverse, the answer was a resounding “yes,” and the rest is history. 

Having the startup mindset

For Ferdinand, you know when you have a startup mindset when you find it hard to ignore the pull towards starting your own business, even if you have a stable job. 

“I really love the start of businesses. I love thinking about what’s out there and trying to conquer a goal together with a team,” he reflected.

The future of Ampverse

Ferdinand’s vision for Ampverse is for it to be the biggest and brightest gaming entertainment company in Southeast Asia. 

While he is confident quality content will be the backbone of the business, he admits that the Ampverse team still figuring out whether a business pivot is necessary for them to achieve this goal. 

Currently, Ampverse specialises in connecting brands with content creators, as well as helping streamers become more brand-friendly without losing their authenticity. 

Nevertheless, the company has started new vertices, such as investing in an esports team to see if the venture is scalable. 

Ferdinand and his team at Ampverse are now in the process of recalibrating their company direction. 

“What are the bigger holes that we can plug if we become another type of business?” Ferdinand wondered. “Answering this question will be key to figuring out the future of Ampverse.” 

Tune in to this Ignite podcast episode to hear more about Ampverse, Southeast Asia’s gaming industry, and how you can improve your early-stage startup.