In the ever-evolving landscape of mobile gaming, Superbloom is planting the seeds of innovation and empowerment. Founded by industry veterans Emily Yim and Ksusha Zito, this female-led studio is reimagining lifestyle games for women. Venue, their first mobile app, is currently in soft launch. With it, Superbloom seeks to provide a meaningful experience for women at the intersection of gaming and interior design. But that’s just the beginning.

Superbloom's story begins with two women whose paths intersected at the right moment, each bringing a wealth of experience from the upper echelons of the gaming industry. Emily Yim's journey through mobile gaming reads like a who's who of industry giants. At Zynga, she mastered the art of balancing player engagement with business metrics as a product manager. Her next stop was Dots, where she led the Two Dots team, before moving to Glu to spearhead product development for Covet Fashion. Despite these achievements, Emily found herself at a crossroads. "I was in a high-paying C-suite role, balancing work with being a mom to a two-year-old. On paper, it looked like everything was in place, but there was this persistent feeling that something was off. I wasn’t bringing my own vision to life," she reflects.

Meanwhile, Ksusha Zito's tech odyssey began in 2008, coinciding with the dawn of the iPhone era. Her coding prowess quickly landed her at Dots in New York City, where she became one of the original developers behind the hit game Two Dots, eventually rising to Director of Engineering. Seeking new challenges, Ksusha then joined The New York Times Games team, leading platform development across multiple tech stacks. "I used to joke that I'd only work at a startup where I already knew and trusted the founders," Ksusha muses. "Then, Emily reached out."

The stars aligned when Emily approached Ksusha with a vision for a new kind of gaming company. In 2021, leveraging their combined decades of experience in the mobile gaming industry, Emily and Ksusha co-founded Superbloom. There they are focused on creating meaningful lifestyle games for women, blending innovative design and compelling narratives to connect players with their real-life interests.

Building a startup is no walk in the park, and Emily and Ksusha have gleaned valuable insights along the way:

1. In a Word? Flexibility: Both women believe that, as Emily puts it, “You need to be incredibly flexible and adaptive. Being a founder means you’re constantly venturing into unknown territories, where challenges come from every angle.”
2. Embrace Resilience: "Today's struggle will pass, and tomorrow it will be a story to share about how you navigated that challenge," Emily advises. In the unpredictable world of startups, resilience isn't just a virtue—it's a necessity.
3. Align Early as Founders: According to Ksusha, "It's like tuning your instruments before you start playing—it sets the foundation for everything you'll do together."
4. Build the Right Team: "At Superbloom, people who thrive are curious self-starters and empathetic team players," Emily notes. Through their team-building philosophy, they strive to create a culture that's as vibrant and diverse as their games.
5. Embrace Remote Work: With a team spanning 12 nationalities, Superbloom has worked to lean in on their hurdles. "Communication, which we thought could be a challenge, has actually become one of our strengths," Ksusha proudly shares.

The path of a founder is rarely smooth, and Emily and Ksusha have faced their share of challenges. For Emily, the biggest hurdle has been learning to set boundaries. "As someone who always gives 150% to whatever I commit to, being a founder can be challenging because there's always something more to do, and your mind never truly switches off."

Ksusha grapples with the fear of market volatility. "It's tough out there—startups are closing, and there's always that lingering fear that one day it could be us." But she's learned to focus on what she can control: "We’ve done everything we can. We've put in the work, and market conditions are out of our control."

As Venue gains traction in its soft launch, Emily and Ksusha are already looking ahead. Their vision extends beyond just creating games; they're on a mission to redefine mobile gaming for women worldwide by creating experiences tailored toward women’s specific interests. But perhaps most importantly, they're committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive gaming community. As Emily and Ksusha put it, "We want to create games that reflect the rich diversity of our players, not only in terms of representation within the games but also in the stories we tell and the experiences we offer."