Jobs: Viktor Zakharchenko, head FunCubator

"Entertainment transferred from the format of good additions to the required format"

- For more than two years, you work for a company FunCubator, which invests in start-ups FunTech industry. What are these projects?

- FunCubator - is the investment arm of the company FunCorp, which deals with support for digital entertainment projects. We started in 2017 and abandoned the emphasis on what is already popular. Venture capital investments involve an attempt to look into the future and predict what will move the trends associated with entertainment. If you did everything correctly, then you can make good money on the success of the company, which has invested.

Now our portfolio of approximately 20 companies in various stages of development - from the angelic to the seed. The latter term means that the project has already passed the initial verification by the market, showed how to attract and retain its audience, and is ready to scale.

- What is the industry FunTech?

- FunTech - is primarily digital entertainment, because they, unlike the offline projects are scaled much faster. FunCubator invests in start-ups that are changing the entertainment offering emotional experiences of a fundamentally new. By and large, we are guided by one clear trend: in the world there are more services that save people time, and the resulting free time they spend on entertainment.

For ourselves, we have identified several areas that will grow faster than other segments of the entertainment industry in the next five years. It became one of the main eSports - this is all that relates to the competitive element associated with gaming. Games from discs that you walk alone, turn into large-scale battles between the teams or alone.

The rate of growth of the industry will be very large, so we invested in a major eSports holding Winstrike. He has his computer clubs, a successful advertising agency and several commands that act on Dota2 tournaments, Counter Strike, Fortnite, FIFA and beyond.

In addition, the computer games industry the opportunity of cloud gaming. It is a technology that allows you to play high-end projects, without possessing the coolest equipment. All the complex processes that require processing power, carried on an external server and to the user and the computer is already finished images in good quality and without any lags.

It is no secret that a cool gaming machine - a luxury for students (primary eSports audience), but the new solution will allow to get the maximum experience and not go broke. I advise everyone to get acquainted with the announcement of Google Stadia project.

The second promising segment - different types of virtual and augmented reality. This technology, which are realized not only in the special glasses, but also on the screens of our phones with the camera. This market has experienced a rapid surge in activity in 2018, and then the growth rate has slowed. Nevertheless VR - a niche, for which we are closely watching right now and will continue to do so in the future.

The next cluster is associated with the music. We pay attention to trends, so bet on the company MubertThat generates an infinite stream of music by using a neural network. Service takes into account the interests of the user and creates a pleasant background sound.

service tunes may help to concentrate on work, or fill the silence in the restaurant, Barbershop and any other institutions that do not want to give too much money for licensed music.

- Why in the industry startups FunTech really need to invest?

- Investors are very fond of saying that you need to find the user's pain, but in the case of entertainment make it very difficult. The need for food is undeniable, and entertainment - not. However, our experience shows that they are moving from a format good additions to the necessary format.

In addition, there is a theory that promotes the idea robotics and the replacement of human manual labor. As a result, people will receive a guaranteed amount of free time and will be even more. We are confident that under these conditions will be equipped with one of the basic needs. They need to invest because of the growth of the market will entail and the growth of companies that are present on it.

In humans, there is not only free time resource, but also an additional force on entertainment. This is clearly evident in the new old people, who are aged between 60 and 80 years still lead an active lifestyle. Of course, their classes are different from those that are interested in youth. But this is another layer of people, which proves that the entertainment market in the near future will grow.

- At what point did you realize that you are interested not only to observe the development of new technologies and evaluate them, and more and help to create products based on them?

- My personal interest in the subject can be traced for a long time. its career in IT, I started as a journalist of several publications that touched on the theme of the Internet and new technologies. I liked to keep track of what the trends emerging in the market, and try to capture the moment when the medium begins to change. It is very interesting!

In FunCubator working people who with their own hands to create successful products to an audience of tens of millions of people. Now we have gathered all the expertise that we have, and choose the projects that are of interest to us for investment.

At the beginning we invested in start-ups that were just beginning its development. And most of them did not survive the so-called valley of death - the most difficult period, when the project started, but arrived yet.

