Adjective Tower, a start-up company that will build games for computers and mobile devices, has located in the Innovation Center at Rogers State University as a new incubator client.
Adjective Tower is operated by Ryan Cagle and Jamie Riggs, who both recently graduated from RSU’s Bachelor of Science in Game Development program.
Cagle and Krumwiede, who have known each other since their second semester in the Game Development Program, were among a group of RSU students that attended the Game Developers Conference 2012 in San Francisco in March. That’s where they made the decision to start their own business after graduating.
“During the conference I received some excellent advice about starting a game development company,” Cagle said. “We discussed it and decided that after graduating, instead of seeking a job in the industry, we would start our own company. In the Game Development Program, we were trained in all areas of game development and feel confident we have the technical knowledge and talent to develop a successful business.”
Leveraging the Innovation Center’s resources, the duo hopes to grow Adjective Tower to create jobs for other RSU Game Development graduates.
“We have an unlimited number of ideas right now. While in the incubator program, we hope to sell our first game, which will allow us to start branching out,” Riggs said.
The RSU Innovation Center provides start-up companies with support and resources to assist the growth from business concept to profitability. Benefits of the incubator program include reduced overhead through a graduated lease schedule, substantial state income tax breaks, close links to the university’s academic resources and professional, on-site business assistance.
According to Dr. Ray Brown, RSU vice president for economic and community development, studies have shown that companies developed through incubator programs have a much higher success rate than other enterprises, and Adjective Tower is a perfect fit for the program.
“We are targeting technology-based start-up companies that would be a good fit with the university’s academic strengths, and firms that also have a strong opportunity for growth,” Brown said. “Adjective Tower is an excellent fit and we’re even more excited to be incubating recent RSU graduates.”