The Speedrun Approach to Startups — Josh Lu on Games, Founders & AI
Last month, I was in San Francisco for the a16z Speedrun Demo Day — where I met founders, writers, investors, and had the chance to record this incredible conversation with Josh Lu from Speedrun.
Josh has built and shipped games at Zynga and Blizzard, scaled startups, and now leads one of the most selective acceleration programs in tech.
We talk about:
How to build without a playbook
Why unlearning is a founder superpower
What makes a great product manager
How AI is reshaping gaming
Why Turkey is a rising hub for gaming startups
What Speedrun looks for in early-stage founders
If you're a founder, builder, or product thinker — this one is for you.
▶️ Learn more about Speedrun: https://speedrun.a16z.com/
📧 Feedback or thoughts? Drop me a note: burak@startupistanbul.com
📬 Weekly insights: https://startupistanbul.substack.com
#StartupLife #GameDesign #VC #ProductManagement #Speedrun #GamingStartups
