Daniel Stammler, Kolibri Games: From Shared Apartment to €100M Exit

About this episode

From Zero to 100 Million Downloads

Daniel Stammler and his co-founders had no idea how to program mobile apps in 2016. Yet they founded Kolibri Games in their shared apartment – without a business plan, but with a clear vision. Four years later, they sold their startup to Ubisoft for more than €100 million.

The Kolibri Games story impressively demonstrates how a spontaneous idea can evolve into a global gaming company. The studio's most successful game, Idle Miner Tycoon, along with other titles, has been downloaded more than 100 million times.

The Path to Bootstrap Success

What sets Kolibri Games apart from many other startups: the team completely avoided external capital. Instead, the founders consistently relied on bootstrapping – a strategy that would pay off handsomely.

By 2018, just two years after founding, the company generated an impressive annual revenue of €38 million. These strong numbers allowed Daniel and his team to remain completely independent and pursue their vision without external investors.

This organic growth strategy led to Kolibri Games now employing more than 100 people and becoming one of Germany's leading mobile gaming studios.

The Mega-Deal with Ubisoft

In early 2020, the big exit happened: French gaming giant Ubisoft acquired Kolibri Games for more than €100 million. But unlike many acquisitions, the founders stayed on board to continue pursuing their original vision.

This deal shows how valuable successful mobile gaming studios have become for major publishers. Ubisoft recognized the potential of the German developers and their expertise in idle games – a genre characterized by simple mechanics and high user retention.

Lessons for Founders

The story of Daniel Stammler and Kolibri Games offers several important insights for aspiring entrepreneurs:

Just Create: Sometimes it's better to simply start rather than plan endlessly. Daniel and his team began without technical expertise but learned quickly through hands-on experience.

Bootstrap When Possible: Avoiding external capital allowed the team to maintain complete control over their decisions and determine their own exit timing.

Focus on Users: With over 100 million downloads, Kolibri Games demonstrates how important it is to develop products that users truly want and use regularly.

The journey from apartment founding to multi-million euro exit makes Kolibri Games a prime example of successful German entrepreneurship in the digital age.