151. Building A Successful Business At The Rock Bottom Of My Life - with Subina Kiani
In this heartfelt and deeply inspiring episode, Sophie Vo sits down with Subina Kiani, founder of the global recruitment company Eleven Eleven, to unpack the story behind building a people-first business from the ground up — starting from personal rock bottom.Subina shares her journey of rebuilding her life as a single mother, finding meaning in synchronicities like Eleven Eleven, and challenging the transactional nature of traditional recruitment.We cover in this episode:* 🌱 The power of starting from where you are — no grand plan needed* 🧭 Leading with intuition, alignment, and authenticity in a tech-driven world* 💼 Why recruitment is not just about jobs, but about identity, dreams, and human connection* 💡 The myth of work-life balance and how to intentionally design a fulfilling life* 🤖 How AI is shifting leadership and recruitment — and why emotional intelligence is the futureWhether you're navigating a career pivot, launching a purpose-led business, or rethinking leadership in the age of AI, this episode will give you the courage to trust your gut and just start.💡 Leadership Takeaways:* Breakdowns can lead to breakthroughs — especially when aligned with purpose.* Recruitment isn’t about transactions; it’s about transformation.* Emotional intelligence and human connection are rising in value in an AI-heavy future.* Real leadership starts with self-trust and the courage to be visible.* Building a life that aligns with your values is not only possible — it’s necessary.Eleven Eleven is a global recruitment firm trusted by 40+ gaming and tech studios. With over 15 years of experience, Subina is redefining recruitment through intuition, bringing humanity back to hiring. Learn more here: https://eleven-eleven.io/ 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
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150. What's The Worst That Could Happen? Jen MacLean On Founding A Game Studio For GenZ
7 factors of success for game studiosDownload the full report, share with your team: DOWNLOAD REPORTGrab your FREE TRIAL with our partner PlaytestCloud: https://start.playtestcloud.com/riseThanks for reading Rise and Play! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.In this episode, Sophie Vo welcomes Jen MacLean, former Xbox executive and now founder of Dragon Snack Games. Jen shares her personal and professional journey—from leaving a corporate role to founding her own studio—with deep reflections on purpose, family, and alignment. They dive into building a value-driven studio, the importance of intentional team culture, early-stage prototyping, and engaging a player community early in development. Jen discusses Dragon Snack's mission to create collaborative, player-driven experiences for Gen Z and Gen Alpha, while emphasizing the power of belonging and connection through games. A conversation packed with wisdom for founders, leaders, and anyone seeking to build meaningful, human-centered companies.Topics Discussed:* Why Jen left a high-powered job at Xbox to start her own studio.* The personal wake-up call: how family conversations revealed deeper misalignments.* Asking two critical questions: What’s the worst that can happen? and What’s holding you back?* Building Dragon Snack Games with intention: starting with values and principles, not just product ideas.* The importance of co-founder alignment, clear roles, and trust from the beginning.* Why Dragon Snack targets Gen Z/Alpha and focuses on social, collaborative game experiences: "We’re building a neighborhood, not a metaverse."* Early prototyping and the belief in bringing players into the process far earlier than traditional models.* Fundraising challenges and staying true to the company’s vision and community-first approach.* Designing for emotional needs: belonging, validation, and impact through gameplay.* The future of Dragon Snack Games and how listeners can follow or get involved.Resources Mentioned:* Book: The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt (discussed around digital validation and Gen Z behaviors)* Learn more on Dragon Snack Games : dragonsnacksgames.com💫 WOMEN LEADERSHIP CIRCLE: LEADING WITH YOUR INTUITIONI am hosting a free intimate online circle for women leaders who are interested in learning more about ORIN and the magical spaces I create: a space where you don’t have to perform, to feel safe in a group, to ‘be’, and discover who you are beneath the mask when you give yourself permission to. 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
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149. Building Culture Through Growth: Kimber Dall on Leadership at Scale
What are the 7 key differences of successful studios leveraging player insights?Insight #4 Successful studios nailed their player profilesInsight #7 Successful studios playtest their competitor’s games… 💡Download the full insights and share with your game teams: DOWNLOAD REPORTIf you are not doing Player Research yet, you are taking risks every day shooting in the dark. Act now and grab your FREE TRIAL with our partner PlaytestCloud: https://start.playtestcloud.com/riseIn this new episode, host Sophie Vo Vo speaks with Kimber Dall, SVP of People at SciPlay, a global mobile games leader. With a decade of experience scaling the company from 100 to over 1,000 employees across five countries (Israel, Ukraine, US, India…), Kimber shares hard-won wisdom about building culture, navigating global and geo-political crises, and supporting people-first leadership at scale. We cover in this episode:* Evolving a startup into a global company of 1,000+ employees while preserving its heart* The non-negotiable in performance management—and how to scale them* Hiring leaders who live your values, not just talk them* Supporting employees during geo-political conflicts—with empathy and action* Preventing burnout in 24/7 live games with practical tools and transparency* Managing across generations—and why Gen Z requires new leadership muscleWhether you're a founder, people leader, or game industry veteran, this episode will inspire you to rethink how you scale culture, invest in your people, and lead from the heart with clarity and structure.Thanks for listening to Rise and Play! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work. 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
