FarVision Studios LLC is an up-and-coming player in the mobile gaming industry. Driven by a mission to create innovative and high-quality gaming experiences, President and Co-Founder Francine Duncan embarked on her entrepreneurial journey with the vision of delighting players and building a strong gaming community.
To accelerate her startup’s growth, Francine sought assistance from the Widener Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and the SCORE network. These connections eventually led her to PennTAP.
Identifying the Need
PennTAP Technical Advisor Rich Joyce connected with Francine to understand FarVision Studios’ specific needs. FarVision Studios identified the need to gather insights from its target customers to establish a strong social media presence and promote its gaming products. As a startup operating with a limited budget, they were seeking cost-effective solutions to meet these goals.
Tailored Approach
Recognizing the company’s need for budget-friendly marketing research and strategy, Rich leveraged PennTAP’s Penn State University connections. He arranged a meeting with David Lenze from Penn State’s Nittany Lion Consulting Group to explore a student project approach. A project was created, submitted and accepted, giving FarVision access to a Penn State student project team. Overall, this project helped them establish a targeted social media presence, implement a budget-friendly content management system, and boost engagement through promotions and giveaways. Additionally, they developed a low-cost promotional campaign to increase brand awareness and excitement, all tailored to maximize the startup’s reach and impact within its budget.
“This project benefited our company greatly and has helped us move forward more rapidly with launching our product,” Francine said. “We estimated this project saved our company approximately 320 FTE hours of time in research and producing the white paper, $20,000 in consulting fees, and 12 weeks of implementation time.”
PennTAP’s assistance was carefully tailored to FarVision Studios’ budget allotment while maximizing the impact of the assistance provided. By leveraging a student project, the startup gained access to valuable resources and perspectives without straining their budget. This strategy not only provided the company with essential marketing research but also involved individuals from the target market, ensuring the solutions were relevant and effective.
Future Projects
Francine expressed great enthusiasm for the collaboration with PennTAP, highlighting the value of relationships built with faculty, staff, and students. FarVision plans to continue leveraging PennTAP’s resources for future projects, including a prototyping initiative with the Learning Factory in Fall 2024, along with additional marketing and product development efforts.
About the Client
FarVision Studios LLC
Industry: Entertainment and Media (Mobile Gaming)
Location: Lancaster, PA
Contact: Francine Duncan, President & Co-Founder
Phone: 484-802-7761
Email: francine@farvisionstudios.com
Website: https://farvisionstudios.com
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Funding for this project was made possible through a grant from the Economic Development Administration (EDA).