FAQ
What does the name "Fe/male Switch" mean?
According to a study (“Gender-Based Cerebral Perfusion Differences in 46,034 Functional Neuroimaging Scans", Journal of Alzheimer's Disease), the successful female entrepreneur possesses the traits observed in the male and female brain. The female entrepreneur that enjoys taking risks and competing in a male-dominated world may indicate that the perfusion pattern of her prefrontal cortex may be more consistent with what we observe in the male brain. This allows her to be a courageous, capable leader, while also possessing the ability to foster a strong sense of teamwork given her natural drive towards collaboration. This constant switching from "male" to "female" resources and vice versa heavily relies on executive functioning, aka "internal capacity". In order to be able to switch codes with fewer resources required, one needs to train their brain like they would train a muscle. That's why we believe that for an educational role-playing game that aims to increase the internal capacity of female entrepreneurs, the name "Fe/male Switch" is perfectly fitting.
What is Fe/male Switch?
We are the first-ever data-driven serious Role-Playing Game for future female entrepreneurs that is based on our proprietary approach called ”gamepreneurship”. And it's fun to play!
Is this the first pilot of Fe/male Switch?
Yes! The Summer Camp “Code: Orange” for Dutch-oriented future female entrepreneurs is the first-ever pilot to be run, with the next pilot being held in Italy “Yummy Pasta” and then Malta “Rocky Island”. The first edition of the Dutch cohort, started in August 2021.
Why should I join the pilot and not wait until Fe/male Switch is ready?
Get instant access and start playing; get involved with this game as it develops.
We want to make the best game we can, and even in beta, we’ve learnt that working directly with our community is the best way to do that. Fe/male switch is a huge world and we have lots that we want to add, and a Pilot is a way for us to receive constant valuable feedback, collaborate with our players on what they want to see, and keep our players in mind at every step of the development cycle.
We want to make the best game we can, and even in beta, we’ve learnt that working directly with our community is the best way to do that. Fe/male switch is a huge world and we have lots that we want to add, and a Pilot is a way for us to receive constant valuable feedback, collaborate with our players on what they want to see, and keep our players in mind at every step of the development cycle.
How long will this game be in piloting?
For at least 6 months, but depending on player feedback and the amount of content we choose to put into the final game, it may take longer.
How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?
We currently use our Telegram chat and LinkedIn page as our primary ways to talk to our community. Users are welcome to suggest new features and modifications in the "ideas & suggestions" chat channel. Upcoming changes are openly discussed with the community for early feedback. We will continue to develop this process based on the needs and feedback of the community.
What is the current state of the Pilot version?
Most planned core features of the game have been implemented. The Pilot lasts 1 month and contains 1 module in Skill Lab and 4 quests in the Game.
Is the game available in other languages?
Currently, the game is supported only in English.
Is the game aimed only at creating a startup?
Primarily, the game is aimed at teaching females the skills that may appear essential both in entrepreneurship and outside of this sphere.
Dealing with external real-life challenges in the game, users are developing their spatial reasoning, critical thinking, networking, and business management skills. Despite that, they master such software as Integromat, Tilda, Bubble, Canva, Miro, etc.
By the end of the pilot, our users will be able to create a landing page, build automation, create a video tutorial with visually appealing content, and much more!
Dealing with external real-life challenges in the game, users are developing their spatial reasoning, critical thinking, networking, and business management skills. Despite that, they master such software as Integromat, Tilda, Bubble, Canva, Miro, etc.
By the end of the pilot, our users will be able to create a landing page, build automation, create a video tutorial with visually appealing content, and much more!
Do I need to have an idea for this startup already?
No, we don’t expect this from you.
What is the workload and duration of the game?
The workload is 5+ hours per week. You can do as little or as much as you want on top of that. We have daily activities (with weekends off) and most of them can be done any time, except for a few scheduled meetings.
How is the full version planned to differ from the Pilot version?
