Bits of Signum Signum Growth

Knowing and understanding your audience is a foundational principle to building a great game or great business. But how well do we all actually know and understand the people we are building for? How often are we straying and building games more for ourselves than our audience? And how much are we unknowingly building for the past version of our audience and not their future selves?

In this episode of Bits of Signum, Angela and Eliza are joined by Solsten Founder and CEO Joe Schaeppi to break down some of these questions and learn how he and Solsten are changing the way we analyze our audiences and better learn to build for them and what they most want. 

Joe is a visionary in human psychology who wants to fundamentally change the way brands and audiences connect. As the CEO and founder of Solsten, an AI-powered platform for human-centric experiences, Joe is pioneering the use of video games for cognitive assessment, opening up new possibilities for not only the gaming industry but for mental health diagnostics and treatment. Armed with his experience leading UX strategy for Big Fish Games and MRM // McCann and his impactful work as a startup advisor, adventure-based psychotherapist, and ski ambassador for The North Face, Joe intrinsically understands the power of a people-first approach and is ready to help companies create healthier and livelier experiences for users without leaving them overstimulated and disconnected from the real world.

During the conversation Angela, Eliza, and Joe discuss his unique skill set and background, why and how to build experiences around human resonance, what true understanding of your market (players) looks like and the benefits it brings, and much more. 

Learn more about Solsten

Follow Joe: LinkedIn | X

Chapters:

Joe’s Unique Background & Career (00:00)

Building Experiences Around Human Resonance (13:19)

Understanding Your Players as Human Beings (30:30)

Overcoming Resistance While Building a New Category of Customer Avatars (38:26)

Happiness vs Contentment (50:37)

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Signum Growth invests and advises at the intersection of mass market culture and new economies that are bubbling up in new digital communities. We believe that emerging technologies will continue to be born in video games and that ‘gaming’ will reach an increasingly broader swath of people, until it is simply known as entertainment. The firm focuses on creators and developers who are moving to the front of the line, where they will garner a greater slice of value creation. Areas of expertise include video games, entertainment, and emerging technologies like blockchain and AI. Most recently, the firm has focused on UGC (user generated content) platforms and creators. Signum Growth is comprised of Signum Growth Capital, a FINRA-registered broker dealer, and Signum Growth Advisors, an investment advisor.

Angela Dalton, Signum Growth’s Founder/CEO, served in Tech/Media leadership roles and as a Managing Director at three firms - Guggenheim Securities, Evercore Partners, and UBS. At Evercore Partners, Angela was an initial investor and Co-Founder of Evercore Equities. Signum Growth acts as the Lead Advisor to ARK Invest, and Angela serves as the Co-Founder of the Women in Gaming Zoom (WIGZ), and recently served on the corporate board of FaZe Clan. She earned an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, and a B.A. and B.S. from the University of Kansas, Phi Beta Kappa.

Follow Angela: LinkedIn | Twitter 

Follow Keshav Holani, Signum Growth Gaming Analyst: LinkedIn | Twitter 

Learn more about Visible Realms here.

Follow Eliza: LinkedIn | Twitter

Where people go, money follows. That is an age-old trend that we are now seeing play out with metaverse platforms, in particular Roblox. As the number of users continues to rise so too does the attention the commercial world places on these new digital landscapes. 

In this episode of Bits of Signum, Angela and Eliza are joined by Matthew Warneford, CEO of Dubit, who is one of the original pioneers of bringing 3D communal platforms to life, and has been a leading voice and innovator in the metaverse in all its incarnations ever since. During their conversation the trio go through Matthew and Dubit’s history, discuss collaborating with major brands to bring them into the metaverse, why fast fashion is the obvious entry point for commerce in these spaces, the third wave of UGC disruption, the virtual world beginning to influence the physical world, and much more!

Matthew Warneford is the Founder and CEO of Dubit, the company building the future of commerce in Roblox. Dubit has been around for over two decades with major successes all along the way. Most recently they have created Gamer Rewards, the first loyalty program for Roblox that lets players earn in-game rewards and redeem them off-platform. Dubit also created Gamer Retail to power immersive in-game retail experiences for brands. Dubit, in collaboration with Adidas, Unilever, H&M, NASCAR, and Kraft, has redefined the art of the possible in the Roblox metaverse.

Learn all about Dubit

Follow Matthew: LinkedIn | Twitter

Chapters:

Dubit’s History (00:00)

Gaining Conviction About Roblox (03:17)

Popularity and Opportunity of In Game Retail (08:00)

Using AI to Create Feedback and Item Curation (10:55)

Collaborating with Major Brands (13:56)

Fashion May Be the Wrong Word (16:36)

Holidays and Seasonality Differences in Virtual vs Physical World (18:16)

Virtual World Begins to Influence the Physical World (21:01)

Third Wave of UGC Disruption (24:58)

Platform Competition and the Movement Towards Interoperability (31:54)

Recap & Wrap Up (37:43)

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Signum Growth is a registered broker-dealer member of FINRA, headquartered in New York. The firm provides M&A advisory services and engages in placements of both private and public company securities. Focused on mass market applications underpinned by Bitcoin & other blockchain protocols, video gaming, tokenized digital art, and social networks, Signum Growth strives to be at the forefront of the emerging technologies and digital economies in the metaverse. Please reach out to us at hello@signumgrowthcapital.com.

