Changemakers Among Us: Sebastian and the Creative Journey of Mutagen

Creativity is often seen as an elusive spark, but Sebastian, the founder of Mutagen, believes it can be gamified and structured.

Mutagen is a gamified brainstorming tool that uses cards and gameplay to help individuals and teams generate innovative ideas. In this interview, Sebastian shares his journey, the challenges he faced, and his vision for the future of Mutagen.

What does creativity mean to you?

To Sebastian, creativity is something novel but also useful. He explains, "Anyone can create something new, but if it's not useful or doesn't make sense, then it's kind of pointless." For him, the real magic lies in how we arrive at new ideas. There are two common ways:

1. Taking inspiration from another, disparate field or area
2. Changing how we see something

The biggest obstacle is that people are used to seeing things as they are. It's hard to break out of that mindset or consider new perspectives. That's why he created Mutagen.

What inspired you to create Mutagen?

Sebastian's journey with Mutagen began with two key realizations. First, during university projects and a UX bootcamp, he observed how people froze under the pressure to generate "good" ideas, their creativity stifled by perfectionism. Second, while interning at the EdTech startup Press Start, he discovered the transformative power of gamification - how carefully designed rules and incentives could guide behaviour change and make learning engaging.

These insights led him to create Mutagen, a tool that encourages playful, low-stakes idea generation.

The Evolution of Mutagen

• First Prototype (2021): A hand-cut 16-card paper version with a slow rotation mechanic (45-minute sessions) that was ,tested with colleagues and classmates.
• Key Pivot: Inspired by fast-paced games like Taboo, Sebastian redesigned it into competitive 2-minute rounds after feedback revealed the original was too slow
• Refinement Phase: Upgraded to professional cardstock, simplified visuals (choosing minimalist icons over distracting images). He printed professional cardstock versions and tested them in workshops, hackathons, and corporate settings.
• Kickstarter Launch (2024): Reaching the goal within just 1 day, the successful campaign confirmed market demand and support after three years of development.

Blue card and Purple Card - what is the logic behind it

Mutagen's card system is built on intentional design, where every purple and blue card serves a distinct purpose to prompt you coming up with ideas.

• Purple Card = Adding squares (building on existing idea)
• Blue Card = Changing squares to circles (transforming core concept)

The purple cards—designed to "Build On" ideas—train you to take inspiration from tangible experiences and unrelated fields, like the card ”Nostalgia”, which asks you to take inspiration from a childhood toy or memory. Each purple card forces you to structure cross-pollination that works across any domain.

Meanwhile, the blue cards exist to "Break" conventions rather than just add to ideas—they force you to mutate an idea rather than add to it. Cards such as “Pep Talk,” which ask you to utilize a coach or facilitator, or “Time Traveler” to make the solution more high- or low-tech.

Purple cards fill your creative toolbox, blue cards force you to throw your idea away and rebuild.

Do you have a favourite Mutagen card?

Sebastian’s current favourite Mutagen card is the blue card titled “Work Hard,” which challenges users to increase the effort required for an idea. In a world obsessed with frictionless design, this card intentionally disrupts convention by asking: What if making something harder actually improves it?

By adding more friction, it forces you to clearly understand the intention for the action and idea, what the job to be done with it, helping you to distill the essence of the problem and design solutions around it.

If you could start over, what would you do differently?

Sebastian wishes he had "failed faster." Early on, he avoided risks to prevent negative feedback, but he now sees failure as essential for growth.

"Like in squash, you never improve if you only play safe. You have to try wild shots, lose points, and learn."

His advice for aspiring creators:

• Test early, even if it’s imperfect.
• Seek harsh feedback—it’s more valuable than praise.
• Embrace experimentation.

What’s next for Mutagen?

Sebastian is exploring two directions:

1. AI Integration: Using AI to tailor prompts to specific industries or problems while keeping the spirit of cross-domain inspiration.
2. Specialized Decks: Industry-specific versions (e.g., marketing, education) that dive deeper into niche creative processes.

Sebastian’s journey with Mutagen reminds us that innovation thrives at the intersection of play, constraint, and cross-pollination. By gamifying creativity, he’s not just building a product—he’s fostering a mindset.

Want to try Mutagen or follow Sebastian’s work? Check out Mutagen and his Linkedin for more.

Changemaker Among Us celebrates the stories of innovators who turn ideas into impact. Know someone we should feature? Let us know!