Dorian provides a no-code mobile platform (iOS and Android) that converts written fiction into interactive, free-to-play choose-your-own-adventure games where readers can spend in-app currency to unlock alternate routes. The app splits in-app purchase revenue 50/50 with authors and pays creators via Tipalti, enabling continuous monetization rather than one-time fees. The company reports around 250 monetizing creators, with top creators making roughly $15,000 in annualized revenue and a few treating Dorian as a full-time job. Dorian supports fan works within its ecosystem via creator agreements that let original authors retain IP and set royalty splits for derivative works; it has also run licensed events with partners like Lionsgate. The product includes livestreaming so creators can play or showcase stories to build audiences, and the company employs human moderation plus host/reporting tools to manage content. With plans to grow the team and license more IP for in-app events, Dorian is also prioritizing hiring and support for Ukrainians affected by the war. Dorian offers a no-code engine and flowchart-style interface that enables fiction writers to design characters and scenes from visual assets, connect story branches, and create player choices without programming. The platform supports real-time collaboration between writers and provides detailed analytics to track reader responses and optimize monetization. Writers publish directly through the Dorian app and retain ownership of their resulting intellectual property. In early tests with about 50,000 players, writers were able to improve monetization by roughly 70% after one or two iterations. The company is currently invite-only and plans a broader launch later this year. Dorian is led by co-founder and CEO Julia Palatovska, who previously headed business development at G5 Entertainment. Dorian is building an "immersive fiction" mobile app inspired by experimental choose-your-own-adventure storytelling such as Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. The product lets users make decisions that shape nonlinear narratives and supports social collaboration so players can make choices together. The company plans to deliver multiple stories aimed initially at millennial and Gen Z women and to create a platform combining fiction with social gameplay. Dorian emphasizes female leadership and diverse, authentic female role models; CEO Julia Palatovska leads a team including Jordan Lee and Heather Logas, all with mobile games backgrounds. The San Francisco-based startup has raised $2 million in seed funding to support content development. Investors are primarily game-focused firms and industry angels, reflecting interest from the gaming investment community.

Total raised

$19M

Funding rounds

3

Latest round

Series A

Latest activity

Mar 2022