Mission Match: America's Game. America's Kids.
Par Not A Very Good Teacher
Statut actuel
Across America, kids are surrounded by entertainment — but disconnected from purpose. They spend hours playing games that keep them busy, not inspired.
We built Mission Match! to change that.
Mission Match! helps the next generation discover service, leadership, and STEM pathways early — before the noise of the digital world drowns out their curiosity. It’s a simple deck of cards that sparks big conversations about who they can become.
With this campaign, we’re expanding the Mission Match universe by:
- Scaling our Pathfinder Games events for schools, libraries, and youth programs.
- Upgrading Your Future Portal into a 3.0 version where kids and organizations can connect, track missions, and unlock real-world opportunities.
The Mission Match Universe
Mission Match isn’t just a game. It’s a connected ecosystem with three pillars working together:
- Mission Match! – The Game
- Your Future Portal – The Digital Hub
- Pathfinder Games – Live Events
Mission Match! – The Game
Mission Match is a fast-paced memory game that tests your mind, body, and willpower.
Ages 6+ • 2–4 players • ~15 minutes per round • Veteran-founded • Made in the USA
Players flip cards, make matches, and secure Mission Cards to win.
It’s easy to learn, quick to set up, and energetic enough to keep kids moving and laughing.
Gameplay
Also, each Mission Card includes a QR code that links to real-world opportunities in leadership, STEM, and service through Your Future Portal.
Meet the Characters
Every Mission Match character has a unique backstory and purpose.
Some represent the five branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, while others embody career pathways in STEM, leadership, and service. Action Characters bring the game to life, driving gameplay with special abilities that test memory, strategy, and teamwork. Together, they make up the Mission Match Universe—where play inspires purpose and every mission matters.
Your Future Portal – Today and Tomorrow (Informational Hub → Your Future Portal 3.0)
Right now, when families and kids scan Mission Cards, they’re taken to Your Future Portal — our informational hub that organizes programs and pathways by age group:
- Foundations (6–9) – Teamwork, fun, and discovery
- Builders (10–12) – Turning interests into skills
- Pathfinders (13–16) – Preparing for the future
Today, the portal is curated by our team: we choose, verify, and update the opportunities and resources listed.
With this Kickstarter, we’re building Your Future Portal 3.0.
In the next version, we want to:
- Let organizations create profiles, post missions, and update details about their programs.
- Let kids and families create accounts, scan Mission Cards, track progress, and complete challenges over time.
- Pilot rewards and recognition — from badges and certificates to prize claims powered by emerging digital tools (Web 3.0–style infrastructure in the background, kid-friendly experience on the surface).
The goal: turn a fun memory game into a real pathway system, where play leads to actual opportunities, not just another finished round.
Pathfinder Games – Play in Real Life
Pathfinder Games are our live events that take Mission Match! off the kitchen table and into the community.
At a Pathfinder Games event, kids:
- Join teams and complete mini-missions
- Move, think, and collaborate through leadership challenges
- Meet real mentors and learn about service, STEM, and civic pathways
We’ve already run Pathfinder Games with hundreds of kids and families at:
- USO Quantico West
- Alexandria Library
- Local youth and community programs
We’re building a growing network of partners that includes:
- Youth programs like Scouting and Young Marines
- Schools, libraries, and after-school organizations
- Veteran service organizations and local community group
With your support, we’ll create a nationwide Pathfinder Games model that any community can host — with kits, missions, and a direct link back into Your Future Portal.
How It Started
Mission Match was born out of service.
In 2022, Marine Corps LtCol Timothy Gick was volunteering with the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. Surrounded by toys, he realized something was missing: very few of them encouraged teamwork, leadership, or service.
So he sketched out a simple idea: a memory game that could teach kids how real units, roles, and missions fit together — and make it fun.
What started as a USMC-themed memory game evolved into a kid-friendly universe of characters, missions, and pathways connected to all branches of the military, plus STEM and community service.
From that first sketch, the project moved fast.
