News

Skillz Hires Fortune 500 Legal Executive Andrew Dahlinghaus As General Counsel

By Brand Creative on June 2, 2023 in Press Releases

Dahlinghaus Brings Extensive Legal and Regulatory Compliance Expertise to Leading Mobile Gaming Platform

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Skillz (NYSE: SKLZ), the leading mobile games platform that connects players and developers through fun and fair competition, today announces that Andrew Dahlinghaus will be joining the executive team as General Counsel, effective June 26, 2023. Dahlinghaus will be replacing Charlotte Edelman, who has led the company’s legal department since 2020. Edelman will continue to serve the company as an advisor. In his role, Dahlinghaus will oversee all legal and regulatory matters at Skillz.

“I’m excited to see how Andrew Dahlinghaus applies his background in leading legal and compliance functions at growing companies to further Skillz,” said Andrew Paradise, CEO and founder of Skillz.

In his past roles, Dahlinghaus has led best-in-class Legal and Compliance groups in Fortune 500, FTSE 250 and private equity-backed companies, including Covidien, Medtronic, and ConvaTec. Most recently at Clario, his experience spans large and complex transactions, commercial counseling, regulatory compliance and government enforcement matters. Prior to going in-house, Dahlinghaus was an attorney at international law firm Arent Fox, where he represented a wide variety of clients in high-stakes litigation and government investigations. Dahlinghaus earned his B.A. at Indiana University Bloomington before graduating from The George Washington University Law School.

“I am thrilled to join Skillz as General Counsel at such an important time at the company” said Dahlinghaus. “I look forward to leveraging my legal expertise to support the company’s future roadmap, ensuring compliance, and fostering a secure and fair gaming environment for our players worldwide.”

About Skillz
Skillz is the leading mobile games platform on a mission to bring out the best in everyone through fun and fair competition. The Skillz platform helps developers create multi-million dollar franchises by enabling social competition in their games. Leveraging its patented technology, Skillz hosts billions of casual mobile gaming tournaments for millions of players worldwide. As the pioneer of skill-based competition for mobile gaming, Skillz has earned recognition with Parity.Org’s 2022 Best Companies for Women to Advance, Deloitte 2022 Tech Fast 500 and one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in 2023. For more information, visit skillz.com.

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Press Contact:

(775) 848-8231

skillz@thekeypr.com

Fueling Epic Wins: Skillz Puts Developers First with Innovative Revenue Model

By Brand Creative on May 11, 2023 in Blog Posts

By: Andrew Paradise, CEO of Skillz

Skillz was founded on the idea that everyone has skills and deserves an epic win. Games capture our imaginations, enrapture our attention, and challenge us to bring forward our best selves. For this reason, game developers are the lifeblood of Skillz – they’re the ones who dream big and create games that players love.

We empower game developers to build thriving businesses on our competition platform, so they can focus on their craft: creating games. By doing so, we are also enhancing the player experience. I strongly believe that competition is one of the most player-centric monetization tools. It immerses us with content rather than relying on ad campaigns or in-app purchases that disrupt game play. With that in mind, and as part of our unwavering commitment to game developers’ success, we recently introduced a new revenue model enabling them to achieve greater financial results while pursuing their passion for building engaging games.

The truth is that game development hasn’t always been a fair playing field.

Let me share an example: in 2013, Flappy Bird was the most popular game in the app store. It was created by the Vietnamese video game artist and programmer, Dong Nguyen, who was making roughly $1.8 million a year. That is no small feat, but the game that ended up taking the number one spot that same year, Clash of Clans, was making roughly $3.5 million a day. The difference was not that gamers were enjoying or spending more time playing Clash of Clans – in fact, the engagement was relatively similar. Clash of Clans retention was higher because it was built by a giant mobile game development company that had significant venture capital financing to optimize monetization. Clash of Clans’ systems of monetization put Flappy Bird at a disadvantage; one that, in my opinion, was incredibly unfair.

