StartPlaying · Jun 2026
StartPlaying announced a Humble Bundle partnership for Cyberpunk RED, including a discount code for new users to book their first session with a professional Cyberpunk GM.
Building Communities Through Play
Company research
Public company, workplace, funding, and market signals
Overview
StartPlaying is a marketplace for tabletop roleplaying game players and professional Game Masters, with paid session bookings, platform fees, and corporate/team-building event offerings.
Primary product
An online marketplace for finding and booking tabletop RPG games and professional Game Masters
Founded
2020
Headquarters
San Francisco, California, United States
Team size
100-150
Work style
Flexible
Industry
Entertainment Providers
Sub-industry
Online tabletop RPG / professional Game Master marketplace
Offices
San Francisco, California, United States
Business model
Marketplace take-rate on paid GM bookings
Corporate and team-building event bookings
Platform-enabled paid session discovery and reservations
Funding
Stage
Seed
Total raised
$6.6M
Latest round
Seed · May 2022
Latest amount
$6.5M
People & investors
Leadership
Chief Executive Officer
Head of Operations
Narrative Experience Director
Founders
Co-founder
Work & culture
Small, mostly remote team of nerds, builders, and play enthusiasts; culture emphasizes ownership, thoughtful output, data-driven decisions, diversity, community, and a playful tone.
Work style
Flexible
Compensation
No single company-wide public salary band was found. Public postings show compensation signals such as a Customer Support Specialist salary of $68k-$73k and a Content Creator repost around $60k-$80k, plus benefits-heavy packages and references to competitive compensation.
Benefits
100% medical coverage for employees
70% medical coverage for dependents
50% dental and vision coverage
401(k) through HumanInterest
Unlimited vacation with a required minimum of 2 weeks
Federal holidays plus Thanksgiving and Winter Break
Flexible parental leave with up to 12 weeks of 100% coverage
One nerd convention of choice covered
Annual company offsite
Company-issued laptop and phone
Free lunch every Thursday
Commuter stipend
Product & market
Pricing
GM-set prices with a 15% platform fee on bookings
Differentiators
- —Largest marketplace focused on tabletop RPGs and professional GMs
- —Discovery-first booking flow for any game system or VTT
- —Integrated scheduling, payments, and player communications
- —Supports both online play and corporate/team events
- —Verified reviews and GM-centric marketplace mechanics
- —Professional GM economy rather than volunteer-only lfg communities
Technology
React
TypeScript
GraphQL
PostgreSQL
Vercel
Stripe
Salesforce
GitHub
Git
JavaScript
HTML
CSS
Discord
YouTube
TikTok
Adobe
Adobe Photoshop
DaVinci Resolve
Customers
Players looking for tabletop RPG sessions
Professional Game Masters / Dungeon Masters
Tabletop RPG publishers and event organizers
Corporate teams seeking hosted game events
New players learning games or looking for groups
Competitors
Roll20
Fantasy Grounds
D&D Beyond
Role
Twitch
Hearo Live
Scale & contact
Estimated revenue
Approximately $4.1M annual revenue estimate; public profile sources also show a $1M-$10M range.
Estimated monthly visits
734.2K
Traffic estimate as of Jun 2026
Latest news
Geek Native · May 2026
Geek Native reported that Son of Oak is using StartPlaying for managed campaigns tied to Legend in the Mist / Hearts of Ravensdale, underscoring StartPlaying's role in publisher-led event programming.
Geek Native · Apr 2026
Geek Native described Onyx Path's 2026 virtual convention using StartPlaying, highlighting the platform's scheduling, payment, and seat-reservation infrastructure for publishers.
Rascal News · Mar 2024
Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro licensed StartPlaying for D&D 50th-anniversary gaming events, bringing curated adventures and discoverability for players seeking D&D groups.
StartPlaying · Mar 2023
StartPlaying announced a partnership with the McElroy family to support marketing, content creation, and creative strategy to grow the platform.
Jobs and careers at StartPlaying.Games
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