Þorsteinn B. Friðriksson

This is an Icelandic name. The last name is a patronymic, not a family name; this person is properly referred to by the given name Þorsteinn.
Þorsteinn B. Friðriksson
Nationality Icelandic
Alma mater University of Oxford (MBA)
Occupation CEO and Founder of Plain Vanilla Games
Known for QuizUp

Þorsteinn B. Friðriksson, sometimes anglicized as Thor Fridriksson, is the founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Plain Vanilla Games,[1] an Icelandic mobile game studio with offices in Reykjavík, Iceland and San Francisco, USA.[2] Þorsteinn is most notable for producing the mobile app QuizUp.[3][4][5]

Personal life

Þorsteinn, a native Icelander,[6] received his MBA from the University of Oxford in 2009.[2] After returning to Iceland from his studies in the United Kingdom, Þorsteinn established Plain Vanilla Games in 2010.[7]

Career

Þorsteinn was working with the broadband-ISP startup Hive until it was purchased by Vodafone in 2007.[8] Deciding to explore a different industry, Þorsteinn became a local TV news reporter.[1][8] After studying at the University of Oxford, Þorsteinn started Plain Vanilla Games in Reykjavík, Iceland during the Icelandic financial crisis.[9] Þorsteinn and his team at Plain Vanilla Games spent over a year developing an educational app for children called The Moogies[8] that failed to gain popularity on the App Store.[10] Shortly after, Þorsteinn got the idea for a new app and wrote it down on the back of an over-due electricity bill that is now framed and hung in the Reykjavík office.[8] Despite the country's economic issues, Þorsteinn has decided to keep the Plain Vanilla headquarters located in Reykjavík to help support job growth and other start-up companies.[9]

QuizUp

QuizUp is a mobile trivia app similar to the game Trivial Pursuit.[1] Plain Vanilla Games released QuizUp for iOS November 7, 2013.[11] An Android version of the app was released March 6, 2010[10] In 2012, Þorsteinn traveled to the United States seeking funding[12] and eventually opened a second office in San Francisco.[7] Þorsteinn has said that the concept behind QuizUp was to create a different kind of social network concentrated around people's interests.[7]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Lora Kolodny (Dec 26, 2013). "QuizUp Takes Over Where Trivial Pursuit Left Off- The Mobile Generation". Wall Street Journal.
  2. 1 2 "Plain Vanilla- Thor Fridriksson". StartUp Phenomenon.
  3. ↑ JILLIAN D'ONFRO (Mar 20, 2014). "After Getting 1 Million Android Downloads In A Week, Here's Addictive Game Quizup's Plan To Dominate The Rest Of The World". Business Insider.
  4. ↑ Rachel Weber (14 March 2014). "QuizUp's Thor Fridriksson: The man with all the answers". Games Industry Biz. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  5. ↑ David Lumb (28 February 2014). "How The Creator Of QuizUp Turned A String Of Foolish Moves Into A 10 Million-User App". Co.Labs. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  6. ↑ Erin Griffith (March 6, 2014). "How hit trivia app QuizUp survived the hype cycle". CNN.
  7. 1 2 3 Kjartan Orn Olafsson (panelist), Thor Fridriksson (panelist), Vala Halldorsdottir (panelist), Sesselja Vilhjalmsdottir (panelist), John Biggs (interviewer) (2013). Startup Iceland 2013- Panel Discussion among Startup Entrepreneurs (Startup Iceland). Iceland: TechCrunch.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Jen Vilaga (May 12, 2014). "Most Creative People 2014: Thor Fridriksson". Fast Company.
  9. 1 2 JENNA GOTTLIEB (March 6, 2014). "Startup's success with QuizUp app a bright spot for Iceland's economy". The Seattle Times.
  10. 1 2 Katie Roof (March 6, 2014). "QuizUp Debuts On Android; How An Icelandic Game Became An Overnight Success". Forbes.
  11. ↑ Jonah Bromwich (December 20, 2013). "If You Need a New Addiction, Try QuizUp". New York Times.
  12. ↑ Keith Wagstaff (November 19, 2013). "Does QuizUp Have all the Answers? Social Trivia Game Nets a Million Fans in a Week". NBC News.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/1/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.