The Mirror

The Mirror, a game development platform that lets indie developers build virtual worlds, raised $2.3 million in pre-seed funding in a round led by Founders Found, the Silicon Valley venture fund that has backed Stripe, Airbnb and Lyft.

Founded in Miami by CEO Jared McCluskey, the startup currently has a team of 15 people. Additional participants in the round included Konvoy Ventures, Abstract Ventures, Florida Funders and Palm Tree Crew.

The Mirror expedites the creation of 3D multiplayer games set in virtual worlds and includes tools for real-time collaboration, which is one of the characteristics necessary for occupation in the metaverse, according to Matt Ball, the author of a recent book on the subject. The startup says that it will serve developers of all skill levels, including those with no coding experience.

"The Mirror has a fundamentally different approach of using open-source software to bring real-time collaborative game development to a fragmented industry,” Founders Fund partner Keith Rabois said in a statement.

Amid bear market woes, venture funding in NFT and web3 gaming projects jumped 66% in 2022 to become one of the bright spots in an industry facing declining crypto prices and layoffs. Advancements in technology, infrastructure and throughputs on first- and second-level chains have increased the chances for successful blockchain-based games.