At Skillz, we passionately operate with fairness so everyone can win – players and developers alike. This philosophy extends to our new revenue share terms.

Skillz’ New Revenue Model for Developers

The new Skillz revenue model is an opportunity for developers to earn more money, based on the number of paying players on their game. If they have a hit on their hands, they have the potential to maximize their profit up to 94% of available revenue. We built this sliding scale to acknowledge an individual developer’s contribution to Skillz, and they’re able to earn almost all available revenue for their effort.

Rather than capping revenue opportunities, we are empowering game developers to maximize revenue potential. Put simply – the more they achieve, the more revenue they make. A tiered system where developers scale up the percentage of revenue they receive based on game performance is core to our values as a company and our belief that competition is the true enabler of achievement.

Revenue transparency plays a big part in ensuring the model is successful. Through a dedicated Developer Console, developers have easy access to actionable insights such as total installs and traffic, revenue, game performance, and near-instant user analysis and data to inform game development. That way they are always on the pulse of the business and able to calculate how they are performing whenever they want to.

More Revenue Potential Enables Better Gameplay

As an example of how our new revenue share model works: let’s suppose a developer’s game earns $1,000,000 in entry fees in November and the best month performance for the game over the last three months (September, October, and November) was 200,000 new user installations and 600 first time payers. In our new revenue share model, this would be a Tier C ranking for November and the developer would receive $1,000,000 times 5%, or $50,000, less any applicable taxes. The 5% of entry fees that the developer receives is actually about 63% of the available revenue for November.

Something often overlooked in mobile game monetization is how complicated taxation on a nationwide platform can be. Taxes vary across all the countries and states based on where players are located, but it’s commonly a very small amount, relative to the available revenue. A huge benefit we bring developers is navigating the tax complexity for them – developers don’t have to deal with any of the tax processes or forms, because that’s part of what we do for them as the platform.

Long-term customer Tether Studios sees the potential for the new model. Tim O’Neil, Co-Founder and CEO at Tether, added, “Thanks to Skillz’ forward-thinking approach, we can now fully monetize our games and build a sustainable business, driving our passion for game development to new levels.”

At Skillz, we love gaming and have a deep respect for game creators. We work hard to support developers in unlocking economic opportunities through their craft, in a way that’s beneficial for everyone. Our new revenue model opens a door to monetization for mobile game developers that rivals the other methods, and we’re excited to see the impact it’s already having on the industry.

Developers are imperative to the games we know and love, and we’re proud to provide a new revenue model that doubles down on their success.

Andrew Paradise
CEO, Skillz

If you’re a game developer or studio interested in adding your game to Skillz’ growing platform, please contact Skillz Developer Relations at devrel@skillz.com.

Building an Agile Culture of Achievement

By Brand Creative on March 9, 2023 in Blog Posts

by: Andrew Paradise, CEO of Skillz

Skillz was founded on the idea that everyone can compete – and win – based on their own unique skills. The thrill of achievement that we all experience when we overcome a challenge and level up is what makes playing games so rewarding.

As we evolved as a company, we came to realize that the true power of achievement goes beyond gameplay itself. The drive to push through, break barriers, and find our true potential is core to what makes us human. In many ways, our achievements build grit, and give us all a sense of purpose as we progress in life and in business.

With the mission of bringing out the best in everyone through competition, we had to ask ourselves: how do we bring out the best in our company? For us at Skillz, this means fueling the drive to win as a team. As we entered 2022 with a goal of building our future towards profitable growth, focusing on achievement could not have been more important.

Creating a more agile, impact-driven culture is a continual journey, but an important one. Thriving on change is not just core to the spirit of Skillz, but a vital ingredient for any company looking to win in the speed of business in today’s world order.

Our five guiding principles for building an agile culture of achievement:

Act as business owners, not employees.

