Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) - AI Game Studio

THE OPPORTUNITY: We're building in AI-native social and party games: short-session, multiplayer titles for groups of friends playing together in person or over video. It's a category where the winners are decided by taste and timing rather than budget, and we think there are several more of these to be built. We're looking for an Entrepreneur in Residence to build the next one.

ABOUT THE ROLE: You'll join Variance to conceive, prototype, and launch a new game or product line, with the studio's capital, tooling, distribution relationships, and playtest network behind you — and real ownership of what you make. The first 90 days are for exploration: build, test, and kill ideas fast. From there, we commit resources to the concept that's working and you lead it, as founder and CEO of the resulting company or as GM of the product line. This is deliberately structured as an equity-forward role. The cash is modest and the ownership is not. If you'd rather have a large salary than a large stake in what you build, this isn't the right fit. We're also looking for someone who already has an instinct for what's missing in this category. If you need us to hand you the idea, this isn't the role either.

WHAT YOU'LL DO: Generate and stress-test game concepts against a clear thesis about social play Build playable prototypes fast, using our tech and AI tooling — you should be dangerous in at least one of code, design, or art Run playtests with real groups; read the room, not just the metrics Kill your own ideas when the data says to, and start again Make the investment case internally for the concept that earns it Recruit and lead the founding team once we commitREQUIRED QUALIFICATIONSYou've founded a company, shipped an indie title, or led a 0-to-1 product from blank page to live users Demonstrated ability to build something playable yourself or with a very small team Fluency with generative AI in a production pipeline — as a design material, not a talking point Genuine taste in social and party games, and a defensible point of view on why most of them don't stick Comfort with ambiguity, short runways, and public failurePREFERRED QUALIFICATIONSPrior exits, EIR roles, or venture studio experience Distribution on social-native platforms (Discord, Twitch, iMessage, Roblox, Tik Tok, or similar)Live ops, community, or creator ecosystem backgroundA prototype you've already been quietly working onCOMPENSATION AND STRUCTURESignificant founder-level equity in every project that gets funded out of your residency — this is the core of the offer Exploration phase: $80,000–$100,000 annualized At commitment: base salary steps up as the funded project is capitalized Prototyping budget for contractors, tooling, and playtesting Hardware stipend and flexible schedule No employer-sponsored health coverage Fully remote within the US, with periodic team gatheringsHOW TO APPLYApply through Linked In or email eli@variance.vc with your resume and a short pitch — two paragraphs, no deck — for a party game you'd build with us and why it works. Variance Ventures is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable law.