By mid-2024, the team had refined the concept into a full military-themed prototype, adding physical movement cards and the first set of illustrated characters. Through 2024 and early 2025, Mission Match went through three major prototype rounds — each one tested with kids, families, and educators — before officially launching in spring 2025.
That same year, Mission Match made its first public appearances at the Alexandria Library and Bring Your Child to Work Day at the Pentagon, followed by a presentation at Modern Day Marine. Over the summer, we secured a partnership with Marine Toys for Tots, hosted our first Pathfinder Games events with more than a hundred families, and were honored as a Distinguished Service Awards finalist.
By fall 2025, Mission Match! had been fully produced in the U.S. with Shuffled Ink in Orlando, Florida, and began its Toys for Tots Holiday Campaign — followed by the launch of this Kickstarter to help scale even further.
Looking ahead, the next milestones are clear:
expanding Pathfinder Games nationwide, launching Your Future Portal 3.0, publishing the Mission Match Book, and developing the next educational title in the Mission Match universe — all while distributing over 5,000 units through schools, libraries, and community partners across the U.S.
Who We Are
Not A Very Good Teacher (NAVGT) is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business based in Alexandria, Virginia.
For the past several years, our core work has been government contracting — supporting federal and government institutions with technology, consulting, and program support.
Now we’re using that experience to build something new for kids and families: creative educational products that connect play with real pathways.
Our creative and operations team brings together:
- Military experience: Army, Air Force and Marine Corps
- Educational practice
- Illustration, design, and storytelling
- Operations, logistics, and digital development
Core Team
- Timothy Gick – Founder & Executive Director
- Georgii Zlobin – Director of Operations
- Joseph Shamy – Game Developer & Educator
- Mishiko Sulakauri – Creative Director
- Alejandro Montoya Fuentes – Senior Designer & Illustrator
- Suzanna Suwinski – Social Media Designer
- Lisa Lopez – Pathfinder Games Manager
- Sarah Kirk – Editor & Contributor
Advisors
Our advisors are former U.S. Army and Air Force officers turned entrepreneurs who help us align Mission Match with real leadership pipelines, mentorship, and national-scale growth.
Partners
We’re honored to collaborate with organizations that build leaders in the real world, including:
Marine Toys for Tots Foundation – Holiday Edition partner.
This Christmas Toys for Tots is one of our key partners in getting this game into the hands of kids who might not otherwise receive something educational and inspiring.
Alongside our core Standard Edition, we created a Mission Match Holiday Edition, featuring a special Gunny Bear character and a seasonal art and packaging
Military OneSource – Recognizing Mission Match as a resource for military families
A growing network of schools, libraries, youth programs, and veteran organizations across the U.S.
Our Plan
This campaign isn’t about starting from scratch — it’s about growing what’s already working.
- Phase 1 – Community Growth (Q2 2026)
- Phase 2 – Your Future Portal 3.0 (Q3 2026)
- Phase 3 – Kickstarter & Holiday Fulfillment (Q4 2026)
- Phase 4 – Nationwide Expansion (FY 2026)
Budget – Where Your Support Goes
Our initial goal is $10,000. Because production is already underway, your support goes directly into expansion, not basic manufacturing.
- Manufacturing pay-down – Covering a portion of current inventory costs
- Shipping & Fulfillment – U.S. delivery of Standard and Holiday Editions
- Your Future Portal 3.0 – Design, development, and content integration
- Pathfinder Games – Event materials, travel, and coordination
- Team Compensation – Supporting the small full-time team doing the work
- Fees – Kickstarter and payment processing
Stretch Goals
As support grows, we unlock new tools and content:
Join The Mission
Mission Match began as a simple idea:
Kids don’t need more distractions — they need direction.
Every deck builds confidence.
Every Mission Card points to a real pathway.
Every Pathfinder Games event shows a child that they can lead, serve, and create.
When you back Mission Match, you’re not just helping us print a game.
You’re helping us build America’s next generation of leaders.
Join us. Back Mission Match. Help put purpose back into play.
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