Finland-based Rovio (
Angry Birds) and Supercell (
Hay Day) have both made a considerable name for themselves in the worldwide mobile market. Now, a third Finnish mobile developer with a hefty war chest of startup cash is prepared to come out swinging:
Grand Cru.
Cobbling together more than $11 million U.S. from investors including Qualcomm Ventures, Nokia Growth Partners and Idinvest Partners, the 25-person startup is currently at work on
Supernauts, described as a more "accessible," third-person spin on
Minecraft.
Grand Cru comes stocked with a storied executive team, with veterans from
Habbo Hotel developer Sulake and the German social game company Wooga. The plan is to build the company slowly, using the profits from its inaugural title to prop up its operations, rather than hiring fleets of staff right out the gate.
"We're not going to grow too quickly and go on a crazy hiring spree," chief marketing officer Thorbjorn Warin
tells Techcrunch. "We're not going to be cranking out new products every six to nine months."
Grand Cru's
Supernauts has been in development for two years, says Warin, and the company only plans to launch "when it's ready."
"We will not fumble on the finish line."
