From Startup to Team (in VR)

Friday I was standing in a virtual world, laser gun in hand, about to be shot by my own developers.

When I started, NinA AI Agency was still a one-man show. With the goal of forming a team as quickly as possible.

Now, 1.5 years later, the six of us were in the middle of our first real team outing: an evening full of VR games, beer, pizza and above all: lots of laughing.

An Evening Full of Digital Chaos (and Hamburgers)

We started the evening with a VR shooter: taking out zombies together, covering each other and laughing our heads off in the meantime.

Then: team versus team. Friendly competitive, but fiercely fanatical. I was completely into it.

Then came the real spectacle: a VR version of Overcooked, where you have to run a virtual burger joint together. And believe me, it's just as chaotic as it sounds.

The first few minutes were complete panic. Ingredients were flying through the kitchen, nobody knew who should do what, and the first burgers mostly ended up in the trash. But soon a rhythm emerged. Tasks were divided, people shouted, laughed and – yes – eventually even served.

Cliché of course that I as a founder have to highlight this, but it is true…

The Unexpected Boxing Hero and Other Insights

And then there was the punching bag. One of those old-fashioned machines that measures how hard you can hit. We challenged each other, with plenty of big talk of course. But who turned out to have the hardest punch? Daan. Our content king has a good right hook. His score was at the top. Even the other company present couldn't beat him.

Proud!

As a founder, it's sometimes hard to let go. You want to steer, control, refine.

I didn't have to arrange anything. The team found its way on its own. They helped each other, had fun, and challenged me at the right moments. It didn't feel like an outing with "my employees" – it felt like an evening with a group of people I genuinely enjoy working with.

In that hour of chaos with virtual hamburgers, and between the laser gaming and the punching bag, I saw it more clearly than ever: this has long since stopped being a one-man mission. This is now our story.

Collaboration

We believe that AI only truly makes an impact when you do it together. And sometimes that simply starts with a punching bag, a VR zombie and a few failed hamburgers.

Until next time,

Olaf Lemmens