We plan to add more content such as new quests and challenges, new roles, more Game Masters, and more customization.
Is it free?
Joining the pilot is absolutely free. Later on, there will be a fee for getting access to the platform, but we are not going to introduce high fees.
How are the pilots free?
Maybe you are questioning how our program is free, even though we have created the most innovative approach to building entrepreneurs. Well, we believe that pilots should be free because we ask our users to give us feedback in return. Later on, there will be a fee for getting access to the platform, but we are not going to introduce high fees. There are two main reasons for that:
- The first is our core purpose: providing to every female - willing to learn how to become an entrepreneur - the key startup-essential skills to create a resilient and sustainable startup. We are partially a “not for profit” entity that has social impact as the main mission.
- The second is ‘Gamepreneurship’. Our disruptive multidisciplinary approach allows us to deliver the best educational game at a “no-brainer” price.
Does Fe/male Switch give out certificates?
YES. We do certify users and give out state-of-art “live certificates” that can update themselves (the feature is currently in development).
Once you complete at least one (1) module, you’ll receive your “Gamepreneur” certificate. It means that your certificate gets created. You get a link that you can share with anyone. You can also add it to your LinkedIn profile.
Once you proceed further, your certificate gets updated and will continue doing so as long as you achieve results. That’s our proprietary “Live Certificates” technology that puts all of your achievements together and lets you control who can access it and for how long.
The certificate includes a lot more information than a regular certificate does (for instance, homework performance). It means, our certification has actual value and “proof of work” that can be verified by anyone who gets access to your credentials. It’s like your portfolio, but an interactive one.
Once you complete at least one (1) module, you’ll receive your “Gamepreneur” certificate. It means that your certificate gets created. You get a link that you can share with anyone. You can also add it to your LinkedIn profile.
Once you proceed further, your certificate gets updated and will continue doing so as long as you achieve results. That’s our proprietary “Live Certificates” technology that puts all of your achievements together and lets you control who can access it and for how long.
The certificate includes a lot more information than a regular certificate does (for instance, homework performance). It means, our certification has actual value and “proof of work” that can be verified by anyone who gets access to your credentials. It’s like your portfolio, but an interactive one.
Will Fe/male Switch certificates be recognized by companies, HR departments, etc?
If our users get certified, it means they have gone through rigorous training and can do the test task that falls within the scope of the platform, with flying colors. Creating an awesome-looking pitch deck, building a landing page, or even a small web application in a few hours, that’s just a few examples of what our users will be able to do. We even tested it on a potential investor and he was impressed!
Is it only for women?
No. Eventually, we will have content created by different groups of people, but we are starting with women-specific content and target all our communication towards them. During the first pilots, only women are accepted as we need to do a lot of testing and adjusting.
What age category is the game designed for?
The game is designed for users over the age of 18.
Can I play together with my business partner?
You are more than welcome to encourage your female friends to participate in the project and grow together! You can form a team and invite your friend or join one together.
What if I already have some entrepreneurial experience?
In this case, you can master the digital tools essential for the field (Bubble, Tilda, Figma, etc) and perfect the skills that you already have. By the end of the pilot, our users will be able to create a landing page, create visually appealing content, and much more.
You can also become a mentor and help the users to grow.
You can also become a mentor and help the users to grow.
How is Fe/male Switch different from an incubator/accelerator?
Incubator and accelerator are startup programs with limited duration, a cohort-based program, formal curricula, mentoring, a bundle of networks, and a concluding demo-day or graduation.
We do believe that traditional incubators and accelerators are valuable. Particularly, those with links to investors. However, you can only test one idea per program and you actually already need to have that idea. What if you are just exploring entrepreneurship? What if you want to work in a startup but not as a founder? So many what-ifs that traditional approaches do not take care of. Why does it happen?
