Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark and Matthew McLachlan.
Mark and Matthew, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
While we’ve been working together on products dating back to 2012, we formally started Antsy Labs in 2015. In case our names didn’t give it away, we’re brothers – while we have often been asked whether or not it’s challenging working with family, we wouldn’t have it any other way. We have developed a great balance of strengths over the years and have always enjoyed working on projects together. Our product catalog over the years has included everything from wooden dexterity games to modular charging docks for phones and smartwatches to desk toys. All of these ideas were launched initially on Kickstarter, and the platform and the community we’ve built there are a large part of our DNA.
In 2016, we launched Fidget Cube on Kickstarter, which went on to raise $6.4MM from 155k backers. This project and the product line it spawned is perhaps what most people recognize our design studio from. Since then, we’ve released several more projects, and are now in the process of moving more toward the tabletop gaming space. We recently wrapped up a Kickstarter project for Storm the Gate: Woodland Warfare, a tabletop dexterity game that’s a sequel to one of the earliest products we released. We have another project launch slated for this summer, which we’re eager to share with our community.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It absolutely hasn’t always been smooth! Since Antsy Labs’ inception, we’ve launched eight projects together on Kickstarter. Not all of those projects have been successfully funded. It’s a really difficult pill to swallow when you put yourself and your ideas out there and in return, the internet says, “No, thanks!” But it’s part of the process of building a startup. It’s one of those things that’s certainly easier to say when it’s in the rearview, but the projects we’ve launched that have failed have each contributed to the growth of our company and especially us as individuals. There are, of course, struggles that coincide with experiences on the opposite side of that spectrum, as well. For instance, one of the most challenging times for our team took place during what was one of the most exciting times as well (when we launched Fidget Cube). The global audience that came along at that time led to a slew of issues, such as a tsunami of cheap counterfeits flooding the markets. And while we both would have rather not dealt with those obstacles at all, we’ve become more knowledgeable and seasoned due to the fact that we had no choice but to confront those problems and solve them to the best of our abilities.
Antsy Labs – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Antsy Labs is a design studio and game publisher. The fact that our portfolio of products is fairly eclectic is something that we take a lot of pride in and is also very much in line with our original vision for the company. Every single product that we design has to pass a handful of crucial tests that we’ve had since day one: Is this something that we ourselves want to use? Is it an idea that, if we didn’t bring it to fruition, we’d be unable to stop thinking about? Is it something that we are deeply passionate about, especially to the point of obsession? Is it a design or product that makes life a little more fun? As long as the answer to those questions is “yes,” it’s something that we believe we can launch under the Antsy Labs brand.
What has been the proudest moment of your career so far?
This isn’t exactly one single moment (as it applies to multiple moments throughout our history as Antsy Labs), but we believe that there’s absolutely no better feeling as a product designer than seeing the final iteration of one of your products. It’s essentially the moment that you realize that an idea you had at some point in the past is now a tangible thing that exists in front of you, and it only exists in its final state because of hundreds or thousands of hours worth of perseverance, tweaking, and obsessing. Those moments are priceless.
Pricing:
- Fidget Cube: $9.99
- Storm the Gate: Woodland Warfare: $84.99
- Fidget Factory: $49.99
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.antsylabs.com
- Email: hello@antsylabs.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/antsylabs
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/antsylabs
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/antsylabs
Image Credit:
Matthew McLachlan
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