If you’re working in tech game development, you should at least visit Silicon Valley.
[aditude-amp id="flyingcarpet" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":614296,"post_type":"story","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"games,","session":"A"}']That’s how the people who run mobile-ad platform Chartboost feel.
Today, the company announced that it is taking requests for international developers who want to come and visit San Francisco on the company’s dime. The technology firm wants to share the vibe of Silicon Valley with the people who make games around the globe as part of its Chartboost University: Boot Camp.
Chartboost chief executive officer Maria Alegre wrote a blog post today where she explained it as follows:
We’re welcoming seven international teams of 2-4 people to come to Chartboost’s office in downtown San Francisco for the 10 days before [the Game Developer Conference] to learn from the best minds in our industry, visit some of the most legendary tech companies in the Bay Area, and work on their games from the Chartboost headquarters in the heart of downtown San Francisco.
The ad-technology company, which helps game developers monetize their mobile apps, will provide the selected team with $6,000 each to help pay for their flights and accommodations.
“My first trip to Silicon Valley was life-changing,” wrote Alegre. “I came following an intuition: I wanted to get to know the place that asked, ‘Why not?’ The place that empowered entrepreneurs to follow their vision, build legendary companies, and change the world. Once I got here, I was seduced and had to stay.”
Chartboost really wants to share that energy with new game developers from the around the world. Teams will get 15 learning sessions that cover game design, back-end infrastructure, funding, publishing, and more. Highly regarded tech studios and venture capitalists — including Get Set Games, Kabam, Kerosene Games, Pocket Gems, and Sequioa Capital — will teach the classes.
“We won’t accept equity in your games, you don’t have to integrate our technology, and the payment isn’t an advance on future earnings,” wrote Alegre. “This is an opportunity to learn, be inspired, and have fun.”
This is Chartboost’s first major initiatives since it raised $19 million in a funding round that ended earlier this month.