We originally thought Pioneer was a search engine. Our main effort would be finding the creative outsiders. It turns out we built something... slightly different:

  • “Hugely appreciative of Pioneer for the sense of urgency it created for me last month. I highly recommend you to participate in the next cohort if you have a side-project, but are burdened with inertia... For me, even the positive feedback was socially reaffirming. It spurred my creativity and excitement to do more.
  • “I would highly recommend everyone with an idea in mind to apply for this tournament as the voting and the positive feedback will help you in developing the idea into a better version and get closer to converting your idea into a reality.
  • "The video-game aspect of the tournament further incentivizes you to complete your goal to get a higher ranking, much like you’d want to happen if you were playing a game, and this might be my favorite feature of Pioneer.
  • “By having to submit weekly progress updates, you feel more accountable for your actions which acts as a key motivator during the week. Throughout the week, I was constantly thinking about what to include in my update which helped me work as hard and as efficiently as possible."

And many more. People really enjoy the the motivational aspects of Pioneer and the encouragement from other players. It helps them accomplish what they couldn’t have done alone. Pioneer seems to be a kind of digital Ivy League campus, where the virtual surroundings motivate you to get stuff done.

As a result, we’ve been working on making Pioneer a really fun game. Something that people come back to play month after month (even when they win). The leaderboard has been upgraded to show regional positions, so that you have a better sense of peer camaraderie. Applicants receive both positive and constructive feedback from their peers. And other new features. We're constantly iterating and thinking about how to make this an amazing experience for everyone.

We hope to make the Pioneer Tournament the ultimate multiplayer game for productivity. Click here to start playing.