From coding to calling the shots: How SPRIBE founder David Natroshvili built a gaming empire and learned to let go

A Georgian entrepreneur turned a small software startup into a global online gaming  powerhouse with more than 77 million monthly players.Now, his biggest challenge isn’t building  the next hit.

It’s knowing when to get out of the way. For most entrepreneurs, building a business that practically runs itself is the ultimate jackpot.  But for David Natroshvili, the founder and CEO of software developer giant SPRIBE, getting  there meant learning one of the toughest lessons in business: Sometimes the smartest move a  boss can make is to loosen their grip. The Georgian entrepreneur started SPRIBE in 2018 with a small team of developers in Kyiv and an ambitious idea for shaking up the online casino industry. Seven years later, the privately held company had grown to more than 300 employees across  offices in Tbilisi, Kyiv and Warsaw, with more than 6,000 casino operators offering its games. Its blockbuster product, Aviator, has attracted more than 60 million monthly players worldwide.  But the founder’s greatest achievement may not be the game’s explosive popularity.It could be  building an organization that no longer needs him to make every decision. Natroshvili wasn’t an overnight success story. He began his career in government as a senior official in Georgia’s Ministry of Economy from 2004 to 2007, a tenure that culminated in his appointment as First Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development.

He also found time to earn an MBA from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania.Before launching SPRIBE, he founded multiple  technology ventures, and brought that entrepreneurial energy and years of experience in technology, business and government to this new venture. Natroshvili saw an opportunity in an online casino industry dominated by traditional slot  machines and table games.He believed players wanted something faster, more interactive and  more social.

That combination of technical knowledge and executive experience helped shape...