JARED MCCLUSKEY

2012 Scholar

Raising Venture Capital for Startups: Unwritten Rules

Jared McCluskey is the founder/CEO/CTO of The Mirror, a next-gen game development platform built on open-source software, backed by Founders Fund, Konvoy, Abstract, Florida Funders, Palm Tree Crew, Blockchain Founders Capital, and numerous angel investors. Jared raised The Mirror’s first round of VC funding during the peak macro environment in 2021/2022 and has many lessons to share from navigating the now-polar-opposite funding landscape. He also scouts for VCs and angel investors.

Jared built an online business in Second Life in 2007 after saving up enough money from mowing lawns to buy a laptop. He doesn’t have a computer science degree, but from learning how to code at a young age, he’s written code for SpaceX, taught software development at the University of Denver as an adjunct, and has served in lead/senior engineer roles for numerous startups. He’s worn many hats, both technical and business, in helping build startup companies since graduating from Southern Methodist University in 2016 and is a 2012 Coca Cola Scholar.

About The Mirror: Building multiplayer games is time-consuming and complex: The Mirror empowers creators with an open-core game development platform for all skill levels, akin to a “Squarespace for Games.”