Kyle Kesterson

Kyle Kesterson, the co-founder and creative force behind Seattle startup Giant Thinkwell, is leaving the company in order to pursue new opportunities. What those are, Kesterson isn’t quite sure yet.

“I have a vision and a passion for what I want to collaborate on and where I want to leave my mark and it is clear that Giant Thinkwell is just a piece of that puzzle for me,” Kesterson tells GeekWire. “It’s hard to truly wrap my head around the amazing team and wild roller coaster that I was blessed to have been a part of, however feel like this is still early on in my own endeavors.”

A talented artist and designer who studied at the Cornish College of the Arts, Kesterson stumbled into the Seattle startup community after a buddy matched him up with Kevin Leneway at a Startup Weekend a few years ago.

The Giant Thinkwell team -- Kevin Leneway, Adam Tratt and Kyle Kesterson -- on the GeekWire podcast in April. (Click on the image for the full show)

The entrepreneurial duo graduated from the inaugural class of TechStars last year, and went on to raise cash from Founder’s Co-op and Madrona Venture Group in June.

Adam Tratt, CEO of Giant Thinkwell, described Kesterson as an “extremely talented guy and good friend.”

“We’re going to miss him,” Tratt said.

Kesterson said his future plans are not set in stone, noting that there was no specific job or project that led to the decision. He hopes to stay in the Seattle area, working with Startup Weekend events and helping to bridge the gap between the technical and artistic communities.

“I am taking some time to digest this last year-and-a-half of eating squid, but don’t imagine I’ll be very idle,” said Kesterson, referring to the Giant Thinkwell squid mascot that frequents many tech events. “Actually it’s already quite an invigorating feeling to be standing in front of such a blank canvas, which could drop me anywhere in the world.”

If all else fails, Kesterson joked that he could always fall back on his artistic talents.

“Perhaps I’ll fulfill my lifelong dream of growing a thick beard, standing next to a freeway onramp and selling doodles at $5 a piece,” he said.

Meanwhile, Giant Thinkwell, which started out with the concept of celebrity-based games, is making a bigger push into social TV with the recent launch of FlickMob.

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