IndustrySim, a New Approach in Gaming and the Corporate World

Tomas Rosin of IndustrySim tells us how the smart software platform teaches people how the manufacturing industry really works in an immersive and engaging way.

First of all, how are you and your family doing in these COVID-19 times?

Tomas Rosin: We’re doing fairly fine considering the difficult situation in the world. Since the other cofounder is located in Wroclaw/Poland and signed in Turku/Finland, we have developed a set of good procedures on how to work efficiently remotely.

However, there is a shred of bright light in the darkness. My daughter Sofia, who is studying marketing in Scotland, has been here at home in Turku during the spring semester since she couldn’t travel back to Glasgow after the Christmas holidays due to the COVID situation. She has put up a marketing plan for IndustrySim and has run one successful campaign already. 

Tell us about you, your career, how you founded IndustrySim.

Tomas Rosin: I have an M.Sc. degree in Chemical Engineering, and during my almost 30 years as a tech entrepreneur, I have been working mainly with the energy industry. I’m very enthusiastic about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) since that’s the basis of our welfare and the key to solving many problems caused by our striving for welfare.

We discovered that there is a huge void for the genre of manufacturing industry-themed simulation/strategy games on the market. Also, the marketing of many products/services could be done far better than currently. After being involved in developing scientific/industrial simulations, we started to execute the intriguing idea of gamifying simulations, and that’s how the IndustrySim project got its start.

How does IndustrySim innovate?

Tomas Rosin: By occasionally putting feet high up in the air to grab ideas and after gravity has done its job, we check the feasibility of these ideas. This is also one advantage with a game and its game community, which involves multi-playing. A lot of ideas, criticism, and evolution will take place in the gaming community. This is a characteristic of a multi-skilled group working together.

How does the coronavirus pandemic affect your business finances?

Tomas Rosin: We have not been able to complete our fundraise, urgently needed to speed up the development of our complex product.

Did you have to make difficult choices regarding human resources, and what are the lessons learned?

Tomas Rosin: We have not successfully found and recruited our third entrepreneur partner, who would be in charge of the marketing and sales. I have learned, once again, that one should focus on own individual strengths and create a team that covers the most important skills needed to bring a startup onto the path of growth. 

How did your customer relationship management evolve? Do you use any specific tools to be efficient?

Tomas Rosin: The customer relationship is our weakest point at the moment, and that’s why we search for a third partner. Social media is very important, and open communication with the customers is paramount.   

Did you benefit from any government grants, and did that help keep your business afloat?

Tomas Rosin: No, we have not.

Your final thoughts?

Tomas Rosin: The corporates could benefit highly from gamification, and we want to show and prove to them this fact. It is hard to try to change the world, even a little bit. However, we want to bring a new direction into gaming, which is that everything happening in a virtual scenario must work in the real world as well.

Your website?

https://industrysim.com