businesses. However, we look for more than just a technology advantage when investing, as technology alone doesn’t guarantee a winning business. Don’t get us wrong—we like patents and technological advantage as much as the next venture capitalist. We just see that in many fields, technology itself is no longer the differentiator and source of strategic advantage it once was—odds are you’re one of several entrepreneurs chasing similar ideas with similar technologies.

So how will you win?

We put on our hardhats and dig deeper. We look for entrepreneurs who think like designers in every aspect of their business model and product. They leverage creativity to fulfill an unmet need through the development of elegant products, seamless user experience or addictive game mechanics. They lead teams of expert developers and designers, analytics jocks and user experience mavens. We want the founder who leverages neuroscience research to build new communities via social media, and we cheer on the innovator who applies behavioral psychology to consumer engagement or employee motivation. In an era of massive media forces pulling us in every direction, we are working to build out a new layer of engagement based on skills pioneered and mastered by the digital game industry: the game layer. As game mechanics become more deeply integrated into the technology we rely on every day, we will see this engaging digital game layer take center stage in businesses, homes and communities for the next decade.