Benjamin Franklin once said: “Those who achieve make many mistakes, but never make the biggest mistake of all – doing nothing”. Acting like business owners rather than employees is what makes Skillz’s culture so unique. This focus on ownership empowers us to be more accountable while acting more like entrepreneurs – regardless of seniority level or title. When we do so, we’re more likely to be creative and innovative, finding new ways to improve while questioning the status quo. At Skillz, each business function writes business plans guided by desired results and 1-5 year visions. We follow a systemized grading system that helps us all define success and monitor our progress as a common language. In our most recent employee engagement survey, 90% of Skillzians indicated that they clearly understood how their work contributes to our goals – a strong indication that our company-wide agile approach and focus on achievement has helped us all feel connected to our business and the impact we drive.

Focus on results, not activities.

Typically a workforce focuses on accomplishing activities: scoping, managing, or completing projects. At Skillz, we realized that this type of operating model doesn’t always yield results or move the needle. Simply put, what impact did all that energy expended on the to-do list actually deliver? We found ourselves pondering that often, and realized we needed to make an intentional shift to focus on the results of our actions, rather than just getting things done. By doing so, we were able to define the value of our efforts and found it easier to prioritize initiatives across our company.

Move with agility. Adopt a product-mindset.

Skillz is a product-led organization, but a product mindset doesn’t have to be limited to one function – it can permeate across the entire company. We all have customers – whether it’s our players, our developers, our investors or our colleagues. That means we each have a ‘product’ to offer – from the technology we deploy to the support and enablement of our business to function everyday. Everyone at Skillz, including PeopleOps, Finance, and Workplace teams, adopts a weekly sprint approach which enables them to focus their attention on progressing through business-critical projects. A 12-week plan enables everyone to show steady incremental progress towards goals and measure results in real-time against our targets. Each week we track if we achieved what we set out to do, while highlighting mid-week any blockers along the way. Most importantly, we learn and improve as we go – something that wouldn’t be possible if we waited to mark a project as complete and measure once done.

Find the ROI in everything (yes, everything).

Every company has fixed costs that are necessary for any business to function. Commonly, these expenses are just seen as the cost of doing business. Because investing in our people, systems, and processes are critical to a successful outcome for our business, we aim to attribute an ROI to them through either hard or soft measures. Our guiding principle is that any investment or initiative – including hiring and operations – should either increase revenue or save costs. With that in mind, we simplified our company structure and removed a dedicated revenue group, as every organization at Skillz should fundamentally have an impact on our bottom line.

Take the (calculated) risk.

We work to tie everything we do to business impact so we can draw a clear picture of our level of investment, level of risk, and expected return. While it might seem like this focus on results means we’re risk-averse as a company, the reality is that we’re using this information to see if there are opportunities with asymmetric upside. We are much more inclined to invest aggressively in a higher-risk option than stick with a traditional, low-risk option if we know all the facts and have clarity on what we can achieve.

While the Skillz platform enables players and game developers alike to experience a sense of achievement, I am energized by the fact that our culture is guided by the same northstar. Innovating the way we connect, collaborate and write our next chapter together, has been a true game changer with a positive trajectory on our company and community.

Andrew Paradise

CEO, Skillz
—–
Join Us. Achieve More

Skillz.com/careers

Financial Executive Kevin Chessen Joins Skillz Board of Directors

By Brand Creative on February 21, 2023 in Press Releases

Capital Markets Expert Brings Decades of Financial Experience to Skillz

Skillz (NYSE: SKLZ), the leading mobile games platform bringing fair competition to players worldwide, today announced that Kevin Chessen, co-founder of BTIG, has joined its Board of Directors. Chessen will serve on the Audit Committee of the Board.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Kevin Chessen to our board. His extensive expertise in investment and finance will be invaluable as we build the next chapter of Skillz,” said Andrew Paradise, CEO of Skillz.

“Skillz is truly a disruptor and innovator in the mobile game industry,” said Kevin Chessen. “I’m honored to join the Board of Directors and excited about the future of the company.”

