CDG Booster Pitching to Success at Helsinki Game Week
David Ventura, Ichigoichie, the winners!
The CDG Booster first Accelerator program was very present at one of the most important weeks for many game and VR developers in the Nordics and Baltics: Helsinki Game Week 2025. Not only that, CDG Booster startups won first place at both major pitching competitions and a strong second place at Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki!
CDG Booster Accelerator participating company Speldosa Interactive winning the Very Big Indie Pitch, PC/Console edition at Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki, October 2025. Photography: Sabine Suorsa
Helped by CDG Booster, startups from Finland, Estonia and Sweden came together at the event in early October. It was easy to spot us at the event venue: CDG Booster partner Game Sweden had a stand where we gathered, dropping off to chat with each other and serving as a networking base for meeting other startups and industry movers and shakers. Additionally, several new games were showcased and piloted at the Indie Demo area.
Some of our startup founders were invited to speak at various events on different topics at both Pocket Game Connects and the subsequent We Love Games Helsinki event. They spoke on topics ranging from tech issues to diversity and inclusion. Some were very nervous before going on stage, since speaking in public can be daunting – especially for many tech entrepreneurs. In the end, overcoming stage fright was worth it. Everybody felt that their talks went well, with some even commenting that they went better than expected, thanks to the positive energy and feedback from the audience. Talking at industry events is always a positive, bringing excellent free visibility for startups – and growing their credibility as a viable industry player.
Pocket Gamer Helsinki hosted the Beyond Games Transmedia Summit, which focused on applying game technologies to other industry sectors. CDG Booster startup Psyon Games was invited as one of the speakers, since their company develops game applications for healthcare and wellness. This event and the AI Gamechangers Summit were good opportunities also for CDG Booster startups operating in the VR and XR sector to both be present as a company and to keep abreast of industry advances and trends – and how game technology is applicable in other differing industries.
In an incredible tour de force, our participating startups were winners and runner-ups in the two major international pitching competitions at Pocket Gamer Helsinki. Playnest won the Big Indie Pitch Mobile Edition. In the Very Big Indie Pitch PC/Console, the runner-up was Ichigoichie Games, and the winner was Speldosa Interactive. They showed remarkable poise and the ability to truly showcase on stage the incredible potential of their games, including great visuals and clear messages.
All in all, Helsinki Game Week 2025 was an excellent success for CDG Booster Accelerator participants. We look forward to next year’s event, with startups joining us for the CDG Booster Accelerator round 2, which will kick off in Spring 2026.
/Erna Gronow, XAMK