The fact is that the culture of business the former Soviet Union still remains very weak, so I have great respect for the people who are trying to develop it. We are faced with the fact that most of the teams, in which we have invested, were not ready to be given to the project completely: they work out and dumped.

It was a bitter experience that we have gained by spending their money. You have to understand that venture capital investments, by definition, risky, so it is important to carefully choose a particular company in which you invest.

- Which of the projects in which you have invested, can be called the most promising?

- I will mention those that pleased us the news recently. Last week was the announcement of interactive cinema «Digital Doctor" from the studio "Wild Digital». This example of a feature film, which contains elements of interaction with the consumer. You do not just get stuck for two hours, contemplating the picture, but influences the plot and vzaimodeystvuesh content. I will not spoil - just look for an account that is an interactive movie.

The second project - Mubert, about which I have spoken. Literally the guys showed us version 3.0, and it looks pretty cool last week. At the time, iTunes offered to buy some singles instead of full albums, and it was a revolution in the music market. appearance Spotify strimingovyh and other services has generated playlists that have shaken the position of music brands.

Often we listen to a playlist that is gathered service automatically based on preferences for us. But this format is lost sense of an individual artist: we do not know who is playing now. Mubert - an endless playlist of music that best satisfies you. In this case, you're not interested in what kind of actor is playing. And gradually people were loosing the love to the performers and brands.

- At what exactly startups have no future?

- Investors think subjectively. Any attachment - it's decision-making under conditions of uncertainty, so I can not claim that burned, and what would be the best. There is a simple argument: if it can be verified, it is necessary to do so.

Every year we publish an overview of where the industry talking about trends, but at the same time highlight areas that are less interesting to us in the coming year. One of them - data transmission technology 5G. This is a huge shift, but appreciate his favor, we will be able to later. In 2019 the technology only starts to wobble - it will be a gradual change, which eventually affects all industries.

VR technology should be considered safer, too. A couple of years ago, they turned around real HYIP, and in the industry have brought a lot of money. When the market is overheated, there is a huge number of shell companies, in which people do not have the necessary knowledge. In this regard, many investors were disappointed in their choice, and there was an outflow of funds from the niche.

We have chosen the right company in this environment and assume that soon the HYIP can rise again, but still appreciate the VR very reserved. Augmented reality market is waiting for a new device. According to experts, the company Apple preparing a fresh product, but about him yet more rumors.

Another trend - mobile games. This is still a growing segment, but on the whole the saturation point has been reached. The market is too competitive to the venture investor could enter into it right now.

The last point - blokcheyn. Since 2017, we consider projects in this direction, but 98% of them are, at best, pacifiers, and at worst - an attempt of fraud. Unfortunately, good projects and people who have tried to do in this environment is something conscious, just get lost. The market associated with the use blokcheyna, waiting for clearance.

- What are the three characteristics of a startup that shot?

- The end result for any investor - the amount he earned on a particular company. But these findings do it is too early: the statute of limitations of our investment is very small.

There are a few things that we look at the time the decision to invest in the project. To begin with, we focus exclusively on FunTech industry, because it is impossible to be an expert in everything. Then we choose a growing segment of the market. A good example - eSports, which for five years, according to forecasts, will grow stronger than the other directions. For us it is an important indicator.

In addition, the pre-stage are not only the market outlook, but also the people who are engaged in the project. Our partners must have competence and be true entrepreneurs in spirit. If I come to the investor and ask for money to build the rocket, then I do not need to give them, because I will not be able to run such a business.

We increasingly see that people notice right trends, but they lack the expertise to implement the project. That is why we are working with the teams that are engaged in one profile for a long time - so we can be sure that they have enough skills for development.

Good employed at the initial stage business He never said that goes to a specific purpose. He has a set of hypotheses which he has not only a high speed check, but also to make the right conclusions. Not all assumptions are shot, and that's fine, but you need to properly evaluate the failure. Unfortunately, this ability is inherent not everyone with whom we cross.

- Are there technologies that are initially more expensive than others? For example, in e-sports need more money, and VR - less?

