Rise and Play Podcast

• 155. Rise of Fearless: Building Africa’s Fortnite from the Ground Up With Kanessa Muluneh

  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/riseIn this episode, Sophie Vo sits down with Kanessa Muluneh, an Ethiopian-born serial entrepreneur, Web3 educator, and the creator of Rise of Fearless — Africa’s first blockchain-enabled mobile battle royale game. From humble beginnings as a refugee in the Netherlands to raising $10M in under 10 days through social media, Kanessa shares her transformative leadership journey, her mission to reframe Africa’s global image, and how she leveraged storytelling, blockchain, and gaming to empower African youth.💡 Key Learnings:* Selling a Startup at 22: Though she earned a medical degree, Kanessa discovered her true path in solving real-world problems through business—starting with a telehealth platform she sold for €1M at age 22.* Serial Entrepreneurial Growth: Kanessa went on to build and exit multiple ventures. Her approach: identify a big problem, validate a solution, test with real users, and execute relentlessly.* Building in Africa Means Building With Africa: Kanessa’s strategic use of TikTok helped her circumvent traditional gatekeeping by generating visibility and credibility with the public—and eventually, investors.* NFTs and Blockchain in Action: By launching an NFT collection and accepting crypto, Kanessa created a groundbreaking way for Ethiopians in rural areas to transact online, bypassing broken financial systems.* Rise of Fearless – A New Gaming Paradigm:* A mobile battle royale game inspired by African history (notably, the Battle of Adwa).* Designed to instill pride, knowledge, and a new narrative of African strength and unity.* Built for mobile to maximize access, and powered by blockchain to enable ownership and decentralized engagement.* The Big Africa Gaming Vision: Kanessa plans to build a platform for other African creators to launch games. She sees this as the starting point of a movement beyond just a company.🔗 Resources & Links:* 🎮 Rise of Fearless Game Website* 💌 Connect with Kanessa📣 Calling Women Leaders Ready For TransformationYou have ticked all the career boxes, you’ve achieved the power and status you’ve wanted and still… you feel something is missing. Are you sure you want to continue the next 20 years of your life this way: exhausted, unfulfilled, uninspired.You are not alone. But you’ve never found the right way to solve it. You and a highly-curated mastermind of 9 exceptional women will be guided by our team through a 6-month coaching journey of inner growth, healing, regenerative energy, group empowerment and transformation. Are you ready for ORIN? We have 3 spots left.Contact [email protected] for inquiry. 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

  --------  

  44:23

  --------

  44:23
• 154. Midlife Shift From 20 Years In Games To Executive Coaching - With Zoë Curnoe

  In this leadership-centric episode, host Sophie Vo welcomes Zoë Curnoe — a seasoned production and operations leader turned leadership coach — for a candid conversation about the highs and lows of a 22-year career in the gaming industry, including co-founding Timbre Games and leadership roles at Coalition Studios, Riot Games, EA, and Pandemic Studio.From early days navigating creative chaos, to leading major game launches, to founding a studio and eventually pivoting to coaching, Zoë opens up about what it takes to truly lead in times of complexity, change, and uncertainty.“People want to be led by someone real — not someone who pretends to have it all figured out.”Together, Sophie and Zoë explore the evolution of leadership, the human cost of performance culture, and the emotional labor of building and sustaining creative teams.Whether you’re an executive, a founder, or just navigating your next career step, this conversation offers insights, hope, and a call for more compassionate leadership.💡 Leadership Takeaways:* Factions and Blame Culture: Teams often fall into “us vs. them” mentalities under pressure. Zoë identifies this as a persistent leadership issue that undermines collaboration and ownership.* The Mask of Performance: Leaders often hide struggles behind a facade of control. True leadership requires vulnerability — being able to say “I’m struggling, and I need help.”* Coaching as a Lifeline: Coaching isn't just for top executives. It helps untangle the mental and emotional knots of leadership and offers a mirror for self-awareness and growth.* Authentic Leadership: The path to sustainable leadership lies in being true to your values — not performing a version of leadership based on outdated norms or external expectations.* Studio Founder Lessons: Zoë shares her own learning from Timbre Games, where even with the best intentions, she didn’t always create the safety she aimed for. A humbling reminder that even founders need reflection and repair.* Career Transition & Midlife Shift at 50: Zoë candidly discusses her transition into coaching at age 50, managing menopause, and redefining success on her own terms with her new venture, Lumina Leadership.* Emotional Wellbeing at Work: Fast-paced industries like gaming often neglect the emotional realities of workers. This episode underscores the importance of integrating heart and body into professional life.Zoë Curnoe is the founder of Lumina Leadership and now supports leaders through coaching and consulting, with a mission to make the industry more human, inclusive, and resilient. Connect with Zoë.This episode is brought to you by PlaytestCloud — your partner in delivering fast, reliable, and actionable player research.Thanks for listening to Rise and Play! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.📣 Calling Women Leaders Ready For TransformationYou have ticked all the career boxes, you’ve achieved the power and status you’ve wanted and still… you feel something is missing. Are you sure you want to continue the next 20 years of your life this way: exhausted, unfulfilled, uninspired.You are not alone. But you’ve never found the right way to solve it.We make that time and space for you, with a powerful sisterhood.You and a highly-curated mastermind of 9 exceptional women will be guided by our team through a 6-month coaching journey of inner growth, healing, regenerative energy, group empowerment and transformation.Are you ready for ORIN? Find out by answering our preliminary self-reflection questionnaire. We will reach out soon. We have 2 spots left. 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

