‘How We Innovate’ podcast – with Kelly Vero

Metaverse, Ed-tech and Girl Power

It’s time for some serious girl power on our podcast! This time, we’ll be talking with Kelly Vero, the Chief Metaverse Officer at Aequaland, a Swiss-based startup that has recently partnered with Microsoft for Startups to take inclusion in gaming to the next level. Kelly loves pushing future technologies to faster development, and we’ll definitely talk about how she does it. Stay tuned!

About Kelly:

She describes herself as a creative badass, and to be honest, we couldn’t agree more. She’s a metaverse architect and an experienced game developer, with such hits as Tomb Raider and Candy Crush on her list. During her professional career, she’s been mostly working in development until she became the Chief Metaverse Officer at Aequaland, where she’s looking after tech and games in their shared persistent space. What is worth noting is that they are the first female-founded ed-tech startup in the world! Their mission is to change the narrative of how young people are educated between the ages of 6 and 11 years old and to build the most inclusive space for kids to learn inside the metaverse.

Moreover, she’s a member of Women of Wearables, a leading global organization supporting women and diversity in tech and leadership.

Few Questions to Kelly:

1. What was your first job, and what was the most important thing you learned from it?

My first job was on a computer game – no surprises there! But what was super interesting was the impact it had on me as a young professional. The importance that teamwork has on making a video game cannot be underestimated. If you are the kind of person who likes to work in a structured, siloed environment: the games industry is not for you. You must give yourself over to the entire process of creating a game, and like jumping off a cliff with a bungee rope, it’s exhilarating to trust and be trusted as part of a family that is pulling in the same direction towards success. 

2. Given the choice of anyone in the world, who would you have a beer with?

I would absolutely love to sit down and have a beer with Ada Lovelace, though she’d probably enjoy gin much more than beer. Ada was a 19th-century mathematician known for her work on Charles Babbage’s proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine. So, in effect, she was the world’s first programmer.

3. How do you start your day / What does a typical day look like for you?

I get up and game hahahaha! But seriously, that’s what I do. Games are a huge part of my life, and getting up in the morning is no different! I’m also the mother to 3 perfect bunny rabbits who roam my apartment as though they own it. So I spend a great deal of easing into my working day by having a bunny cuddle.

4. What are three apps you can’t live without?

Otter.ai – literally cannot live without it. 

Slack – my dev team depends on me to answer their rants at any time of the day (or night). 

Fairtiq – I live in Switzerland, where we have an amazing transport network; Fairtiq makes my travel contactless and easy.

5. Most influential book or movie?

Book – Game Thinking by Amy Jo Kim 

Movie – The Lost Boys

6. The first word that comes to your mind when you think of Poland?

Chleb – mmmmmmm! THE BEST IN THE WORLD

When can you expect the episode?

The episode will be published on the 21st of February 2022. Don’t miss it – follow us on Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts, where you can also check our previous episodes!

🎧 Listen to the episode here 🎧