A Spark Of Awareness

In 2023, there were 11.89% female CEOs and 8.95% co-founders (reported from 7 different funds) from approximately 400 companies and 1000 founders. It is progress but there is still a long way to go before we see more women accessing positions of CEOs, especially when they are not founding their own company. In this episode, we interview Veronica Rojas, who climbed the ranks in her career from prod...

As the gaming industry is maturing, we become aware of the importance of diversity in audience, teams, and leadership. But what about the investment side? In this episode, we interview Kelly Wallick, the former founder of Indie Megabooth and now a partner at 1Up Ventures , founded in 2019 by Ed Fries (Former Microsoft Vice President). Their mission is to build a diverse and inclusive community of...

"What if I build my own company? What if I have more money? Then, I will be happier!" In this episode, Sophie interviews Miska Katkoff, founder of Deconstructor of Fun and former CEO of Savage Games , to reflect on the journey post-acquisition from PlayStation Studios in 2022 . We discuss the definition of success and the common pressures individuals face in attaining it. Miska shares hi...

With thousands of people being laid off in the gaming industry over the past few months, what does it look like to create your own job rather than waiting for the job market to recover? Matej Lancaric , known for his prominent role in UA in Games , shares his journey as a solopreneur on the podcast. We cover Matej's transition from a corporate career to UA consultancy, his unique approach to p...

In this episode, Mika Tammenkoski, the CEO and co-founder of Metacore shared the evolution of his gaming company since its inception in 2020. From a small team prototyping smartwatch games to novel merge mechanics, the company has grown to 190+ members. The studio’s first global hit game Merge Mansion already has over 50 million players. Metacore is one of the fastest growing game companies in Eur...

What would happen if someone leaked their company's full compensation information to the entire company? That's how you can evaluate your readiness to move your company toward an open salaries policy, or not. In the future of work, where more and more employees will prioritize transparency and equality, open salaries are poised to become a standard for Gen Z in Western cultures . If you wa...

🇮🇳 SPECIAL INDIA SERIES 🇮🇳 In this last episode of the series, we unleash India's gaming potential from an investment point of view with Vivek Ramachandran , early-stage investor at Matrix Partners. We dive into the exciting world of game development and explore the potential of the Indian market. We discuss the growth of the media and entertainment sector, the rise of mobile gaming, and the o...

🇮🇳 SPECIAL INDIA SERIES 🇮🇳 In this episode, we follow the journey of Ram Reddy, CEO and co-founder at QuriousBit, and former product leader at  Play Simple, which was acquired by  MTG in 2021 for $510M . QuriousBit was founded end of 2022 and raised its funding of $2 million from gaming-focused venture capital firm Lumikai and early-stage investor General Catalyst. The studio is taking a fresh and...

🇮🇳 SPECIAL INDIA SERIES 🇮🇳 In this episode, we go on a captivating journey into the world of gaming and e-sports in India. Joined by Roby John , the CEO of SuperGaming and former co-founder of June Gaming, we discuss the rise of India's gaming industry and the unique player-centric and cultural approach SuperGaming has taken in building its innovative Indo-Futuristic Battle Royale title: Indus...

🇮🇳 SPECIAL INDIA SERIES 🇮🇳 What if AI could be the answer to providing quality education for every child in the world? What if we could leverage tech and entertainment to have a social impact at scale? That's the world problem Rishi and his Supernova AI team try to crack. In the episode, we go deep inside Supernova's fascinating journey, where the team believes that learning should be fun...

🇮🇳 SPECIAL INDIA SERIES 🇮🇳 In this episode, we sit down with Ojas Vipat , the CEO and co-founder of Mayhem Studio ( $20 million raised in a Series A round led by Sequoia Capital ) , to uncover the untapped potential and lack of awareness surrounding the Indian gaming scene. Ojas shares his journey and what led him to break away from the norm and start his studio. We discuss the development of the...

🇮🇳 SPECIAL INDIA SERIES 🇮🇳 In this episode, we are joined by O liver Jones, CEO and co-founder of Bombay Play, one of the leading gaming studios in Bengaluru, India. Oliver shares his journey in the gaming industry before founding Bombay Play, from working at Zynga and Glu to founding his first company Moonfrog Labs (acquired for USD 90 million by Stillfront in 2021 ). Oliver talks about the boomi...