Chessen is currently an advisor at Argonaut Investments, a firm that owns and operates approximately 40 shopping centers across the Western United States. Prior to this, Chessen co-founded global financial services firm BTIG and its predecessor firm Baypoint Trading in 2002, also serving as a member of BTIG’s Global Operating Committee. Previously, Chessen was the Head of Listed Trading at Banc of America Securities, Head of Asian Equity Trading at Merrill Lynch, and Senior Trader on the International Trading Desk at S.G. Warburg. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in business economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

About Skillz Inc.

Skillz is the leading mobile games platform dedicated to bringing out the best in everyone through competition. The Skillz platform helps developers create multi-million dollar franchises by enabling social competition in their games. Leveraging its patented technology, Skillz hosts billions of casual esports tournaments for millions of mobile players worldwide, with the goal of building the home of competition for all. Skillz has earned recognition as one of Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators, CNBC’s Disruptor 50, Forbes’ Next Billion-Dollar Startups, Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, and the number-one fastest-growing company in America on the Inc. 5000. www.skillz.com

Media Contact
press@skillz.com

Financial Executive Alex Mandel Joins Skillz Board of Directors

By Brand Creative on January 20, 2023 in Press Releases

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – January 20, 2023 – Skillz (NYSE: SKLZ), the leading mobile games platform bringing fair competition to players worldwide, today announced that Alex Mandel, Chief Financial Officer of The Influential Network Inc., has joined its Board of Directors. Mandel will serve on the Audit Committee of the Board. Mandel replaces Vanna Mehta-Krantz, who is stepping down to focus on other work commitments. Skillz is thankful for her contributions to the company during her tenure.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Alex Mandel to our board. His decades of financial experience, coupled with deep understanding of user acquisition, will be invaluable as we build the future of our company,” said Andrew Paradise, CEO of Skillz.

Mandel currently serves as Chief Financial Officer of The Influential Network Inc., a privately-held influencer marketing company. Prior to this, Mandel served as Chief Financial Officer of Fluent, Inc. (Nasdaq: FLNT), IAC Applications, and LendingTree, Inc. (Nasdaq: TREE). At LendingTree, he was credited with playing an essential role in the Company’s resurgence. Mandel also held the position of Managing Director at investment banking firms Centerview Partners, LLC and Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. He received his Bachelor of Arts in economics from Tufts University and his Masters of Business Administration from Columbia Business School.

“I see incredible potential in Skillz as it defines an entire industry,” said Alex Mandel. “It’s a privilege to join Skillz’ Board of Directors at such a pivotal time in the company’s journey and to help accelerate its trajectory towards profitable growth.”

About Skillz Inc.

HOLE-IN-ONE! INCREDIBLE TECHNOLOGIES PARTNERS WITH SKILLZ TO OFFER MOBILE CASH PRIZES WITH GOLDEN TEE: TOURNAMENT EDITION

By Brand Creative on October 27, 2022 in Blog Posts

The Partnership Expands Golden Tee Golf’s Extensive Experience in Online Prize Competitions to Millions of Skillz Competitive Mobile Gamers.

On the heels of the legendary arcade franchise’s 33rd anniversary, Golden Tee® Golf is expanding its mobile gaming reach with a new title built exclusively with Skillz Inc., the leading mobile games platform. Golden Tee: Tournament Edition aims to blend the franchise’s loyal player base with the millions of gamers competing on the Skillz platform, which offers industry-leading monetization through its competitive tournament system.

The game is set to launch on Apple and Android devices on Monday, November 7, 2022, on the heels of Golden Tee Mobile’s 3rd anniversary. It will debut with a handful of game options. Players will be able to compete in nine-hole matches along with the all-new Closest-to-the-Pin game mode.

Along with the trademark swing mechanics and an array of original, fantasy courses, this new installment gives players of any skill level an opportunity to focus on the essential competitive and prize-filled experiences that arcade veterans have grown to love over the last 33 years.

“We are thrilled to partner with Incredible Technologies and launch the iconic title, Golden Tee, on the Skillz platform” said Andrew Paradise, CEO of Skillz. “We are looking forward to enabling millions of golf fans to enjoy the thrill of competition on their mobile devices, while extending Golden Tee’s reach exponentially.”

