CYstarters Spotlight: A 14-part series highlighting student entrepreneurs pursuing their business ventures as part of the CYstarters 2025 summer cohort. Through this program, students have the unique opportunity to prioritize the development of their own startup or business idea. Each individual receives $6,500 and access to resources such as mentorship, networking opportunities, and educational sessions on entrepreneurship and business startup.
From Chance Meeting to the Dream Team: Ethan Hunt and Thabang Pila Build Social Deck
Ethan Hunt and Thabang Pila’s story began not with a grand plan but with a simple roundtable meeting during an Iowa State University Entrepreneurs Club gathering. What started as two students casually sharing their ideas quickly grew into a promising partnership, and eventually a startup aiming to reshape how people connect through memories.
Ethan, heading into his senior year studying mechanical engineering, grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, knowing Iowa State was the school for him. “It was the only college I applied for, actually,” he said. Drawn first by the university’s strong engineering program, Ethan later discovered the entrepreneurship courses that fueled a new idea within him. “I really like the mechanical engineering program, but when I found out about entrepreneurship at ISU, that got me even more excited.” Creativity has always been a part of Ethan’s life. From childhood lemonade stands and selling Rainbow Loom bracelets to admiring the grit and work ethic of business owners he encountered early on, Ethan’s entrepreneurial spirit was quietly building.
Thabang’s path was more winding and marked by resilience. Originally from South Africa, Thabang first came to the U.S. to chase a dream of becoming a professional soccer player. He spent two years playing in Ohio before COVID abruptly ended that journey when he was forced to return home for a year—a time he describes as “incredibly difficult”—Thabang leaned heavily on his faith and perseverance to keep moving forward. Already armed with an associate’s degree in business and entrepreneurship, he decided to transfer to Iowa State to pursue software engineering, seeing an opportunity to blend technical skills with his business background.
“I thought I could develop a new skill set that could work well with what I already had,” he said.
When Ethan and Thabang first met, Ethan was wrestling with a photo-sharing game idea that had been swirling in his head for two years but lacked the focus and technical know-how to bring it to life. “I’m a designer, not a programmer,” Ethan admitted. Meanwhile, Thabang was eager to apply his programming skills to a business venture but hadn’t settled on a concrete idea. At that Entrepreneurs Club roundtable, both shared their ambitions. The very next day, Ethan reached out to Thabang with his idea, and though Thabang was initially confused by the concept, they quickly found common ground. What followed were months of discussions, brainstorming sessions, and written reflections on what they wanted their business to become. When Ethan pulled out a Google Document from two years prior outlining his vision, Thabang was stunned at how closely it matched his own recent idea. “It was crazy,” he said. For Thabang, the partnership felt nothing short of fate. “Before I met Ethan, I was struggling to come up with ideas and leaned heavily on my faith… I truly believe it was God’s grace that brought us together.”
The duo’s shared vision became Social Deck, a mobile game that transforms personal photo memories into fun, social games. Their debut game, Prompt’d, invites players to respond to prompts by selecting their best-matching photos from their own camera roll. Then, everyone votes on the most creative or fitting submission. The game’s format is flexible, allowing for lighthearted, nostalgic, or heartfelt play, making it perfect for family game nights, friendly hangouts, or even professional icebreakers. Players can build custom decks—college memories, throwback birthdays, vacations—and invite friends, roommates, or long-distance pals to join in.
Building an app from scratch is no small feat. Thabang had never learned to develop cross-platform apps that would run on both iOS and Android through his classes. Determined, he turned to YouTube tutorials, online resources, and even ChatGPT to self-teach the complex coding languages necessary. Ethan’s challenge was translating his design concepts into workable digital features, pushing both to grow rapidly as creators and problem-solvers. “We’re trying to make a good product while learning all of this brand-new information for the first time,” Ethan explained. For Thabang, being an international student also added layers of complexity, but Ethan’s willingness to face these challenges head-on gave Thabang confidence in their partnership.
Their summer in the CYstarters program provided the structure and mentorship they needed to advance this idea quickly. They conducted over 100 customer discovery surveys, tested their game live with the cohort, and identified teens and young adults as their initial target market. They also discovered that the global gaming market is a booming $100 billion industry with plenty of room for innovation. One particularly impactful CYstarters moment for Thabang was a session with ISU professor Ann Wright, who taught the cohort that true leadership begins with “the leader within you.” That perspective resonated deeply and reshaped his approach to business and collaboration. Ethan found inspiration in hearing stories from alumni entrepreneurs who openly shared their successes and setbacks, motivating him to persevere.
Thabang and Ethan at CYstarters Demo Day.
By Demo Day, the progress was clear: two game features were production-ready, the website was live at playsocialdeck.com, and they were gearing up for beta testing this September with a planned full launch by December.
Beyond the milestones, what Ethan and Thabang are most excited about is the joy their game brings to users. They love hearing how players share laughs and stories sparked by photos, and take pride in having overcome steep learning curves without giving up. Together, they’re turning forgotten snapshots into unforgettable experiences, one deck at a time.
Be sure to head to playsocialdeck.com to register for beta testing!
Check out our video interview with Thabang and Ethan below!
