Oceanhouse Media
Michel Kripalani and Oceanhouse Media: Journey of a Serial Entrepreneur
Jodi Watson
Describe Michel Kripalani’s entrepreneurial journey to date. What are the lessons from this journey for entrepreneurs?
Michel Kripalani’s entrepreneurial journey began after he graduated from UCSD with a degree in visual arts media. Kripalani’s first startup was “MOOV Design, a computer graphics firm.” He founded Presto Studios in 1991, was the CEO and created the Journeyman Project series and Myst III: Exile. He closed Presto studios in 2002, taking a break and traveling, and then worked at Autodesk, a publicly-traded digital media firm, from 2004 to 2009. In 2009 he founded his third start-up Oceanhouse Media.
The lessons Kripalani learned on his journey were:
Participation in the Entrepreneurial Master’s Program (EMP) hosted by the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO). The EMP provided a forum for entrepreneurs to share and discuss issues that were relevant to them as group.
Kripalani’s participation in SD group of entrepreneurs where they discussed issues of relevance to them such as dealing with VCs and other investors, employee recruitment and compensation, and valuation and exit options for their ventures.
Kripalani was ahead of others - His experience at Moov Design where he and his partner created CD-ROMs and trade show graphics for their clients & the world’s first interactive CD-ROM magazine -VERBUM Magazine – got his foot in the door and learned new language before people were talking about it.
Kripalani knew when to exit the market - Achieving consistent profitability proved to be a challenged- innovative, never-been done ideas that Presto specialized in were viewed sometimes as risky. Game companies were not willing to pay Presto’s fees for game development and then went to competitors that could do it for cheaper. Thus, developing games turned into a hard-edged business and Kripalani closed Presto Studios on August 31, 2002.
Employees
Jodi Watson
Describe Michel Kripalani’s entrepreneurial journey to date. What are the lessons from this journey for entrepreneurs?
Michel Kripalani’s entrepreneurial journey began after he graduated from UCSD with a degree in visual arts media. Kripalani’s first startup was “MOOV Design, a computer graphics firm.” He founded Presto Studios in 1991, was the CEO and created the Journeyman Project series and Myst III: Exile. He closed Presto studios in 2002, taking a break and traveling, and then worked at Autodesk, a publicly-traded digital media firm, from 2004 to 2009. In 2009 he founded his third start-up Oceanhouse Media.
The lessons Kripalani learned on his journey were:
Participation in the Entrepreneurial Master’s Program (EMP) hosted by the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO). The EMP provided a forum for entrepreneurs to share and discuss issues that were relevant to them as group.
Kripalani’s participation in SD group of entrepreneurs where they discussed issues of relevance to them such as dealing with VCs and other investors, employee recruitment and compensation, and valuation and exit options for their ventures.
Kripalani was ahead of others - His experience at Moov Design where he and his partner created CD-ROMs and trade show graphics for their clients & the world’s first interactive CD-ROM magazine -VERBUM Magazine – got his foot in the door and learned new language before people were talking about it.
Kripalani knew when to exit the market - Achieving consistent profitability proved to be a challenged- innovative, never-been done ideas that Presto specialized in were viewed sometimes as risky. Game companies were not willing to pay Presto’s fees for game development and then went to competitors that could do it for cheaper. Thus, developing games turned into a hard-edged business and Kripalani closed Presto Studios on August 31, 2002.
Employees