Dylan Collins

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Dylan Collins (born 1980) is an Irish software company founder and technology investor.[1]

Collins was a co-founder in 2003 of the gaming software start-up Demonware,[2] which was sold to Activision in 2007.[3] In 2007, Collins went on to found Jolt Online which was sold to GameStop in 2009.

In 2013, Collins founded SuperAwesome, a company that builds infrastructure to enable safe engagement with young audiences on the internet, where he remains as CEO. The company raised a $7 million investment in June 2015 [4][5] and in 2017 it was reported by Sky News that the company had raised an additional £20m.[6] The company powers the parental consent requirement for many games oriented at kids such as Pokémon Go.[7] Microsoft's investment arm M12 invested in the company in 2019[8] and it was acquired in 2020 by Epic Games for an undisclosed amount.[9]

Collins is regularly quoted in the media around the application of Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) to technology companies and the general concern of parental consent required for games and applications that target children.[10][11][12][13] He has recommended media companies have a "Chief Children's Officer" to safeguard the privacy and concerns of children.[14]

Collins is a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, and he previously sat on the board of Irish television animation studio Brown Bag Films[15] and the UK agency Potato.[16] He is also a Venture Partner in Hoxton Ventures.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Dylan Collins: Executive Profile & Biography - Businessweek". Businessweek.com. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  2. ^ "Dylan Collins: Everything Is SuperAwesome - Dublin Globe". Dublin Globe. Archived from the original on 29 May 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  3. ^ "Leading US games publisher buys DemonWare - Life | siliconrepublic.com - Ireland's Technology News Service". Silicon Republic. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  4. ^ Shields, Mike (1 March 2016). "Ad Firm SuperAwesome Says It Can Help Kids' Brands Navigate YouTube". WSJ. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  5. ^ O'Hear, Steve. "SuperAwesome, The 'Kid-Safe' Marketing Platform, Raises $7M Series A". TechCrunch. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  6. ^ "UK start-up SuperAwesome sells stake to investment firm Mayfair". Sky News. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  7. ^ "Pokémon GO partners with SuperAwesome on parental controls". Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  8. ^ Chowdhury, Hasan (24 December 2019). "Microsoft to back British 'kidtech' start-up SuperAwesome". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  9. ^ Cook, James (25 September 2020). "Fortnite maker Epic Games acquires British start-up SuperAwesome". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  10. ^ "A kid-friendly internet? This company is trying to build one". NBC News. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  11. ^ O'Brien, Ciara. "Tech firm on mission to make online data privacy kids' stuff". The Irish Times. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  12. ^ "NASDAQ interview with Dylan Collans".
  13. ^ Kiss, Jemima; Green, Mark; Boyd, Paul; theguardian.com (8 August 2013). "SuperAwesome's Dylan Collins on kids and discovery - video". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  14. ^ Dredge, Stuart (11 November 2018). "Do your children's apps give them the hard sell?". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  15. ^ Taylor, Charlie. "Irish led 'kid tech' company valued at $100m". The Irish Times. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  16. ^ Kennedy, John (2 October 2013). "Dylan Collins-chaired Potato listed in top 10 Drum Digital Census - Companies | siliconrepublic.com - Ireland's Technology News Service". Silicon Republic. Retrieved 20 June 2023.


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