Vertellis: The card game that minted millions

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In an age where screen time trumps quality time, Willem Jagtman, Lars Blokdijk, Lizette Zeeman, and Bart Kloosterhuis realized they weren’t connecting with those they loved most. Their response? They created Vertellis (which means “tell me more” in Dutch) — a card game designed to spark engaging conversations.

Before starting out, they vowed to produce the product if they hit 500 presales. That happened pretty fast. One woman discovered them through social media and ordered 300 units to give as gifts to her clients. That same woman ended up offering the company manufacturing support. (Power of connection FTW.)