- One of the parameters that is evaluated when making an investment decision, - time to market. This is a backlog, which has a start over the competition. If you make a YouTube-channel and shoot at the sneakers, it is clear that this idea is likely to be easy to repeat. Of course, you need to make sure that your host is not comparable with the charisma of Yuri Dudom or Leonid Parfyonov, but on the whole the same product to do just enough, and this reduces its cost at the stage investment.

Technology - it's just a tool. Much more important is whether the product is able to satisfy the audience. There is another well-established term used when investing in projects - an unfair advantage. Is any object, knowledge, communication, technology and user base, which gives you a head start over its competitors.

Search this advantage - a very important task for the team. We always tell startups: "Imagine that the same thing do another 100 teams around the world. Why you win the race? "There were cases when the founders of the companies came to us with a project, and we are through competitive analysis found a promising team. It is necessary to consider all the players in the market and choose the fastest horse before the race.

- What a start for all the time the most expensive?

- The most notable investment for us - Winstrike. Was invested 1.5 million dollars, but it has been a company with an existing and clear financial model and certain metrics by which it can be assessed.

"We are approaching the point at which life will be eternal"

- generation Z kids play games on tablets, yuzayut consoles and listen to tracks through AirPods. What fun at the time, when you were a child?

- We have made wooden machines called one team "our" and the other "Germans" and the idea that the way it is. This was our analog VR. In fact, a virtual reality It is not limited to helmet, which we put on the eyes. It is any form of imagination, when we present ourselves to those who really are not.

Of course, during my growing entertainment meant physical interaction: we played football, basketball, volleyball and went into different sections. It was a different time and a very different form of technology development. I do not see anything surprising or bad that now everything is different.

I really like the term Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants. The last - people from 35 to 45 years. We grew up in a time when technology has not been as well developed. And then immigrated to digital now, moving with an experience that shaped offline.

Digital Natives - the modern generation. They did not live in an era when there was no iPhone and iPad. A simple example: my child does not understand why we need paper photos, when they can be viewed in any resolution and the number on the electronic media. He asked why print images on paper, and I did not find this a reasonable explanation.

Another of our older generation - the need for possession. I found, when movies were recorded to disc. You had a large number of disks, and you believe you have them, because you can touch. Recently, I found myself thinking that I forgot, the last time I used an external CD-drive. Specially I bought it, threw all the necessary information from the disks in the cloud and simply broke them. Now there is no need for physical media.

- Do not miss the past, where everything is simple and without electronics, but no less fun and interesting?

- What is going on - a natural course of events. Of course, I was a little afraid of all-out online, in which we now find ourselves: it makes us less mobile. I remember the song Alla Pugacheva about the terrible phenomenon called "lack of exercise", so it has long been prophesied that trend. Of course, now it is possible to live "rich" life, lying on the couch and not letting the phone out of hand.

During my childhood, it was different: you realize that you miss, and went out into the street, where ran, jumped and broke his knees. Life was more active, and now so much going on in the online mode, which today's children need to push beyond the limits of the digital present. Nevertheless, this is still a natural course of events.

When Gutenberg invented the printing press in the society went the assertion that today's youth has lost all morality, since it does not go to the church, and engaged in reading. Each new stage of development of human society is a classic as well as innovative and incomprehensible.

Old people are very attached to things with which they come into contact in the period of youth. Parents They like to wear your old clothes, because so they can associate themselves with the same, but more attractive. Same thing with the technology that people use ordinary touch-tone telephone, because so they can at least theoretically, classify themselves to the period when they were young, and modern technology - is a product of a time when they were not such. Man loves to associate themselves with the age, which is pleasant to him: no one wants to feel old.

There are some things that I am concerned, but this is the reality, which still need to interact with and adjust them for yourself. Earlier there was another medium, but I'm not sad and do not miss it. Indulge in nostalgia now - means to neutralize the beauty of the present.

- Is it okay to talk about what technology will destroy everything?

- People always like something to be afraid of. Remember the same Luddites who smashed machines, worrying that the car pushed out of the production people. At the moment, I see more positive effects than negative. For example, look out the window, I see a passing taxi and I understand that services that correctly assess the traffic situation and managed ecosystems TaxiIt brings a huge improvement in our lives. If they are not, the traffic in any major city will rise firmly.