Follow Angela: LinkedIn | Twitter 

Follow Keshav Holani, Signum Growth Gaming Analyst: LinkedIn | Twitter 

Learn more about Visible Realms here.

Follow Eliza: LinkedIn | Twitter

We are celebrating International Women’s Day by spotlighting Renee Gittins, the CEO of Stumbling Cat and former Executive Director of the International Game Developers Association, to celebrate the launch of her game - Potions: A Curious Tale! It is described as an adventure and crafting game where wit is your greatest weapon and combat is not always the answer. Luna, a young witch who overcomes obstacles with the potions she brews, as she gathers items from enchanted lands and conquers devious puzzles on her quest.

We are so excited to spread the word on the game, and we encourage everyone to play- it is 8 years in the making! It was a lot of fun for Eliza and I to get to know Renee during this podcast - she is very academically oriented, and started her career as the field of biology as a GM at Phoenix Lab. So how fitting that her game is based on the idea of brewing potions! Renee is outspoken about initiatives to increase diversity both within the game industry and gaming overall to help the game industry grow and improve for everyone.

During the conversation Angela, Eliza, and Renee discuss forging their own paths as women in gaming, the mentors and life experiences that influenced Renee’s new game, how going viral on TikTok boosted Renee’s feedback loop, community building, a potential golden age of creator driven content, and much more.

Learn more about Stumbling Cat

Check out Potions: A Curious Tale on Steam

Follow Renee: TikTok | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram

Chapters:

00:00 Renee’s Journey Into and Through the Gaming Industry

06:16 Forging Own Path as a Woman in Gaming

10:12 Mentors and Life Experiences that Influenced Characters in Potions

13:12 Trials & Tribulations Faced During 10 Year Journey of Development

17:31 Viral TikTok Boosting Game Feedback

20:48 The Folklore and Stories Woven Into Potions

26:44 Building Creator Communities for Young Girls

28:24 AI Generated Content & Creator Protections

33:06 Possibility of a Creator Driven Golden Age

38:44 Community Building and Putting Yourself Forward

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Signum Growth operates at the intersection of mass market culture and new economies that are bubbling up in new digital communities. Areas of expertise include video gaming, entertainment, digital payments, blockchain protocols, AI and social media. The firm believes that emerging technologies will continue to be born in games and that ‘gaming’ will reach an increasingly broader swath of people, until it is simply known as entertainment. The firm focuses on creators and developers who are moving to the front of the line, where they will garner a greater slice of value creation. Signum Growth comprises Signum Growth Capital, a FINRA-registered broker dealer founded in 2018, licensed in M&A, capital raising, and public markets, and Signum Growth Advisors, the firm’s investment business. 

Learn more about Signum Growth Capital here.

Follow Angela: LinkedIn | Twitter 

Follow Keshav Holani, Signum Growth Gaming Analyst: LinkedIn | Twitter 

Learn more about Visible Realms here.

Follow Eliza: LinkedIn | Twitter

In this episode of Bits of Signum, Angela and Eliza are joined for the second time on the show by Yon Raz-Fridman, Founder and CEO of Supersocial. During the conversation they discuss the shifting behaviors and locations of the youngest generations, building brand experiences on the 3D internet, the difference between brands and IP and how they should operate differently on platforms like Roblox, Epic Games second party strategy and entire company flywheel, and much more!

Yon Raz-Fridman is the Founder and CEO of Supersocial, a metaverse company operating as a cutting-edge studio and next-generation agency, developing, producing, and publishing world-class games, experiences and brand worlds on Roblox and other emerging platforms. 

Yon has his own podcast and newsletter, Into the Metaverse, where he is a leading industry voice on all things metaverse, 3D gaming, and beyond. The mission of Into the Metaverse is to help you understand what the metaverse is, how it will impact your life, and what opportunities it unlocks. If you are a marketer, entrepreneur, investor or simply a curious professional, definitely check out Into the Metaverse.

Follow Yon: LinkedIn | Twitter

Chapters:

Introduction (00:00)

Welcoming Yon (01:57)

Yon and Supersocial Background (04:01)

Shifting Modalities of Behavior in Youth (07:36)

Brand Building on the 3D Internet (11:16)

Users Perception of Brands and Ads (19:56)

Difference Between Brands and IP (29:46)

Epic Games’ Second Party Building Strategy (31:51)

Too Many Strategies or Incredible Flywheel (37:56)

Maintaining a Developer Community for Decades (51:28)

Supersocial’s 2024 Plans (54:34)

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Signum Growth operates at the intersection of mass market culture and new economies that are bubbling up in new digital communities. Areas of expertise include video gaming, entertainment, digital payments, blockchain protocols, AI and social media. The firm believes that emerging technologies will continue to be born in games and that ‘gaming’ will reach an increasingly broader swath of people, until it is simply known as entertainment. The firm focuses on creators and developers who are moving to the front of the line, where they will garner a greater slice of value creation. Signum Growth comprises Signum Growth Capital, a FINRA-registered broker dealer founded in 2018, licensed in M&A, capital raising, and public markets, and Signum Growth Advisors, the firm’s investment business. 

