Turn features anyone can copy into a product no one can.
Turn features anyone can copy into a product no one can.
Product strategy for founders.
For pre-seed and seed teams fighting commoditization.
What we build shapes how we live. So let’s stop building bullshit.
Hi, I'm Melinda. 👋
Hi, I'm Melinda. 👋
I'm a lifelong nerd who combined a love of games with a fascination for how people actually behave into 15+ years building, advising, and leading at early-stage venture-backed companies. I've sat in the CEO, COO, and CPO seats and made these calls under real pressure, not in theory.
I have collaborated with global organizations such as Aegon, Elsevier, and Rituals, contributed to Interreg initiatives, advised the European Commission and Goethe-Institut, and serve on the advisory board of the SXSW Pitch competition.
As one of the early voices in gamification, I've become a globally trusted authority on behavior and technology, with multiple awards including two Red Dot Awards.
I'm a lifelong nerd who combined a love of games with a fascination for how people actually behave into 15+ years building, advising, and leading at early-stage venture-backed companies. I've sat in the CEO, COO, and CPO seats and made these calls under real pressure, not in theory.
I have collaborated with global organizations such as Aegon, Elsevier, and Rituals, contributed to Interreg initiatives, advised the European Commission and Goethe-Institut, and serve on the advisory board of the SXSW Pitch competition.
As one of the early voices in gamification, I've become a globally trusted authority on behavior and technology, with multiple awards including two Red Dot Awards.
The three things that actually kill AI products.
The three things that actually kill AI products.
No PMF. No clear UVP. No defensibility.
Anyone can wrap an LLM and let it do the thinking for the user. That builds dependency, commoditizes the product, and a cheaper clone wins. The products that last build real capability in the user, the kind of relationship a competitor can't copy. I help founders achieve that.
Anyone can wrap an LLM and let it do the thinking for the user. That builds dependency, commoditizes the product, and a cheaper clone wins. The products that last build real capability in the user, the kind of relationship a competitor can't copy. I help founders achieve that.
From the people I've worked with
From the people I've worked with
She doesn’t just tell you what to do, she makes sure the whole team truly understands what needs to be done, why it matters, and how it connects to the bigger picture. She has this incredible ability to bring people ...
She doesn’t just tell you what to do, she makes sure the whole team truly understands what needs to be done, why it matters, and how it connects to the bigger picture. She has this incredible ability to bring people ...
Melissanthi
— Mindstone
A true protector, putting fires down before anyone else saw them, keeping things run smoothly and with a constant ease, she was able to fill in for diversity of roles, take on whatever needed and do it well. ...
Thank you for building such an empowering tool, especially for designers! The site went from Figma to Framer in less than a week!
Nela
— AI Expert
Melinda is that rare breed of someone who is highly strategic, but also a brilliant executor. She was able to be in the detail across functions ... and she always had time and empathy for others ...
Thank you for building such an empowering tool, especially for designers! The site went from Figma to Framer in less than a week!
Romanie
— Glen Co-Founder
Melinda is an empathetic and generous leader that would slot in and fully own most C-level positions that a startup needs to the degree that you wouldn't want to ever work with anyone else. ...
She doesn’t just tell you what to do, she makes sure the whole team truly understands what needs to be done, why it matters, and how it connects to the bigger picture. She has this incredible ability to bring people ...
Stefan
— Glen Co-Founder
She is one of the most intelligent and dedicated people I know, making her a true asset to any team or client. Her knowledge of user psychology distinguishes her from her peers as the go-to person ...
She doesn’t just tell you what to do, she makes sure the whole team truly understands what needs to be done, why it matters, and how it connects to the bigger picture. She has this incredible ability to bring people ...
Joanna
— Booking.com Manager
I want to disrupt the defaults to build what’s next.
I want to disrupt the defaults to build what’s next.
Talks on what AI is doing to people, and what to build instead.
I speak on AI and ethics, gamification, and human behavior, in short, what happens to people when systems are designed without them in mind. Gamification was the early version of this question. AI is the current one. I've appeared at SXSW, HATCH, World Usability Day, Gamification World, and 50+ events worldwide.
I speak on AI and ethics, gamification, and human behavior, in short, what happens to people when systems are designed without them in mind. Gamification was the early version of this question. AI is the current one. I've appeared at SXSW, HATCH, World Usability Day, Gamification World, and 50+ events worldwide.
From Cheat Codes to Conscious Choices
From Cheat Codes to Conscious Choices
World Usability Day Estonia 2023
Where's the line between motivating people and manipulating them and what happens when designers don't know the difference?
Where's the line between motivating people and manipulating them and what happens when designers don't know the difference?
Where's the line between motivating people and manipulating them and what happens when designers don't know the difference?
The Danger of Gaming
the System
The Danger of Gaming
the System
The Danger of Gaming the System
HATCH Conference 2022
Why designing for engagement without understanding the system underneath it is the most dangerous thing a designer can do.
Why designing for engagement without understanding the system underneath it is the most dangerous thing a designer can do.