Working with artificial intelligence really difficult aspect of life, but I doubt that in the near future, the neural network will begin to control us. So far we can say with absolute certainty what kind of person is behind this or that algorithm or software.

However, experts who are watching this market, the urge to focus on neural networks, which in turn will train other neural networks. At this point, a person can get lost communication with the control instruments. Of course, there is a chance that the technology may get out of control and cause harm. But it seems to me, mankind will be wise enough to avoid it.

- For what the future start-ups?

- I think there is a global trend in the penetration of technology into all that surrounds us. In the near future, every thing will be digitized and available for interaction via the application. Artificial Intelligence - one of the most promising trends in the venture capital market is now. Information is becoming more and they finally acquire a decent look, so they can be processed on the fly, immediately generating the correct conclusions.

Greater emphasis on services related to the movements of the person: urban transport, bicycles, karshering, scooters. There was a trend for cars without drivers, and now he is on the crest of a wave.

Colossal niche - health. new old men It was not just, but because the technology available medicine, allow to extend not only the age, but also the active phase of human life. If you rewind time to 200 years ago, we can see that in 35 years people considered elderly or two years, as the dead.

Now the youth is extended, and the activity of life is strongly shifted - it is a good example of how medical technology can come closer to immortality. Very slowly we are approaching a point at which life will be eternal. Another question is that in the foreseeable future, this prospect we can not wait.

- How are we going to spend free time in a few years?

- I think in the near future, the phone will remain a key form factor for entertainment. It will include all sorts of content, and become even more technologically advanced.

Recently, I have been actively fuels has been the subject with headphones. If the revolution associated with the innovative glasses, has not happened yet, the headphones - one of the invisible platform on which it can occur.

Apple products are often blamed for the fact that changes in their product lines have become very insignificant. But in the new AirPods I found for myself a very important element: the voice assistant is called using the phrase "Hey, Siri», rather than tactile interaction.

So, yesterday I dictated two pages of text, which are then left alone to edit. steel headphones are not only a display tool, but also a means of entering information. They still need a phone as the base devaysa, but in the future the need disappears - headphones may well be a self-contained product.

As a result, develops and scope podcasts. About 10 years ago, they went through a period of the first peak, then went into a kind of plateau, and now there was a new round of popularity. Spotify says the interest in this area, so it is worth to note that the audio content is in demand. This is another layer of development.

virtual reality, I think it's time. We still do not understand what is special and unique gives us VR. There are good examples of educational programs, when you need to remotely show the location, but it's a small segment. Still no explicit requirements that meet the technology of virtual reality.

Now it is one of the ways of entertainment, but in a mode where we assure the user that he needs to try it. Nevertheless, in the future, when virtual reality will make it possible to pull the mask and play the role of another person, it will be one of the most interesting niches in the entertainment industry.

- New technologies and updated the entertainment industry are solid pros. Or there are the downsides?

- None of the phenomena in the world there is a continuous positive or negative evaluation. I do not believe it: the absolute value does not exist. It all depends on the subjective perceptions individual. Nevertheless, global downside is that we have the technology and stultifying divide society into two categories: a small part of the people who run the technology, and most of which use them.

An obvious example - cars. Soviet car industry created such a model, which could collect and disassemble, if necessary. Our fathers loved to tinker with machines, because they were only a designer for adults.

Modern technology we took the opportunity. You can, of course, Tesla to open the panel, but it is hardly a person out there that will find anything, because the system is built on chips and boards. It is very difficult to diagnose, much less repair.

The same happens with the other phenomena. microsoft Word with a red line underscores error stole our commitment to literacy: we do not think of the correct spelling of words, just enter them in the best fix. Calculators are killing the ability to add two-digit numbers in his mind, not to mention the three-digit - thanks to schools that are still raising children in this skill.

Overcoming difficulties, we go out of your comfort zone and learning new and technology promote our weaknesses. We do not need to call a taxi, and deal with bad communication skills - you can simply press a button and the machine will be displayed. However, over time, making a purchase, we feel that we lose communication skills and feel uncomfortable because we can not put two words together.

