Rise and Play Podcast

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 product marketing at Gameloft to Head of Studio, ultimately becoming the co-CEO at Uken Games. How does someone become a co-CEO/CEO? What does this role imply, and what should one consider before taking on those responsibilities?The role of co-CEO has emerged more and more in the gaming industry as we recognize that the demands of a CEO role might become overwhelming as the company scales. 04:01 Veronica's Journey into the Gaming Industry07:34 The Challenges of Starting a Gaming Startup With No Funding and Experience15:32 Transitioning from Startup to Corporate24:03 The Role of Product Marketing in Gaming25:46 Joining UKEN and Rising to Co-CEO37:05 The Challenges of Being a Co-CEO💌 Don't forget to subscribe to Rise and Play for further news: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.riseandplay.io/blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ If you enjoyed today's episode make sure to rate it on Spotify, leave a review on Apple Podcasts, or simply share it with a friend. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit riseandplay.substack.com

Kelly Wallick, former founder of Indie Megabooth and now a partner at 1Up Ventures, discusses the importance of diversity in the gaming industry, the role of founders' community building in nurturing success, and the unique community-centered approach of 1Up Venture in venture capitalism.

Sophie interviews Miska Katkoff, founder of Deconstructor of Fun and former CEO of Savage Games, to discuss success, personal goals, and the role of therapy in mental health. They reflect on the trap of comparison, the importance of setting personal goals based on values, and the impact of money on defining success. Miska emphasizes the benefits of therapy for personal growth and navigating work dynamics effectively. They also explore the significance of living in the present moment and finding balance and meaning in life.

Matej Lancaric, prominent role in UA in Games, shares his journey as a solopreneur in the gaming industry. Topics include transition to solopreneurship, the power of authenticity, challenges of going solo, the importance of being yourself, evolution of content creation, and the role of happiness and authenticity in personal branding.

Metacore, a fast-growing game company, shares their journey from prototyping smartwatch games to creating a global hit game with over 50 million players. The CEO discusses their culture, talent acquisition, and expansion plans. They also talk about the challenges and learnings from previous ventures, as well as the testing and iteration process of their successful game. Overall, it's an insightful podcast about the gaming industry and building successful teams.

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 want to remain competitive in the long term and hiring talents, you may want to consider embracing open salaries.In this episode, Matt Schembari, CEO at Lightforge Games, shares the research on open salaries and the current state of the open salary movement and provides concrete benefits and challenges from Lightforge's experience practicing open salaries over the past three years. You can find additional resources from Matt's GDC 2023 talk here.As a recognition for their effort in pioneering a better culture for the game industry, Lightforge Games received the 2024 Game Changers Awards by Lightspeed and Gamesbeat.Topics covered: Why open salaries make sense in specific contexts and how to determine if it applies to your situation. Steps to initiate open salary practices if you haven't already. Establishing a company with open salaries from the ground up. Exploring the pros and cons of open salaries, including potential pitfalls. Embracing a coaching culture for leaders and employees.💌 Don't forget to subscribe to Rise and Play for further news: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.riseandplay.io/blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ If you enjoyed today's episode make sure to rate it on Spotify, leave a review on Apple Podcasts, or simply share it with a friend. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit riseandplay.substack.com

Vivek Ramachandran, early-stage investor at Matrix Partners, discusses the potential of the Indian gaming market, growth of the media and entertainment sector, rise of mobile gaming, challenges and opportunities in game development in India, talent ecosystem, importance of quality and cultural context in game design, and valuable insights for game developers and investors.

🇮🇳 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 innovative approach, both in game design and distribution, to achieve category-leading success in the highly competitive global casual gaming market, given current market conditions. Think of it as a mix of Tetris and Sudoku, with a lot of unique puzzle elements.But the main reason why we're excited to talk to QuriousBit is the approach of how they built the company, focusing on the culture first. Like Netflix or Valve, they started with a culture handbook of 75 pages, that we will share in this episode!QuriousBit marks the rise of a new generation of Indian gaming studios that want to leave a sustainable trace with their company, and we're excited to be part of it!Read more at:https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/funding/gaming-startup-quriousbit-raises-2-million-in-funding-from-lumikai-general-catalyst/articleshow/103993791💌 Don't forget to subscribe to Rise and Play for further news: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.riseandplay.io/blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ If you enjoyed today's episode make sure to rate it on Spotify, leave a review on Apple Podcasts, or simply share it with a friend. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit riseandplay.substack.com

Roby John, CEO of SuperGaming and former co-founder of June Gaming, talks about the rise of India's gaming industry and the unique player-centric and cultural approach SuperGaming has taken. Topics include the development of cross-platform games, the integration of Indian culture in their game Indus, the importance of data and community building, the growth of mobile gaming in India, and the significance of representation in their games.

Explore the potential of providing AI tutors for every child in the world. Learn about Supernova AI's fascinating journey to redefine passive learning by offering engaging live quizzes and innovative lessons. Discover their bootstrapping journey and future aspirations, including high course completion rates and generating millions of dollars in revenue.