Lirui Ding

Lirui is a Principal at a leading gaming VC Transcend Fund. Transcend Fund has invested in over 40 gaming companies globally including thatgamecompany (developer of Sky: Children of the Light), Singularity 6 (developer of Palia), Stress Level Zero (developer of Boneworks and Bonelab), Ruckus Games, Midsummer, Methodical, BrainJar, Treehouse, etc.

Prior to Transcend, Lirui worked with the Executive Leadership team at Activision Blizzard on a range of pivotal initiatives from M&A, investment strategy to game development and strategy review. Lirui was also a global top 20 esports player with 400+ APM.

Lirui is a regular speaker at global gaming industry conferences including DICE, Gamescom / Devcom, ChinaJoy, PGC, MWC, etc. 

Funding the Future: Investment and Fundraising Strategies in the Gaming Industry

While early-stage game developers continue to face one of the most challenging fundraising environments in recent years, the sector simultaneously witnessed a landmark $55 billion leveraged buyout of Electronic Arts — the largest private equity transaction in history. This juxtaposition underscores how the investment landscape in gaming is evolving rapidly: institutional capital is scaling up, yet startup funding remains constrained.

This session aims to discuss with developers, founders, and investors on ways to navigate this new era of funding. It will examine why capital allocation in gaming has diverged, what trends are shaping the types of studios and genres attracting investment, and how teams can adapt their fundraising approach to meet the realities of 2025 and beyond.

Some of the key questions the session will explore include:

• Investors’ perspective: What are the key factors that gaming companies and VCs consider when investing in game studios?
• Fundraising for game studios: What are the challenges and opportunities presented by different types of funding? How do studios successfully navigate the fundraising process?
• Funding model innovation: What new financing mechanisms are emerging, and how can developers access them?