#47 – Henri Lindgren: What It Takes To Survive As a Founder In Games

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The Gaming Playbook w/ Harry Phokou

Harry Phokou

53 episodes

1 week ago

On The Gaming Playbook, Harry Phokou sits down with experts in the games industry who have never been interviewed before. Through these in-depth conversations, Harry unpacks the "Playbook" that made them so successful. Skip the line on Tuesdays and download the real-life cheat codes every gaming industry pro needs to know. LinkedIn: @hphokou Instagram: @hphokou Newsletter: gamingrally.net Business and guest inquiries: playbook@phokou.com

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#47 – Henri Lindgren: What It Takes To Survive As a Founder In Games

The Gaming Playbook w/ Harry Phokou

1 hour 3 minutes 59 seconds

1 month ago

#47 – Henri Lindgren: What It Takes To Survive As a Founder In Games

Today's guest is Henri Lindgren, a veteran games industry leader, CEO of Kokoon Games, and former head of Lightneer.

We unpack the real side of building and leading game studios, from scaling startups to shutting down companies, rebuilding from scratch, and mastering resilience as a founder. Henri shares insights about leadership, culture, and mental endurance in the turbulent games industry, along with practical strategies for bootstrapping, raising angel investment, and avoiding the VC trap.

Whether you’re a game dev, entrepreneur, or creative leader, this is a masterclass in staying resilient when the grind gets real.

Connect with Henri:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/henri-lindgren-9a388b39/Company's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kokoongames/

Connect with Harry:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hphokou/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hphokouInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/hphokou

Get exclusive podcast recaps & industry insights:→ Subscribe to The Gaming Playbook Weekly at thegamingplaybook.com

Chapters:00:00 Intro02:30 Henri’s 16-year journey in gaming and founding Kokoon Games03:44 Why resilience is the most underrated founder skill07:22 The rise and fall of Lightneer: lessons in leadership and culture11:37 Bootstrapping vs VC: how to survive tough markets14:47 Building company culture and values from scratch19:10 Tactical resilience: how to simplify and refocus under pressure22:41 Time blocking, focus, and managing chaos as a founder26:34 Surviving event season and keeping mental reserves31:22 The myth of the solo founder hero33:47 Hiring smart and avoiding premature scaling36:17 CEO loneliness and coping with leadership isolation41:19 Raising angel investment vs VC in 2025’s market45:47 Cap tables, advisory shares, and avoiding equity mistakes49:20 The state of Finland’s games industry and what’s next55:44 Inside Kokoon’s new party game and design inspiration01:02:06 What Henri’s playing right now & closing thoughts