How This Founder Built a $12 Million Startup with Card Games

Javon Frazier, 46, grew up in a single-parent household in L.A. His mom worked hard to support him, so comic books and video games often kept him company. This geeky childhood led to a successful career: after business school, Frazier landed a job with Marvel Entertainment and later with Studio71, a media company, where he became chief product officer. He frequently traveled to China to oversee the production of merchandise, like fidget spinners. Although the job was fulfilling, Frazier realized he was spending too much time away from home. So, he decided to start his own company, Maestro Media. In 2021, he launched a card game on Kickstarter called “The Binding of Isaac: Four Souls Requiem.” However, he faced a challenge: he needed a significant amount of capital before the campaign could begin.

When I was starting the business, I had a serious talk with my wife. I told her, “I need to take some money out of the house.” She asked, “How much?” I replied, “All of it.” My wife is incredibly supportive, but I remember her reaction vividly—it felt like a huge weight had been dropped on her. She actually sat down, overwhelmed by the news. Eventually, she agreed, and that was when we knew we were fully committed.

I had to figure out how to manage from January 2021 to June 2021. I enlisted my tax guy to be our CFO, hired a lawyer, and brought on a head of operations. We were spending money quickly. By April or May, my CFO told me, “We’re out of cash.” I said, “Just get me to the starting gate.”

We launched our Kickstarter campaign on June 1, 2021, and raised a million dollars in the first 90 minutes. Everything went smoothly after that. If the campaign hadn’t succeeded, we would have lost our house. We ended up making $6.7 million in 30 days, making it one of the biggest Kickstarter campaigns ever. It was our first project as Maestro Media, and it was life-changing. I owe a lot to the brilliant creator of the game, Edmund McMillen. He’s a creative genius, and working with him has been an incredible learning experience. We have a licensee relationship, but it’s very much a partnership.

Around 48,000 people backed the campaign. During COVID-19, when shipping and manufacturing were slowed down, we started a subscription program called the Unboxing of Isaac in 2022. This monthly subscription included a T-shirt, cards, and a bonus item to keep our supporters engaged while they waited for their packages from China. We delivered over 150,000 packages for the Binding of Isaac Kickstarter, and the game was translated into 12 languages. This approach helped us build a strong community and grow our business. Crowdfunding has been a key part of driving engagement and awareness.

We increased from one game to ten, and by 2026, we may have thirty games—we’re on schedule for that. We increased from one to twelve people. We operate entirely remotely. This autumn, we’re releasing Hello Kitty, and then we’re releasing Smurfs.

When I used to fly 150,000 miles a year when working at Studio71, my wife would say, “Dude, this is a lot.” For crying out loud, I had no idea what my children had for breakfast. “I need to figure out something else,” I told myself. I needed to be with my children more. Neither the pickup nor the drop-off involved me. I have to become more active. My mother gave up everything for me, and we are a single-parent family. I have to do this for my girls because I want them to have the finest possible lives.

Now, it’s wonderful to share Maestro with my family. I often joke that they are the most underpaid play testers in the world since they get to try out all the games. They’re excited to be involved in anything I’m working on just because their dad is part of it.

I made a change because I saw my life heading in a direction I didn’t want. I didn’t want to lose my family or be separated from my wife. I feel incredibly lucky to be home and to be with my family.