Learn more about Signum Growth Capital here.

Follow Angela: LinkedIn | Twitter 

Follow Keshav Holani, Signum Growth Gaming Analyst: LinkedIn | Twitter 

Learn more about Visible Realms here.

Follow Eliza: LinkedIn | Twitter

In this episode of Bits of Signum, Angela and Eliza are joined by Joe Ferencz, CEO of Gamefam. During their conversation they discuss how the most successful developers on Roblox have operated, how the Roblox currently mirrors the early days of YouTube, why active media like gaming is beginning to dominate time spent metrics, the evolution of transmedia, and much more.

Joe Ferencz is currently the CEO of Gamefam, the leading metaverse game developer that creates connected experiences with gaming communities and well-known brands. Across 30+ live games on Roblox, Fortnite and Minecraft, Gamefam records over 29 million daily game sessions and 215 million hours of engagement each month. Prior to running Gamefam, Joe spent time working in strategy and business development for companies such as Mattel, Nintendo, Disney, Sony, and more.

Learn more about Gamefam.

Follow Joe: LinkedIn 

Chapters:

Background on Joe and GameFam (00:00)

Roblox Developer Community (04:04)

Building Credibility as an Operator on Roblox Platform (07:46)

Early Days of YouTube vs Early Days of Roblox (10:57)

Opportunities on UEFN and Elsewhere (14:54)

Passive vs Active Media and Roblox Dominating Time Spent (16:44)

Roblox’s Time Advantage (24:15)

Originals vs Branded Experiences (28:31)

Evolution of Transmedia (32:59)

Fitting Brands to Where They Can Win (36:43)

Roblox Subgenre Slang (39:48)

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Signum Growth operates at the intersection of mass market culture and new economies that are bubbling up in new digital communities. Areas of expertise include video gaming, entertainment, digital payments, blockchain protocols, AI and social media. The firm believes that emerging technologies will continue to be born in games and that ‘gaming’ will reach an increasingly broader swath of people, until it is simply known as entertainment. The firm focuses on creators and developers who are moving to the front of the line, where they will garner a greater slice of value creation. Signum Growth comprises Signum Growth Capital, a FINRA-registered broker dealer founded in 2018, licensed in M&A, capital raising, and public markets, and Signum Growth Advisors, the firm’s investment business. 

Learn more about Signum Growth Capital here.

Follow Angela: LinkedIn | Twitter 

Follow Keshav Holani, Signum Growth Gaming Analyst: LinkedIn | Twitter 

Learn more about Visible Realms here.

Follow Eliza: LinkedIn | Twitter

Show Notes:

In this episode of Bits of Signum, Angela and Eliza are joined by Pete Hawley, Founder & CEO of Joa, a new UGC studio building on Epic Games’ UEFN. Pete’s team built their first game, Bank Heist, in his most recent role as the Chief Product Officer at 100 Thieves. We discuss his career in game development, how UGC is changing the gaming landscape, his studio’s latest hit, Bank Heist, UEFN, the Gen Z and Alpha audiences, and much more.

Pete Hawley is currently the Founder & CEO of Joa. Prior, Pete was at 100 Thieves, where he oversaw the creation and launch of the smash hit Bank Heist. Prior to 100 Thieves, Pete held positions at companies such as Mythical Games, Telltale Games, and Zynga, building a proven track record of launching and growing successful mobile and video game franchises across multiple genres and platforms.

Play Bank Heist on Fortnite with Island Code: 3339-4063-3278

Follow Pete: LinkedIn | Twitter 

Chapter Notes:

00:00 Pete’s Background and Career in Gaming

08:30 Building Bank Heist on UEFN

15:50 Challenges of Building UGC Content

24:00 New Beliefs to Adopt for the Gen Z and Alpha Audience

27:15 Shortening Attention Spans and Vying For Time

34:00 The Power of Unreal Engine 5

37:40 Bringing Women into Gaming on UEFN

45:05 Epic’s Long-term Plan

53:05 Pete’s Industry Prediction

58:30 AI Systems and Building Games

01:06:20 Goodbyes

Signum Growth operates at the intersection of mass market culture and new economies that are bubbling up in new digital communities. Areas of expertise include video gaming, entertainment, digital payments, blockchain protocols, AI and social media. The firm believes that emerging technologies will continue to be born in games and that ‘gaming’ will reach an increasingly broader swath of people, until it is simply known as entertainment. The firm focuses on creators and developers who are moving to the front of the line, where they will garner a greater slice of value creation. Signum Growth comprises Signum Growth Capital, a FINRA-registered broker dealer founded in 2018, licensed in M&A, capital raising, and public markets, and Signum Growth Advisors, the firm’s investment business. 

Learn more about Signum Growth Capital here.

Follow Angela: LinkedIn | Twitter 

Learn more about Visible Realms here.

Follow Eliza: LinkedIn