Ready Player Me’s Journey to Netflix: Decisions, Risks and Lessons

What does it take to build a startup, raise millions of dollars in investment, expand internationally and eventually reach an exit? What prompts an investor to invest in a company or sell part of their stake while others are still investing? What can both sides learn from the decisions they made?

Ready Player Me’s journey involved more than a decade of developing a technology company, raising investment, growing internationally and making important decisions. In December 2025, Netflix acquired the company. But not everyone involved in the company’s journey made the same decisions or exited their investment at the same time.

Join a conversation with Ready Player Me co-founder Timmu Tõke and the company’s early investor Lauri Antalainen, who will share their experiences from two different perspectives. We’ll talk about building and growing a company, investment decisions, when to sell a stake, and the challenges, risks and lessons that came with those choices.

### Panelists

**Timmu Tõke, Ready Player Me co-founder and former CEO**

Timmu co-founded Ready Player Me. The company raised $72 million from investors and was acquired by Netflix in 2025. Timmu will share his experience building a technology company, raising investment, leading international teams and moving to the United States, as well as the lessons he learned along the way.

**Lauri Antalainen, President of the Estonian Business Angels Network (EstBAN) and Board Member of the European Business Angels Network (EBAN)**

Lauri is an angel investor who has invested in more than 50 startups and been involved in several successful exits. As an early investor in Ready Player Me, he sold part of his stake during the company’s Series B funding round, before the Netflix deal. Lauri will explain why he chose to invest in Ready Player Me, what prompted him to sell part of his stake while other investors were investing in the company, and what he learned from those decisions.

### What will we discuss?

- **Building and growing an international company.** How do you raise investment, build an international team and grow a startup beyond its home market?
- **Investor decisions: when to invest and when to sell?** What convinced Lauri to invest in Ready Player Me, and why did he decide to sell part of his stake during the Series B funding round?
- **Decisions, risks and lessons.** What were the toughest choices and biggest challenges along the way, and what have Timmu and Lauri learned from their different experiences?

Expect an open, practical discussion, personal stories and an opportunity to ask the speakers questions.

### Schedule

09:30–10:00 — Arrival, morning coffee and introductions
10:00–11:00 — Panel discussion with Timmu Tõke and Lauri Antalainen
11:00–12:00 — Informal conversation and networking

🎟 Register now to secure your place. Attendance is free!

The event will be held in English.

### Who is the event for?

We welcome teams from Tehnopol Accelerator programmes, startup founders, entrepreneurs, angel investors and representatives of venture capital funds. Whether you’re just starting your first company, raising investment, expanding into international markets or making investment decisions, you can hear first-hand experiences and practical lessons from both a company founder and an investor.

The event is supported by Tehnopol’s film and multimedia accelerator IDA Hub, whose activities are funded by the European Union.