1Up Ventures

1Up Ventures is an investment firm based in Kirkland, Washington, specializing in venture capital. The firm manages 1Up Ventures Fund II, which is a 2022 vintage fund focused on identifying and supporting promising startups and early-stage companies. Through its investment strategies, 1Up Ventures aims to foster innovation and growth in a variety of sectors, contributing to the development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Ed Fries

Founder & General Partner

28 past transactions

Legendary Play

Series A in 2022
Legendary Play is a mobile game developer and publisher based in Berlin, Germany, established in 2017. The company specializes in creating games tailored for esports enthusiasts, focusing on delivering engaging and competitive experiences for mobile platforms. By combining innovative game design with an understanding of the esports community, Legendary Play aims to provide high-quality gaming experiences that resonate with fans of competitive gaming.

Superbloom

Seed Round in 2022
Superbloom is a new game development studio. Superbloom intends to make mobile games with a lifestyle focus, based on hobbies that are common among women.

Lost Lake Games

Seed Round in 2022
Lost Lake Games is an independent studio committed to making games that blaze new trails and spark the next adventure. It was founded by veteran game developers with a shared love of their craft.

Core Loop Games

Series A in 2021
Core Loop Games engages in building the next generation of MMOs. Gameplay and social cooperation are the core of its mission. They want to reimagine how players cooperate on a large scale together. The company was founded by veterans from MachineZone, GREE, and Funzio. It is VC backed and building a remote team of engineers and artists.

FuzzyBot

Seed Round in 2021
FuzzyBot is building genre-crossing games within imaginative worlds that spark excitement and creativity. Founded in 2020, FuzzyBot is a team of experienced and versatile industry veterans with AAA backgrounds from studios like Ubisoft, Bungie, and EA. Our development philosophy is around dreaming big, but building smart – maintaining a pragmatic, flexible, and down-to-earth approach focused on shipping games. We are focused on creating games that connect players across generations by creating universes of curiosity and excitement, combining the joy of creation with the thrill of AAA action.

Toya Pioneering Women

Seed Round in 2021
Toya is developing multilayer games for girls on a Minecraft platform. The playful learning experience enables girls to become the heroes while revealing the life stories of exceptional women.

Clockwork Labs

Series A in 2021
Just announced BitCraft, worlds first crypto MMORPG: https://bitcraftonline.com

SuperGaming

Series A in 2021
Operator of a gaming studio intended to offer immersive entertaining alternatives through casual games. The company engages in building its own gaming engine for running hyper-scale and real-time multiplayer games which are story-based and with high graphic qualities, enabling gamers to enjoy and socialize while getting a real gaming experience.

Drop Fake

Seed Round in 2021
Drop Fake is starting a new game. Remote-first games company founded in 2021. Building a cross-platform strategy game that will be open and available to all. Find your metaverse family.

1047 Games

Venture Round in 2021
1047 Games develops and offers console games. The company is headquartered in the United States.

The Game Band

Seed Round in 2021
The Game Band is a video game studio based in Los Angeles, California, founded in 2015 by Sam Rosenthal. The studio is known for creating innovative games for platforms such as Apple Arcade, Nintendo Switch, and PC. One of its notable creations is Blaseball, an online game that uniquely combines elements of baseball with fantasy and absurdist horror, offering a multiplayer collaborative storytelling experience. The Game Band focuses on developing games that reflect contemporary themes, allowing players to engage in a fun and immersive gaming environment.

Twin Suns

Seed Round in 2021
Twin Suns Corp is a video game studio developing action games for console and PC. The company creates video games with its AAA class platform title, which will debut with an original game franchise, providing players around the world with creative and unexpected experiences. Tim Longo, Forest Swartout, and Jeff Morris co-founded the company.

Lightforge Games

Seed Round in 2021
Lightforge Games is an all-remote gaming studio comprised of industry veterans focused on revolutionizing the role-playing game (RPG) genre. The company aims to create a unique gaming experience by fostering a culture of empathy, honesty, and growth. Through its innovative approach, Lightforge Games seeks to engage a diverse range of creative thinkers and dreamers, building a sustainable studio dedicated to developing and publishing RPGs that resonate with players.

Lightfox Games

Seed Round in 2020
Lightfox Games, Inc. designs and develops multiplayer mobile game applications. The company was incorporated in 2019 and is based in Seattle, Washington.

Core Loop Games

Seed Round in 2020
Core Loop Games engages in building the next generation of MMOs. Gameplay and social cooperation are the core of its mission. They want to reimagine how players cooperate on a large scale together. The company was founded by veterans from MachineZone, GREE, and Funzio. It is VC backed and building a remote team of engineers and artists.

Windwalk

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Windwalk Games Corp. is a game development studio based in San Francisco, California, focused on creating competitive online games for the discord generation. Established in 2018, the company specializes in developing multiplayer games that blend hidden roles gameplay with real-time combat mechanics. Their flagship title, Enemy On Board, features six crew members aboard the spaceship Andromeda, where two players assume the roles of aliens disguised as humans. This game not only emphasizes strategic social interaction but also requires players to engage in fast-paced action, fostering an immersive and competitive gaming experience.

Sparkypants

Seed Round in 2020
Sparkypants is an operator of a game development studio used to create strategic video games. It builds and publishes cross-platform strategy games based on the fantasy warfare genre that can be played on computers and other gaming consoles that provide individuals with an immersive virtual gaming experience. It was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland.

Robin Games

Seed Round in 2020
Robin Games, Inc., a lifestyle gaming company, develops mobile games. The company was incorporated in 2019 and is based in Venice, California.

Bit Fry Game Studios

Series A in 2020
Bit Fry Game Studios, Inc. develops game titles for the next generation of console and mobile gaming platforms. The company was incorporated in 2013 and is based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire with with additional offices in Los Angeles and New York City.

Double Loop Games

Seed Round in 2020
Double Loop Games Inc., a mobile studio, designs and develops mobile games. The company was founded in 2019 and is based in San Francisco, California.

Elodie Games

Venture Round in 2020
Elodie Games connect gamers around the globe by creating games with deep co-op gameplay and endlessly engaging experiences. They engaged with the community to evolve and improve the player experience. Elodie's studio is located in Venice California. It was co-founded by Christina Norman and David Banks.

Playable Worlds

Seed Round in 2019
Playable Worlds is a computer games company that specializes in the fields of game development, online games, and gamification. The company is driven by its mission is to build a truly cloud-native game, taking advantage of technology to create a true persistent work that involves and changes over-time.

Starform

Seed Round in 2019
Starform was started by industry veterans with the goal of changing the way people play games together. It puts together small, autonomous teams of talented game developers and provides them with the tools, infrastructure, and support to design and build games in partnership with players, enabling gamers to get state of the art graphics and quality entertainment. The company was founded in 2018 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.