What started as an idea in 2023 has become an annual tradition. The first edition of our startup card game was created for the event CISPA loves IGB in German, and with the idea of bringing our startups together in a playful way. Since then, we have released a new edition every year. Today, the game is in English, and our latest edition is our biggest one yet.
But this is about more than a growing deck of cards. If you own one of the first editions, you can trace the development of our startup ecosystem from year to year. The design has evolved, the cards have become more numerous, and the latest edition reflects the growth of our CISPA startup incubator.
Perhaps the most exciting part, though, is seeing which startups are still in the deck. Many of the companies featured in the early editions are still represented today. That is something to be proud of: surviving the first years is a significant milestone for any startup, and many of these companies have also established strong positions in their markets.
Every new edition captures a snapshot of that journey – the startups, their progress, and the ecosystem growing around them. We have continued to refine the design with each release, and we are particularly proud of this year's edition, which features more cards than ever before.
The CISPA startup card game “Founders' Fight” is a playful way to get to know the companies emerging from CISPA's community. At the same time, it has become a little piece of our history: a deck of cards that shows how far our startups have come and how much the ecosystem has grown.
RULES OF PLAY
Shuffle the 22 startup cards and divide them evenly among the players. Stack the cards so that only the top card is visible. The player to the left of the dealer begins. He/she chooses a category and reads out its value. All the others take turns reading their values. The player with the highest value wins all the cards compared and places them at the bottom of their pile. Before the game, agree whether the highest or lowest value wins in each category. If there is a tie, there is a deciding round: the player whose turn it is chooses a new category. The winner receives all cards from both rounds. If one player wins all the cards, the game ends.
STARTUP SUPPORT
Six supporters help you kick-start your career. They are randomly dealt at the beginning of the game and placed face down in front of you. Each player can look at their supporters and plan their use. If you are in danger of losing a card, you can use a booster to improve the current card. A booster can only be used once, after which it becomes invalid.