This episode is about the inspiring journey of a resilient young entrepreneur, who is committed to cracking the puzzle of fitness to mobile games for GenZ. In this episode, we interview Jenny Xu, the CEO of Talofa Games , to discuss her journey in the gaming industry and the creation of their unique fitness RPG game, Run Legends . Jenny shares her background in the industry, including her previous...

In this captivating episode, we dive into the revolutionary game publishing model of Kepler Interactive . Join our conversation with Catherine Chew, Senior Director of Investments and Business at Kepler, to uncover the secrets behind their unique co-ownership model. In 2021, Kepler has raised $120 million from NetEase in a financing round as part of its launch. At Kepler, studio founders become co...

In this episode of the podcast, we interview Antti Hattara, CEO and Co-Founder at Starberry Games . We discuss Antti's journey in the mobile gaming industry, from the Digital Chocolate Alumni days to working on popular games like Jelly Splash (Wooga) to starting his own company in 2017. Antti shares his experiences bootstrapping, pivoting the company, securing funding, and navigating the chall...

In this episode, we invite Niek Tuerlings a seasoned F2P mobile game designer and writer for naavik.co , who previously worked at Spil Games, Wooga, Voodoo, and now at Moonlit Games, a mobile studio based in Berlin. You can read the latest piece from Niek here: https://naavik.co/deep-dives/evolution-of-hybridcasual-deepdive/ We cover Niek's journey in games and the importance of broadening tho...

In this episode, we are joined by Oscar Carbonell, currently serving as the Chief of Staff at Rossum, trained Coach and former Product Leader in games. We delve into the world of coaching and people leadership in the gaming industry, shedding light on the essential role it plays in fostering effective leadership and organizational development. The discussion expands to reflect on the games industr...

We interview Taehoon Kim, the co-founder and CEO of nWay , the successful multiplayer fighting games company behind Chrono Blades and Power Rangers: Legacy Wars, acquired by Animoca Brands in 2020 . TK shares his journey into the gaming industry as a serial entrepreneur, including his experience at Samsung, Real Time Worlds, and founding Nurian Software which was later acquired by Netmarble. TK sh...

In this episode, Sophie Vo is joined by Anton Gorodetsky, the Head of Industry Relations at MyGames. Anton discusses the shift to hybrid work and MyGames' transition to fully distributed teams. They talk about the benefits of remote work, such as finding talent globally and working with international teams. They also dive into the challenges and considerations of establishing offices and hubs...

In this latest episode, we welcome Kalle Kaivola, co-founder of Lightheart Entertainment , known for their hit game Mr. Auto Fire (over 16 million downloads) . Together, we discuss the company culture and the challenges of building a holacratic culture, inspired by the Teal organization described in the book " Reinventing Organisations " by Frederic Laloux. Holacracy is  a system of self...

In this episode, Sophie Vo, founder of Rise And Play, and Miska Katkoff, former CEO and co-founder of Savage Games, and founder of Deconstructor Of Fun reflect on their key lessons in starting a new company. We dive into the importance of self-esteem and self-awareness when throwing yourself out there to build your new business and being 100% behind it. We also cover strategies for dealing with ne...

In this latest episode, we welcome Martial Valery, co-founder of Oh Bi Bi, a French mobile video game studio known for their latest hit, Frag Pro Shooter (over 150 million downloads). We are reflecting on over a decade of founding, building, and growing the studio, navigating the ups and downs of the company, including scaling up and down, company and game pivots. Martial opens up about the failur...

In this episode, we interview Jens Begemann , the former co-founder and CEO of Wooga, the Berlin-based casual mobile games company behind the success of Diamond Dash, Jelly Splash, and June's Journey. We cover Jen's journey in the gaming industry and the lessons he learned as an entrepreneur that led him to found Wooga in 2008. We also explore the growth of Wooga, its successful games, and...

We say it is essential to build diverse teams for innovation, creativity, and performance. Diversity of individuals sounds great on paper, but how do we make it work as a team in practice? How do you make people who avoid confrontation collaborate with confrontational people? How do you lead a team in an egalitarian way while most of what they've known is hierarchical leadership? ---- Thank yo...

"There's a whole bunch of leaders out there who wake up every morning and put on a mask. They transform into their work selves, playing a role they think they're supposed to play. It's like they're living a double life. But let me tell you, it's not easy to keep up this charade. Behind that mask, these leaders face some serious challenges. They can't catch a decent nig...