Game Design & Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurial Journey at Kelepar GmbH

As the founder of Kelepar GmbH, I embarked on an ambitious venture to create Ashen Horizon, a Web3 game built within the Cosmos ecosystem. This journey stretched me across multiple domains and provided invaluable experience in product management, team leadership, and startup operations.

Product Management in Web3 Gaming

The core of my role centered on product management, navigating the unique challenge of creating a gaming experience that leveraged blockchain without compromising gameplay. I developed our product roadmap by balancing competing priorities: integrating tokenomics with engaging gameplay, designing progression systems that ensured both player interest and economic sustainability, and creating features that appealed to both Web3 enthusiasts and traditional gamers.

Building a Distributed Team

Leading a remote-first team across multiple time zones, I established effective communication protocols and implemented agile methodologies tailored for our Web3 startup. The diverse talents on our team—from game designers to blockchain specialists—required a leadership approach that united different perspectives while maintaining our shared vision.

Business Development & Fundraising

On the business side, I secured seed investment from strategic partners aligned with our vision, developed go-to-market strategies, and established partnerships within the ecosystem. As the public face of the project, I spoke at conferences, hosted community AMAs, and built relationships with ecosystem thought leaders to grow our early adopter community.

Learnings from the Journey

While Kelepar ultimately didn't achieve the scale we envisioned, the experience provided invaluable lessons that continue to inform my work today. I gained deep insights into product-market fit challenges, fundraising dynamics, the importance of timing in market entry, and the delicate balance between innovation and user adoption.

The most valuable takeaways came from navigating the full lifecycle of a startup—from ideation through fundraising, development, and community building. These experiences gave me a holistic understanding of entrepreneurship and product development in Web3 that continues to serve me in subsequent roles.