Long before trumpeting the need to pair profit with progressive philosophies became a cornerstone of corporate America, Maria Burns Oritz believed in building the type of businesses that will do well and do good. Even before its official inception in 2015, her Minneapolis-based gaming company 7 Generation Games was a side hustle focused on developing software and gaming platforms that served the needs of underrepresented populations.
“We want to help close the education gap,” says 41-year-old Burns Oritz, who co-founded the company with her mother, tech veteran and judo champion AnnMaria Waddell (Burns Ortiz’s sister is wrestler, Olympian and video game aficionado Ronda Rousey). Many of the games from 7 Generation are made for members of Native American tribes that live within the company’s surrounding communities across the midwest. “We focus on more diverse voices and content both because they are absent from so many curricula and because no one else on the market was doing this,” says Burns Ortiz.
Her 10-person team develops ambitious and entertaining educational games that help users learn about everyday subjects such as math, science and financial literacy. A former journalist, Burns Ortiz helped lead her firm’s initial funding efforts, which included a trio of Kickstarter campaigns and venture-capital pitches, gaining support from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program, which helps companies like hers grow.
The fundraising process was not fun. “Few founders say it publicly, but fundraising is the worst,” Burns Ortiz says. “Investors want rapid scale, and ours is an industry where growth is traditionally slower. It needs to be because if our solution doesn’t work, we’re not talking about failed overpriced juicers, we’re talking about kids’ education.”
Her initial funding success is particularly notable considering that female founders receive less than 3% of all venture capital investment, according to a recent article in the Harvard Business Review. “We’re a Latina-founded company, and our identity has unquestionably shaped what we do,” says Burns Ortiz. “We know what it is like to be taught a curriculum that doesn’t reflect you.”
Tribal customs, artistry and languages often factor into games produced by 7 Generation for native communities. “Sometimes these languages can even be on the verge of extinction,” she says.
Since its establishment, 7 Generation has developed a total of 26 games – including one of its most successful, Making Camp, which has spawned an entire series since the original’s 2016 inception. 7 Generation mostly works with clients to develop games with specific audiences and subject focuses. But Burns Ortiz is preparing to shake up her company’s entire product and revenue model.
Burns Ortiz insists there’s a better, more equitable and more sustainable approach to bespoke gaming – and her firm is committed to implementing it. Over the next few months, the company will open up and democratize game development via an open-source software platform called 7 Gen Blocks. For a licensing fee as low as $20 a month, anyone will be able to design their own games.