Photo by Valerie Lai

David Pikoff, co-founder of Games2U, operates this national franchise out of headquarters in Hudson Bend with his brother Stuart.

David Pikoff's goal seems simple enough: He just wants to create childhood memories. As co-founder of Games2U, an Austin-based entertainment company headquartered in Hudson Bend, he oversees the production of a game called Booger Wars (a game similar to dodgeball in which players avoid having a green bean bag hit and stick to the Velcro vest they are wearing) and the first-ever kid-operated robot.

Pikoff, along with his brother Stuart, developed the company in early 2007 and sold their first franchise in March 2008. While working separately—Pikoff built a telecommunications company and worked in real estate development for several years—the brothers decided they wanted to quit their jobs to work together. They searched high and low for a creative franchise to purchase.

"There was nothing that was truly unique or different out there that could get us fired up," Pikoff said. "But the kids' entertainment space—there was a huge void there. It hadn't changed in years. We set out to fill that void."

Games2U is now the first nationally branded home entertainment company in the U.S., with 128 franchises. The company is growing so quickly Pikoff expects to sell 300 franchises by the end of the year. They also recently sold part of the company to former Dell president Joel Kocher, who Pikoff says has become an important strategic adviser for the company.

Pikoff attributes the company's success to its unique concept of bringing entertainment to people's doorsteps. Mobile trailers deliver outdoor laser tag, mini-4-D theaters, lifesize hamster balls and original games created by Pikoff's research and development team. He is especially proud of the U:bot, the company's latest innovation that allows children to step inside an almost 7-foot-tall robot and control its movements via joystick controls.

"I often sit here and try to put myself in the mindset of what I would have wanted when I was a kid. That's when I thought of the robot. It's every kid's dream to be a robot," Pikoff said. "Robots are cool, have been cool and will always be cool."

With Games2U, Pikoff tries to make children's birthdays fun and extraordinary.

"We just want to create a company where kids can feel like a rock star for a day," he said. "You think, 'Is that Pamela Anderson's kid throwing a party?'"

Although he says he faced many hurdles in the beginning, Pikoff believes Games2U has become a business his whole family can enjoy: His two young children are his lead testers and working with his brother has its advantages—they both have great aspirations for their company and refuse to celebrate until they reach them.

"My brother and I don't take too much time to pat ourselves on the back. We have very significant goals and objectives. I think when we have sold 1,000 franchises, we will have our first celebration," Pikoff said.