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148. From Corporate To Entrepreneurship - with Odile Limpach, co-founder of SpielFrabrique
See why 80% of the top-grossing game studios rely on the Player Insights Platform™ to ensure a game's success (before it's even released).We are proud to announce PlaytestCloud as our key partner in 2025 and offer a FREE TRIAL here: https://start.playtestcloud.com/riseIn this episode, host Sophie Vo Vo and Odile Limpach cover entrepreneurship in the gaming industry. Odile shares her journey from being a managing director at Ubisoft to co-founding SpielFabrique, a video game catalyst company. She discusses how after 16 years in the gaming industry, particularly at Ubisoft where she helped grow the company from 500 to over 10,000 employees, she decided to start her own venture. Odile emphasizes the importance of having financial stability, a strong network, and the right personality to handle uncertainty when starting a business.The discussion delves into SpielFabrique evolution over 10 years, growing to a team of seven people and running several programs including EVA (European Video Games Accelerator) which receives around 100 applications from 15 European countries annually. Odile highlights their expansion into Africa and cross-industry initiatives involving books, cinema, and music in gaming.A significant portion focuses on the challenges faced by indie game developers, particularly the balance between creativity and business acumen. Odile stresses the importance of early business planning and understanding one's purpose in starting a game company.Learn more about SpielFrabique’s programs for indie developers: https://spielfabrique.eu/Thunderfox/Thanks for listening to Rise and Play! Subscribe for free to receive updates and support our work. 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
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147. Is Bootstrapping For You? with Liquid & Grit CEO Brett Nowak
See why 80% of the top-grossing game studios rely on the Player Insights Platform™ to ensure a game's success (before it's even released).We are proud to announce PlaytestCloud as our key partner in 2025 and offer a FREE TRIAL here: https://start.playtestcloud.com/riseIn this episode, host Sophie Vo welcomes Brett Nowak, founder and CEO of Liquid and Grit, a leading product research and consultancy firm specializing in mobile gaming. Brett shares his entrepreneurial journey, leadership philosophies, and insights on building a sustainable, independent business. He discusses his motivations for bootstrapping his company, the importance of autonomy, and how he built a unique company culture by questioning traditional business norms.What we cover in this episode:💡Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs:* Identify what you want from your business (e.g., financial independence, control, creative freedom).* Choose a business model that aligns with your risk tolerance and long-term goals.* Validate your ideas by selling early and iterating based on feedback.* Avoid traditional constraints—design a business that works for your strengths and lifestyle.💰 Bootstrapping vs. Venture Capital:* Brett prioritized full ownership and control over his company, choosing not to raise external funding.* By keeping initial costs low and maintaining a day job, he was able to test and validate his business before going full-time.📈 The Role of Discipline and Long-Term Vision:* Running a business successfully requires long-term commitment, persistence, and a willingness to push through discomfort.* Brett’s structured approach ensured steady growth without external dependencies.👥 Building a Non-Traditional Work Culture:* Liquid and Grit operates remotely with minimal meetings and a strong emphasis on autonomy and efficiency.* The hiring process is unconventional—focusing on skills-based assessments rather than traditional interviews.* The company structure reduces bureaucracy, allowing employees to focus on delivering high-quality work.💛 Mental Health and Work-Life Integration:* Brett emphasizes the importance of balancing business growth with personal well-being.* Having a psychiatrist for professional and personal guidance has been one of his most impactful decisions.More Resources:* Liquid and Grit* Connect with Brett Novak* Shoe Dog by Phil Knight (Recommended Book on Entrepreneurship) 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
At Rise and Play, we give voice to leaders, entrepreneurs, educators and influencers of the game industry who are here to make a change. We love games and want to make this industry last through healthy team cultures, awareness and education.
Each episode will tackle a wide range of important topics such as leadership, team culture, self-management, conscious leadership, work-life balance, game education, ethics in business, equality, diversity and inclusion... brought by the different perspectives of our guests. riseandplay.substack.com
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