Official Game Instructions
How to Play SideHustle®
The party game where people pitch made-up business ideas to win Funny and Fundable points. It’s Shark Tank meets Whose Line Is It Anyway.
What You Need
- 200 SideHustle Cards
- 20 Funny Cards
- 20 Fundable Cards
- 60 second sand timer
- 12-sided Industry Die
- 4 dry erase cards
- 4 dry erase markers
Round Flow
- 1Split into 4+ teams: 1 Investor team and 3+ Entrepreneur teams. Roles rotate after each round.
- 2Investor team draws a SideHustle card and rolls the Industry Die.
- 3Entrepreneur teams brainstorm a business based on the same name and industry.
- 4Brainstorm for 1 minute. Use 2 minutes for team games.
- 5Each Entrepreneur team gets 1 minute to pitch.
- 6Investor gets 1 extra minute to ask questions.
- 7Investor awards the Funny Card and the Fundable Card. Each is worth one point.
- 8Investor role rotates left and a new round begins.
- 9First team to 5 points of any kind wins.
Scoring
Fundable
Goes to the idea or pitch the Investor would most want to actually invest in if it existed.
Funny
Goes to the idea or pitch that made the Investor laugh or smile the most. Sometimes the idea wins. Sometimes the delivery does.
The Industry Die
Roll the 12-sided die to set the industry. If the table wants to invent its own category, that is spiritually correct.
What Goes in a Pitch
- What's your business name?
- Who's it for?
- What's your product or service?
- Why is it awesome?
- What problem are you solving?
- Do you have a slogan or catchphrase?
Pitch it like you mean it. Give it some flourish and energy. Presentation matters.
Gameplay Example
Investor: "Hey Entrepreneurs, your SideHustle is YOUNIVERSE and your industry is Health and Wellness."
Entrepreneur: "Did you ever wish you could escape the busy world and recenter yourself? YOUNIVERSE is an inflatable person-sized globe that you climb into while calm music and happy memories project on the inside surface."
Investor: "Can you please tell me more about how people breathe while inside this globe?"
Entrepreneur: "Of course. We have developed a set of tubes. Only the freshest air for our customers."
Tips
- Start with the first idea that hits, then make it sharper.
- Go weird, silly, impossible, magical, or suspiciously practical.
- Break the business name into pieces if you need a doorway in.
- Acronyms are fair game. NASA did it. You can too.
Proof It Plays
Played worldwide
Entrepreneurs, founders, students, and game-night crews use SideHustle to pitch ridiculous ideas and loosen up the room.
+
People play SideHustle from places like
EOS Worldwide
Penn State
University of Kentucky
University of Oklahoma
University of Wisconsin
Xavier University
Capitalism.com
Antler
Venture Asheville
Gen AI UniversityTie Breakers and Groups
Pitch Off
Roll a new card and industry. The other teams award Funny and Fundable. Most points wins.
Large Groups
No team-size limit. Add 1 minute of brainstorm time for every 2 people on a team.
3 Players
Investor announces whether they will reward Funny or Fundable before the round. Hand out one card, rotate, first to 5 wins.
Play for free
Bring the pitch party to your room
Drop your email, open the free web game, and start pitching ridiculous businesses in about a minute.
Enter your email to play SideHustle® FREE. We will never sell your info.
Keep it funny and fundable
Share your best pitch moments with @PlaySideHustle and use #PlaySideHustle so we can see what your table creates.