- New technologies are often associated with online sphere. What is the likelihood that we will soon zapromsya in their own apartments and generally stop to see?

- This is a clear trend, but I can not say how fast it will grow - look at and evaluate in five years. Until I noticed that people are more likely to form a social graph offline, and then transfer it online. My circle of friends in Facebook appear when I went there all the friends from the phone book.

There will come a time when online will dominate. Now the entertainment is largely due to communication - these include cooperative games, in which the overlap of people from different countries and cities. They communicate, although he had never seen each other. And, most likely, will not see. This new form of communication, which is becoming stronger.

- Most of the coolest projects related to entertainment based on new technologies, come from abroad: Snapchat, Tinder, Netflix. Why Russia is lagging behind in this respect?

- I do not agree with that. There are many examples where the former Soviet Union were born great startups. The question, rather, in the ecosystem readiness for their nurturing: the need for expertise, relevant legislation and investor protection.

Investments in entertainment start-ups in the post very poorly developed. This niche, which we have tried to fill. Money is much easier to get in the US, but it needs to be there and to acquire bonds. The same FunCorp shows that it is possible to make global products, staying physically local. All this confirms that the process is not one-sided. But, of course, the environment itself and venture money volumes contributed to the fact that the flow of projects is much higher in the United States.

«Yandex», Mail.ru Group and "Rambler" show that you can be a successful player in the local point and not to seek abroad. Mail.ru Group at this stage, it seems to me, has frozen international expansion, and "Yandex" trying to experiment with a taxi in the new countries, but remain focused on keeping the positions on the local market.

The scale of Russia halts further movement: good teams make an effort to go beyond the abroad, but quickly realize that under the feet of a huge chunk of which is quite clear, as fight.

"Reading - the reason that I do not go by car"

- You work for a company that is directly in contact with the future every day. Your workplace too innovative?

- By the nature of the activities we have to try new tools. Now in front of me is a lot of VR-helmets. We buy the new iPhone, not because we want to put them on the table and show everyone, and to understand which platform capabilities it provides one or the other technology.

At the same time there are things that I use on a daily basis. Since 2009, I have become adept Apple and remains so to this day, because it is a very convenient technique and good software ecosystem. However, if the case does not apply to research, I prefer to buy models that are one step behind from the latest. For example, I am using the iPhone X, but not the last.

This is due to the fact that the first iteration of the new model, as a rule, contains errors. To the output of their next fix, so you get the perfect product that works steadily and at the same time can still operate in the open software. The only thing that I have gained in the latest version, - AirPods.

I try not to acquire external storage, because the technology can store everything in the cloud. On the table in front of me is wireless charging, iPad and 12-inch Macbook - my main tool for the job. At one point I realized that I like small models, as investors fed his feet and he needs to be mobile. Workplace quickly migrates into a backpack and moved with me, so that miniature technique is much more convenient in this respect.

For several years I use stationery from Japanese brand MUJI. Long believed that it is possible to write any pen in any notebook, while for the first time did not buy MUJI. I advise everyone to try!

- How is your working day?

- By nature I am an introvert, so I try to get up early in the morning and spend hours alone with him. At this point, I form task list on the day and bring it to such a volume, which accurately manage - about 10 or 15 points. First, I highlight the large stones in the form of key tasks, appointments, and call each other, and then to fill the remaining space with small chores. Frog, that is unpleasant task, I try to eat right at the beginning of the day - so you do not think about it constantly and do not procrastinate.

My working day begins at 9 am, but someone comes to 12. I do not like the concept of workaholism, because, in my opinion, people are confused with the labor time spent on the job. chores occupation is not the same thing as your productivity, so FunCubator democratic attitude to the schedule. The main thing - it's goals that we achieve. If everything works, I will never raise the topic of why you came later than necessary.

There are times when we talk on the phone with the Americans. It's a different time zone. In this case, triggered the principle of mutual loyalty: I understand that the person spent half the night in the negotiations, so it may come tomorrow for dinner. I'm not trying to make people burnt out at work or sleeping forehead on the table.

