Zynga’s SEC filing to go public may come as a shock to some, but most everyone familiar with the rise in online game gameplay are well aware of the successes of the digital gaming wave. While Zynga’s IPO has been gobbling up much of the gaming chatter hitting the blogging reels of late, a small puzzle startup has emerged with their first round of funding. Not yet a Zynga competitor but with strong leadership and drive, Puzzazz may have just started on a climb towards puzzle prominence.
That Sudoku and word puzzles can be joyously addictive is no surprise to those who have missed a train, stayed on trains beyond their stop or went at their word search way beyond bedtime.
Knowing that these pencil chewing funsters were settling into a digital world, Puzzazz set up shop in 2008. The aim was to be THE destination for doing puzzle games online.
Puzzazz has now hit payday—its first round of outside angel financing to the tune of $400,000. The all-star cast of financiers includes big names such as Richard Garfield the inventor of “Magic: The Gathering,” Edward Jung technology chief of Intellectual Ventures, Shel Kaphan the first employee of Amazon.com, Mike Koss of StartPad, and the investment’s leader Charles Fitzgerald who previously held the position of chief platform strategist at Microsoft and has since moved on to VMWare
Puzzazz was founded by Roy Leban, a puzzle constructor and the company’s CTO. One can call him a serial entrepreneur. Puzzazz is startup #8 for Leban. His business model is digital-sensible: The puzzles are free. Puzzazz gets its revenue when puzzle goers buy products that the company recommends. The site also sells puzzle products, like puzzle collection books, available on Kindle. The company’s Sudoku e-books are reportedly booming on Kindle tablets.
The free puzzles on the site are changed daily and the company has begun syndicating puzzles to third parties. Puzzazz says a portion of the financing will be used to step up development and “extend the reach of the company’s products.” According to TechFlash, a Seattle technology news site, the funding will also go toward salaries for the company’s small team. They include developers, a business executive and an artist.
Obviously, digital minds at Puzzazz see the opportunity in m-puzzles too. The company plans expansions to building for iPhone, iPad and Android devices.
