Startup of the Day - Rebel Box

The BizSpark startup of the day is Rebel Box, based in the US. You will find below an interview with Kristian-Angel Carazo, Technical Director of Rebel Box. All the best to them and congrats for being the startup of the day!

Website: www.rebelbox.com.

Interview with Kristian-Angel Carazo, Technical Director of Rebel Box

Tell us who you are and your role in the company:

I am the technical director for our company. I organize our projects and do most of the coding and software design. When I am not coding I am also designing our games. We don't have very many employees so one person fulfills many rolls.

What did you do before creating your company?

C++ programming for a security company, I also worked at a school which taught Game Programming.

How do you feel being the most promising ‘Startup of the Day’ per Microsoft BizSpark?

It feels really good actually. I have a lot of confidence in what we are doing here at Rebel Box and I am delighted that Microsoft would show interest in what we are doing as well.

What is your company’s mission?

Our mission is to create entertaining games that everyone can enjoy. "Fun for the masses" is our slogan and we live by that.

How did you get the idea for your company?

I have been a hobby game programmer for as long as I can remember. After spending years studying game programming, and having worked on a few I felt that the time was right to try and make my mark.

Tell us about your funding history. Are you currently looking for funding? If so, how much?

Currently we are completely self funded. We are always looking for investors and partners. One of the core things we are seeking funding for is assets. We have a lot of programming talent here but we outsource a lot of our art once we finish the concepts in house. We are currently seeking around 10,000 dollars in funding for our current projects.

How many employees do you have? How many developers?

We have 2 full-timers, and several part-timers. In total we have 4 developers and 1 in house artist.

Are you hiring? If yes, what are you hiring and where?

Hiring is something we will be looking into in the future.

Which platform are you building on? Why?

Our current target is PC, with the exciting news about the new windows mobile platform we will likely be targeting that in the future as well. The reason we choose to develop for primarily for PC is because of the low entry barrier. It's very easy to distribute our games on PC through our own website and portal such as BigFigh. We have also done work on XBOX 360 before and will probably look at that again in the future due the amount of exposure that titles get on that platform.

Where do you see opportunities today in the Software/internet area?

Speaking to game developers specifically I would have to say that the amount of pre-built technology is staggering. I can't really justify writing a lot of game technologies from the ground up, it's too much of a time and monetary investment. There are a great many game engines out there that can be had for reasonable prices and amount of time saved by using these pre-existing technologies offers many great opportunities for companies and individuals.

What do you think about the BizSpark Program?

I think the BizSpark Program is great gateway for many start-up companies. It removes a huge headache that many entrepreneurs would have to otherwise deal with. Being able to have access to a great set of tools during a companies most vulnerable years is a great boon. Tools are a software companies first priority, without them it's almost impossible to get anything done. Having that barrier removed by the Bizspark Program is a god send.

Do you have any advice for young Software entrepreneurs?

Being one myself I would have to say... If you are not tired, you are doing it wrong. It has been said a thousand times but hard work really does pay off. Aside from that I would also recommend staying on top of every technology that becomes available. It's important to be able to realize when new technology offers you an opportunity and be able to seize it.

Who’s your role model?

I would have to say John Carmack. Seeing everything that he has been able to accomplish has always been an inspiration for me.

What’s the ONE THING you would like readers to take away from this interview?

It can be done. It's important not to doubt yourself and always believe that where there is a will, there is a way. Also, caffeine helps.