We do believe that traditional incubators and accelerators are valuable. Particularly, those with links to investors. However, you can only test one idea per program and you actually already need to have that idea. What if you are just exploring entrepreneurship? What if you want to work in a startup but not as a founder? So many what-ifs that traditional approaches do not take care of. Why does it happen?
- Incubators require a substantial investment of money and time, with uncertain returns.
- Some mentors come from the “traditional business” and lack ‘real startup’ experience and “gender intelligence”.
- Similar content and generic case studies that are “one size fits all”.
- Tedious application processes: whereas with us, you sign up and you start your startup journey right away.
What are the differences compared to an online course?
Among the vast universe of online courses:
- They are usually focused on one single niche (e.g. entrepreneurs)
- Most of them are not well-structured and learnings are usually poor
- Too often professors are ‘gurus’ who want to sell their story
- They lack a value proposition
- There is zero offline engagement and community
What is the game all about?
It is a survival game! The game utilizes a skill-level system that ranges from soft to hard. Each skill can be increased (junior, medium, senior levels), and has different effects on the game mechanics.
A “minimum-rules” environment offers better incentives than a heavily controlled one.
You are dropped into the startup world with some guidance. And when you have figured out what to do (beyond surviving), you have unlimited options to do other things. You can hang out in the office, do quests and challenges, seek investment or choose to bootstrap, you can get interns or poach talent from other teams.
This sense of semi-guided, yet uncertain, freedom might be scary, yet it is very exciting. It’s all about the possibility of meaningfully progressing your startup team in a “realistic” entrepreneurial environment. The game aims to deliver profound and memorable experiences. Fe/male Switch is an adventure, a second life, and quickly becomes something of a community.
It’s all about intrinsic rewards, progress, and delivering a sense of achievement. It's about growing your inner entrepreneur!
The incentive comes from the fact that the core gameplay is intrinsically fun, and you continuously feel that you are progressing your skills organically, as a side effect of pursuing that intrinsic sense of enjoyment. This virtuous cycle of enjoyment and progression makes you want to explore more, win quests and challenges, get a better office, and a greater team.
The best reward is to be recognized and taken seriously as a person and not a set of numbers.
You would even want to do things that you normally wouldn't. For instance, to “give up your salary” — not because you will be kicked out of the team if you don’t or receive a reward if you do, but because you simply get stronger as a team when you have extra resources and take care of your team members. The credibility of a team is a compound index, consisting of individual team member’s experience and skills, gained in Skill Lab.
Endless exciting startup stories are to be created!
A “minimum-rules” environment offers better incentives than a heavily controlled one.
You are dropped into the startup world with some guidance. And when you have figured out what to do (beyond surviving), you have unlimited options to do other things. You can hang out in the office, do quests and challenges, seek investment or choose to bootstrap, you can get interns or poach talent from other teams.
This sense of semi-guided, yet uncertain, freedom might be scary, yet it is very exciting. It’s all about the possibility of meaningfully progressing your startup team in a “realistic” entrepreneurial environment. The game aims to deliver profound and memorable experiences. Fe/male Switch is an adventure, a second life, and quickly becomes something of a community.
It’s all about intrinsic rewards, progress, and delivering a sense of achievement. It's about growing your inner entrepreneur!
The incentive comes from the fact that the core gameplay is intrinsically fun, and you continuously feel that you are progressing your skills organically, as a side effect of pursuing that intrinsic sense of enjoyment. This virtuous cycle of enjoyment and progression makes you want to explore more, win quests and challenges, get a better office, and a greater team.
The best reward is to be recognized and taken seriously as a person and not a set of numbers.
You would even want to do things that you normally wouldn't. For instance, to “give up your salary” — not because you will be kicked out of the team if you don’t or receive a reward if you do, but because you simply get stronger as a team when you have extra resources and take care of your team members. The credibility of a team is a compound index, consisting of individual team member’s experience and skills, gained in Skill Lab.
Endless exciting startup stories are to be created!
