Akoha Selected as “Who’s Got Game?” Finalist

San Francisco, March 24, 2009 - Akoha Inc., which creates online and real-world social games designed to make the world a better place, is pleased about its selection as a finalist for GamesBeat2009’s Who’s Got Game? start-up competition.

Akoha was one of seven companies chosen from 50 video game and virtual world start-ups. GamesBeat determined the finalists based on “the degree of innovation, potential for business success, and freshness”.

“We’re obviously thrilled to be named as a What’s Got Game? finalist,” said Austin Hill, Akoha’s chief executive and co-founder. “We see it as yet another positive indication Akoha has started to gain significant traction as more people learn about how we’re creating a game focused on large scale social change.”

Hill will deliver a five-minute presentation today on the GamesBeat 2009 stage before a panel of judges that includes VentureBeat’s Dean Takahashi, Jamil Moledina of EA Partners; Ed Fries, CEO of Figure Prints and former head of Microsoft Game Studios; Kevin Bachus, co-founder of Microsoft’s Xbox; James Cham, associate partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, Eric Goldberg, head of Crossover Technologies; and Jay Eum, managing director at TransLink Capital. The audience will also select a People’s Choice winner.

Inspired by elements of social entrepreneurship, massively multiplayer and reality-based games, Akoha users carry out missions that involve performing small acts of kindness for others. These activities are described on “mission cards”, and as players perform more missions, they advance in the game, recruit new players, and spread good deeds across the world.

Since the launch of Akoha’s private beta at the TechCrunch50 conference last September, there have been more than 3,000 mission plays in 37 countries. Akoha has established an initial target of 25,000 mission plays as part of a partnership with the charity group Room to Read that will see the construction of a library in Nepal.

While the growing number of mission plays is exciting, Hill said it is also encouraging to see how the game is inspiring people to change how they view the world. This was highlighted, he said, in a recent blog post in which an Akoha user said:

“When I started playing Akoha, it was mostly because it was fun to play missions and see my karma points collect. Almost six months later, I’ve begun to notice a change in the rest of my life…..What I really notice though, is that I say “Thank You” an awful lot more. Often times it’s just in my head, but more and more I’m willing to stop people (whom I don’t know) and say “Thank You”. These things make me smile and brighten my day, and hopefully by passing that on, I can make someone else’s day better.”

Some of Akoha’s recent accomplishments include a presentation at TED University in January. At TED, Akoha introduced its new Inspired Minds mission cards that were inspired by various TED speakers and talks. The new cards include nine new missions such as:

Share a TED Book – Inspired by the TED book club in which books that change the readers’ view of the world are sent to TED community members.

Photograph the Need for Change – Inspired by the TED Prize winner and photographer James Nachtwey, who has used photography to document wars, conflicts and critical social issues.

Calculate your Carbon Footprint – Inspired by Nobel Prize Winner and TED speaker Al Gore’s call for urgent change to help fight global warming.

Share a Documentary – Inspired by TED Prize winner Jehane Noujaim’s TED talk and the Pangea Day project in which documentary films where shown at live sites in Brazil, Egypt, India, Rwanda and the United States

Hill said the company’s success and growth over the past few months have set the stage for significant moves forward in 2009.

“We’re looking forward to an exciting year as Akoha attracts more players,” Hill said. “There’s growing interest and enthusiasm in helping to make the world a better place, and Akoha well-positioned to be part of it.”

About Akoha

Akoha combines online games, social networking and real-world activity to help make the world a better place. Akoha players carry out acts of kindness - known as “missions” - to collect points recruit new players and, as important, spread acts of kindness.

The Montreal-based company was founded in 2007 by long-time friends and entrepreneurs Austin Hill and Alex Eberts, who believe games and online communities could make a positive impact on people around the world.
Akoha is currently in beta but it has already attracted accolades from organizations such as the Canadian Innovation Exchange, Banff Venture Forum and the Crunchie Awards. To start playing Akoha, mission decks can be purchased at the Akoha Store -http://store.akoha.com/

Akoha Media Contact:
Mark Evans
mark@akoha.com
416-910-8895