TEHNOBIZ Nikola Stolnik

Guest Nikola StolnikHosted by Dražen TomićMay 3, 2026

Nikola Stolnik

About this episode

What you'll hear in this conversation

The conversation begins not with market analysis, but with the practical problem of bad weather in Dublin. Nikola Stolnik, then working for Google, found himself competing in video games with colleagues from Amazon, LinkedIn, and Facebook, simply as a dynamic way to socialize. This personal need for connection and structured play, rather than a business plan, birthed Good Game Global. Today, Good Game stands at the intersection of competitive video gaming and corporate social responsibility, building a profitable enterprise out of what started as a casual tech-community gathering. You might hear often that the gaming market is larger than film and music combined, but Nikola puts it more plainly: "The market is seven and a half billion people. If you exclude babies and those over eighty, everyone else can play, and playing is simply entertainment." This conversation explores how a self-sustaining business model emerged from charity events, the unexpected pivot required by a global pandemic, and what it truly means to be a professional in a sport still battling outdated perceptions. You will walk away reconsidering what constitutes a 'market' and how an industry often dismissed as niche can be built on universal human needs.

Insights from the conversation

What to take from this episode

Good Game wasn't a market-driven idea but a solution to personal boredom and social need among tech workers in Dublin, where Nikola Stolnik worked for Google. The most potent business ideas often start as an accidental fix to a founder's own, non-business problem.

When Nikola invited the first sixteen Croatian tech companies to an esports competition, he expected pushback, but every single one immediately said yes. The strongest early market validation isn't a survey result; it's a cold outreach that returns zero rejections.

The first Good Game event didn't just host a competition; it used proceeds to donate PlayStation 4s to hospitals and children's homes, generating overwhelming 'when's the next one?' feedback. When you combine a novel experience with genuine social contribution, the demand for repeat engagement creates itself.

Good Game stumbled into a self-sustaining model from its very first event, remaining profitable and never operating 'below zero.' Profitability isn't a future goal; it's a decision to ensure that even the earliest, simplest version of your offering covers its own costs.

When Covid-19 cancelled all ten planned offline events, Good Game was forced to pivot entirely online. The biggest external shocks aren't just threats to your existing model; they are often the only way a business discovers it can operate in entirely new modes.

Nikola carefully distinguishes between game development, general gaming enjoyment, and esports as competitive play and fandom. Before you can build a market, you must first define which segment of a broader trend you are actually addressing.

The host recalls playing a computer game for 72 hours straight in 1982, a stark contrast to modern esports, which demands physical training, mental conditioning, and dedicated practice. The challenge for any emerging industry is not just to build its future, but to actively dismantle decades of outdated public perception.

Luka Perković 'Perx,' a top League of Legends player from Croatia, was recently acquired by an American team for $11 million. While discussions about market size and growth are common, a single, high-value transaction often does more to legitimize an industry than any statistic.

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