  --------  

  55:10

  --------

  55:10
• 153. Nurture In Nature: Building A Co-Working Space For Creativity With Julianne Becker

  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/riseIn this special episode focused on community building, host Sophie Vo sits down with Julianne Becker, co-founder of Coconat — a workation retreat and co-living space in Brandenburg, Germany. Far from a typical tech leader, Julianne shares her remarkable journey from NGO work in Vietnam to launching an award-winning rural innovation hub that fosters creativity, collaboration, and community for creative and game founders.In this episode, we cover:* The realities of transitioning careers into entrepreneurship* The challenges of building a coliving space and thriving ecosystem from scratch* Insights on funding, bootstrapping, and grassroots marketing* How to create meaningful community integration in rural areas* Balancing family life while building a values-led business* The power of diverse, inclusive residencies, especially the acclaimed Rabbit Indie Game Residency (application deadline: June 15). Rabbit Residency is a standout initiative offering indie game developers a month-long retreat to collaborate, innovate, and connect globally — with a focus on diversity and inclusion.* Exciting developments, including Coconat's new role as a Brandenburg Startup Accelerator to support game devs, mobility innovators, and more through funded residencies.This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in creative leadership, rural innovation, the future of work, or indie game development.💡 Key Takeaways:* Start before you're ready: Juliane emphasized the importance of talking about your idea early, even before it's fully developed, to shape it through feedback and co-creation.* Community-first entrepreneurship: Coconat was built not only for digital nomads but also with and for the local community — from hosting local events to supporting regional development initiatives.* Bootstrapped & bold: Juliane and her partner self-funded the venture through loans and creative incentives (like early volunteer vouchers), showcasing that you don’t need VC money to start strong.* Resilience over perfection: From internet infrastructure setbacks to bureaucratic hurdles, they adapted constantly without losing sight of their values.* Integrating work and family: Coconut was literally built alongside Juliane’s children — a real-world case of family-integrated entrepreneurship.🔗 Resources & Links:* 🐇 Apply for The Rabbit Indie Game Residency (Deadline: June 15th, 2025): https://coconat-space.com/the-rabbit-games-residency-2025-call-for-applications/* 🏡 Learn more about Coconat: https://coconat-space.com/ 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

  --------  

  40:05

  --------

  40:05
• 152. Unpacking AI: Finding Your USP in Asset Generation with Julia and Burcu

  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/riseIn this episode Tiffany Keller welcomes Julia Zhan, CPO of Series Entertainment, and Burcu Hakguder, the CRO of Layer AI who celebrates their recent close of their seed round for over $6M. Burcu Hakguder started Layer after half a decade at Unity Technologies spearheading new business development initiatives that contributed to the company’s successful IPO. Today Layer AI is embraced by top studios like Zynga, SciPlay, Huuuge Games, and over 200 others to revolutionize game production powered by inferences across many models optimized for 2D, 3D assets and video generation.Julia Zhan is Chief Platform Officer at Series Entertainment, a company revolutionizing game creation through generative stories & worlds after raising over $35M and acquiring Pixelberry and Netflix as a distribution partner. Previously, she managed League of Legends production and operations for China and helped pioneer Valorant at Riot Games. After that, Julia led the game vertical & developer success at Snap, empowering 3P developers to build hyper-social gaming experiences.We break down the AI x Games market today from the founder perspective- how they successfully raised and delivered on investor and customer expectations despite taking very different sides of the AI platform and gaming market. Julia and Burcu share their methodology for finding their “unique selling position” in the market and how that has shaped their advice to game makers looking to integrate AI tools. We discuss a bit of 4D chess on the future of gaming AI platforms and how both large and small companies will need to adapt to remain competitive. For every studio facing a build vs buy question with AI, Julia and Burcu break down how game makers can draw from their USP to define their next steps in harnessing AI. Expect some spicy while incredibly thoughtful takes that reveal how many ways there are to succeed as a game studio armed with the right AI workflows.Try Layer AI today to 5x your game content creation productivityPlay Series Entertainment’s new game, Single’s Inferno, on Netflix Games today to see what Rho, their AI engine, and their acquisition Pixelberry can do together🇪🇸 Barcelona. June 2 — Not your Princess, Just my Own Hero: Innovating for Women in Mobile GamingJoin us for an inspiring afternoon celebrating the impact and innovation of women in mobile gaming. Speakers are from Gamehouse, Scopely, Rise & Play, Funcraft, Appsflyer & Appcharge!​Stick around — the evening wraps up with a lively party to continue the conversation and connections.Welcome - Claire Rozain, Founder Rzain Society 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

  --------  

  1:01:42

  --------

  1:01:42
• 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

  --------  

  50:12

  --------

  50:12

Más podcasts de Ocio

Podcasts a la moda de Ocio

Acerca de Rise and Play Podcast