Wahanegi is making another pivot and will be seeking more substantial funding in the coming months, at least a meaningful seed round. It is an exciting change in direction, and much like the game idea it is not exactly what I expected, neither for the company in general nor at this stage in particular. However, I have got consistent advice, including from my gut, and the decision feels right. So there you have it.

The company will still follow the principles from the lean startup Twelve Step Program, but the major milestones are a bit different. Here is the new plan:

Phase One – Invent the Idea – COMPLETE

1. Create a corporate entity with a good plan and a cool name, logo and mission.
2. Research the market and customer problems to synthesize possible solutions.
3. Invent a cloud-mobile-social game idea.

Phase Two – Clear the Decks and Create the Pitch – WE ARE HERE

1. Validate the game via partial prototypes, conversations and thought experiments.
2. Define and describe the scientific and philosophic theories behind the game.
3. Create and refine the pitch.

Phase Three – Pitch and Play – THERE BE DRAGONS

1. Recruit a game expert co-founder to help define, test and refine the game design and development roadmap.
2. Seek professional funding to build and iterate the game.
3. Build a kick-ass, money-making, philanthropically-innovative, world-changing game experience extravaganza.

Phase One is complete, Phase Two is underway, and I’m going to let the details of the co-founder and funding questions in Phase Three percolate for a bit, seeking lots of advice of course. But otherwise this feels pretty solid.

Off we go.

NOTE: I edited this posting to remove the previous mention of writing a novel. That novel idea combined the insights into human nature that underlie the game with a fantastic fictional extrapolation of our experiences advertising on Facebook. In a future blog posting I will explain why I included the book in the first place, why it was removed as a goal for the company, and why my list of life goals still includes writing five or six novels before I die. In the meantime, most of my “git ‘er dun” advisors will be happy to see it set aside for now…including my wife . You can read the first very rough draft chapters here if you’re interested.