We focus on the result, but the process should also be fun. Do not want to be on the team were the people who suffer. Of course, sometimes you have to do unpleasant things: deny projects and even to swear. But the team inspires a common cause: we explore the future and try to predict how society will develop.

- You are using techniques of time management, to organize your day?

- I really like the system Objective Key Results, which with varying degrees of success trying to implement large and small companies. The methodology is to ensure that you are focusing on a few key goals and each of them has a measurable rate. The problem is that people are often very ephemeral describe something to aspire to, so subsequent actions are reduced to the most terrible: you're kind of doing something, but not close to the result.

Objectives are divided into two types - compulsory and performyaschie. The first depends only on their own efforts - for example, do exercises. And the second - from the external evaluation and other indicators that are difficult for us to influence. Binding targets must strive to reach 100%, and performyaschih - 80%. They should always be readily available beyond, because otherwise the person relaxes.

The second tool that helps me - Eisenhower matrix. This is a known methodology, which separates any problems on two planes - the urgency and importance. I try to give the status of a task to understand which of them need to do now, and what can be transferred to a certain time. So I try to focus on the essentials to wisely plan your day.

- What applications do you use to simplify your workflow?

- My main tool - the app Todoist. It is the most convenient tool, which allows you to draw a picture of the day and focus on the main. The latter is very important because distractions were always, and with a push-notification of their development has been even more.

I have been actively researching services for notes - from the simple, like Google Keep, to more complex. For a long time I used Evernote, but over time it has become a cumbersome thing. Now my choice is somewhere between Bear and Notion - is a simple application, which in this case contains the capabilities needed to work.

For the working relationship I do not use Slack: for some reason, I did not catch it. Internal communication, we provide in the Telegram, and while it is all completely satisfied. However, I still downloaded WhatsApp, Viber, Skype, Slack and Zoom, to be flexible in terms of communication and does not require of anyone following my toolbox.

I really like the app Bookmate. In Moscow, the road takes a long time, so I'm just a fan of reading. One of the goals that I set for the year - read 100 books. Some of them I certainly learn a sammari - brief retelling, but the third year I manage to stick to this schedule.

I believe that a good book is to give the right questions rather than answers. I prefer the electronic format because it is so I can immediately note the abstracts for the spaced repetition and transfer them to Todoist.

I also use Pocket - application for deferred entries and RSS, which allows you to read an interesting media content in the form of purified. Every Wednesday I play football, but on the way home I allocate an hour to read the RSS-feed, re-save the articles in Pocket and add some abstracts in Todoist for later repetition.

- This chart is probably not remain free time?

- Actually, I do it a lot, but every moment I cherish and try to fill it interesting for me to action. I have already said about reading: it is the reason that I do not go by car to Moscow. Driving requires constant concentration, so I move on the subway or a taxi, but parallel study some literature.

If we talk about entertainment, I love football - it's a sport that with me since childhood. Unfortunately, I had a serious football injury a couple of years ago, but I still continue to play every week on Wednesdays.

More time spent on communication layer with the son and his training. I believe that genes mathematics, which I inherited from my grandfather sent and he, therefore, we try to solve Olympiad problems on this subject, and in his spare time playing football together. I speak for my son added the coach.

Besides, I like to travel: they reload me. And also pay particular attention to sleep. I've already talked about technologies that improve our health, but sleep It remains an important part of our lives. Correctly chosen time and even the hardness of the mattress - these are the things that affect how well you spend the next day.

Layfhakerstvo from Zakharchenko

books

Of those that I have read this year, I want to highlight the following:

• «Measure the most important"John Doerr - about goal setting using the OKR.
• «As the music became free"Stephen Witt - about how there was music piracy.
• «eSports"Roland Lee - about the birth of this industry.
• «Marvel vs. DC"Reed Tucker - about the eternal confrontation between two whale in the world of comics.
• «Risking his own skin"Nasim Taleb - about the present engagement.

sites

I signed about 50 blogs and feeds, but looking forward to upgrade only from a single - mediaskunk.ru. It is the site of my colleague Mikhail Kalashnikov.