The Twenty Minute VC

Akin Babayigit: How Tripledot Studios Became #1 Fastest-Growing Company in Europe | E1030

Akin Babayigit is a serial entrepreneur and an active angel investor. He is currently the Founder and COO of Tripledot Studios, one of the fastest-growing mobile gaming companies in the world, which was recently valued at over $1.4BN. In just 4 years, Tripledot grew to generate several hundred million dollars per year in revenue and currently entertains over 50 million people every month. Tripledot was recently named as the #1 fastest-growing European company by FT, as well as being named as the fastest-growing Tech business in the UK, in the annual “UK Tech Awards”. ---------------------------------- Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:17 Akin’s Journey — From Turkey to Harvard Business School 6:40 Lessons Learned at Skype 9:15 How Akin Went to Facebook 11:47 Lessons Learned at Facebook 20:56 Startup Myth #1 — You Have to be Passionate About Your Domain 28:47 Speed of Execution 30:00 Two Russian Brothers Who Dominate Mobile Games 35:20 Startup Myth #2 — Your Life is Going To Suck 43:41 Startup Myth #3 — Focus is Everything 50:28 Building Company Culture 56:30 Hiring Tips & Advice 1:03:49 Startup Myth #4 — Valuations Do Not Matter 1:10:29 How UK Politics Can Promote Startup Innovation 1:17:00 Misconceptions About the Gaming Industry 1:27:51 The Rise of Subway Surfers 1:32:17 Quick-Fire Round ---------------------------------- In Today’s Episode with Akin Babayigit We Discuss: Entry into the World of Startups and Gaming: How Akin made his way from Turkey to HBS and founding a unicorn in Tripledot? How did the lack of a father figure impact Akin’s approach to parenting? What are 1-2 of Akin’s biggest takeaways from his time at Facebook, Skype and King.com? What advice would Akin give to all new joiners at a company today? 90% of Startup Advice is Total BS: BS Myth #1: “You have to be passionate about your domain”. Why does Akin disagree with this? If you do not have passion for the domain, what do you have to have? BS Myth #2: “You have to be solving a real problem”. Why does Akin disagree with this mantra? If you are not solving a real problem, what should you be solving? BS Myth #3: “When you do a startup, your life will suck for a long period of time”. Why does Akin strongly disagree with this? Does it get easier over time? What does Akin advise founders to make the earlier days easier? BS Myth #4: “Focus is everything. You should focus on a single thing and only do that.” Why does Akin believe that focus can be dangerous? How should founders know when to pivot vs when to keep going? BS Myth #5: “Mission and vision statements are so important.” Why does Akin believe that the majority of mission statements are BS? Is it worth having them at all? BS Myth #6: “You should hire people with domain experience.” Why does Akin believe you should hire people who do not have domain experience? What does Akin look for in these candidates? What have been his biggest hiring mistakes? How has his hiring changed over time? BS Myth #7: “Speed is the most important thing.” Why does Akin believe that speed can be dangerous? When is it right to go fast vs go slow? BS Myth #8: “Valuations matter and you should optimize.” Why does Akin believe that valuations do not matter in the long run? How should founders approach the valuation discussion with this in mind? ---------------------------------- Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3j2KMcZTtgTNBKwtZBMHvl?si=85bc9196860e4466 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-twenty-minute-vc-20vc-venture-capital-startup/id958230465 Follow Harry Stebbings on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HarryStebbings Follow Akin Babayigit on Twitter: https://twitter.com/akinbabayigit Follow 20VC on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/20vc_reels Follow 20VC on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@20vc_tok Visit our Website: https://www.20vc.com Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.thetwentyminutevc.com/contact ---------------------------------- #AkinBabayigit #TripledotStudios #HarryStebbings

Akin BabayigitguestHarry Stebbingshost

Jun 25, 20231h 52mWatch on YouTube ↗

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Tripledot’s Rise: Debunking Startup Myths and Redefining Gaming Scale

Akin Babayigit, co-founder of Tripledot Studios, traces his journey from Turkish math prodigy to McKinsey, the UN, Skype, Facebook, King, and ultimately building Europe’s fastest-growing company. He explains how experiences at Skype and Facebook shaped his ruthless focus on prioritization, data, and calm execution under pressure. Throughout, he systematically dismantles popular “startup porn” mantras about passion, focus, mission statements, and valuation, arguing instead for hunger, execution, iteration, and honest motivations like money and winning. He also reveals how mobile gaming is far larger and more data-driven than most realize, how Tripledot structures culture and hiring, and why founder–VC relationships are often misaligned.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

You don’t need to love the domain; you must love winning.

Babayigit argues that being obsessed with the industry (e.g., gaming, insurance) is optional, but being obsessed with winning, learning fast, and pushing through hard times is essential. Many lucrative careers are missed because people over-index on domain passion instead of drive and resilience.

Speed matters, but blind speed kills; judgment on when to slow down is critical.

He agrees rapid iteration is vital pre–product-market fit, but warns that the “speed above all” mantra can send startups flying off the road at critical inflection points. Great companies know when to pause, think, and make non-reversible decisions carefully.

Solving a ‘real problem’ is optional; iterating into value is not.

Tripledot started with a Solitaire app—hardly an obvious “problem”—yet built a major business through relentless execution and iteration. He stresses that true innovation often emerges from small, compounding tweaks, not from starting with a grand, never-before-seen problem.

Mission and vision statements often ring hollow; honest, simple goals work better.

Babayigit criticizes vague, lofty corporate missions (“elevate the world’s consciousness”) that don’t reflect why people actually show up. Tripledot chose a grounded mission—being the leading data-driven entertainment company—and focuses more on behavior and culture than slogans.

Hire for hunger and bias to act, then teach the skills.

Across functions like marketing, Tripledot prioritizes candidates with grit, insecurity-fueled drive, and a willingness to “ask forgiveness, not permission” over deep domain backgrounds. He believes most functional skills can be learned in months; hunger and initiative are innate and harder to instill.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

You have to be passionate about winning; the domain is a luxury.

— Akin Babayigit

Things are never as bad as they seem and never as good as they seem.

— Mark Zuckerberg (as recalled by Akin Babayigit)

Your life doesn’t have to suck when you start a company.

— Akin Babayigit

Mission statements like ‘elevate the world’s consciousness’ don’t reflect why anyone comes to work.

— Akin Babayigit

If you knew how little people talked about you, you wouldn’t care about most things.

— Akin Babayigit

Akin’s personal and career journey: Turkey, US education, consulting, tech, and gamingLessons from Skype, Facebook, and King: prioritization, stoicism, and executionBuilding Tripledot Studios and co-founder dynamicsDebunking common startup mantras (passion, focus, mission, solving “real problems”)Hiring philosophy: hunger vs. domain expertise and cultural fitThe true nature and scale of the gaming industry and mobile game economicsFounder–VC relationship dynamics, valuation myths, and misaligned incentives

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