“Like we’ve seen on the arcade side, Golden Tee Mobile has its own growing community of incredibly passionate players,” Golden Tee: Tournament Edition Project Manager John Noble said. “Our goal is to build a next chapter, and we believe the game will appeal to existing players, brand loyalists and a new audience.”

With over 150,000 arcade machines sold to bars and restaurants across the world, Golden Tee Golf is one of the best-selling arcade sports games of all time. In recent years, Golden Tee Golf has also carved out a place in the mobile gaming space with the 2019 launch of Golden Tee Mobile™.

Golden Tee is more than just a bar game. Over the course of three decades, it grew into a pop culture phenomenon. Known as one of the original esports, the game has continued to grow through both live and virtual tournaments in tens of thousands of venues worldwide.

“Golden Tee has always been about competition,” says Adam Kramer, President of Incredible Technologies’ Amusement Division. “We are thrilled to partner with Skillz to bring Golden Tee’s mobile experience and presence to an entirely new level.”

Skillz is pioneering the competitive mobile gaming experience, connecting players in fair, fun, and meaningful competition. Through Skillz’s proprietary and patented player rating and matching technology, players will have the opportunity to compete in mobile Golden Tee Golf tournaments for cash prizes on mobile devices against users with similar skill sets across a variety of immersive outdoor environments.

For more information on Golden Tee: Tournament Edition, please visit GoldenTee.com/tournament-edition.

About Incredible Technologies.

Incredible Technologies, Inc. (IT) specializes in the design, development and manufacturing of entertainment products for the on-premise amusement and casino gaming industries. IT was founded in 1985 by Elaine Hodgson and Richard Ditton and has focused since on fostering an environment of innovation in the arcade, amusement, and casino gaming industries. IT is most widely known as the creators of the most successful pay-to-play amusement game in history, Golden Tee® Golf, its 1989 breakout hit. IT’s online platform, ITNET™, has been powering online and skilled-based prize contests since 1996. IT is a privately held, certified Women’s Business Enterprise with membership in the American Gaming Association, National Indian Gaming Association, Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers, Amusement Machine Operators Association and American Amusement Machine Association.

About Skillz
Skillz is the leading mobile games platform dedicated to bringing out the best in everyone through competition. The Skillz platform helps developers create multi-million dollar franchises by enabling social competition in their games. Leveraging its patented technology, Skillz hosts billions of casual esports tournaments for millions of mobile players worldwide, with the goal of building the home of competition for all. Skillz has earned recognition as one of Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators, CNBC’s Disruptor 50, Forbes’ Next Billion-Dollar Startups, Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, and the number-one fastest-growing company in America on the Inc. 5000.

Media Contacts:

Incredible Technologies
ITinfo@itsgames.com

Skillz
press@skillz.com

Play Mechanix is the Winner of the NFL & Skillz Game Developer Challenge

By Brand Creative on October 20, 2022 in Blog Posts

Play Mechanix’s NFL QB Shootout Is Skillz’ first NFL branded mobile game and is Now Available on iOS and Android

SAN FRANCISCO – October 20, 2022 – The National Football League (NFL) and Skillz (NYSE: SKLZ), the leading mobile games platform bringing fair and fun competition to players worldwide, today revealed that Play Mechanix won the NFL & Skillz Game Developer Challenge. Through this first-of-its-kind collaboration, competing developers had the opportunity to create innovative NFL-inspired and branded mobile games powered by the Skillz esports platform. Play Mechanix was selected out of nearly 200 developers for their high-quality graphics, NFL brand representation, and fun and challenging game play that is expected to appeal to current NFL fans and others who may be experiencing the fun of the NFL for the first time.

The winning game, NFL QB Shootout, invites fans to quarterback their favorite NFL team to victory by mastering their football throwing prowess. With 32 NFL teams to choose from, players compete by throwing passes and scoring touchdowns to win real-world prizes before the clock runs out.

“Huge congratulations to Play Mechanix for building a game that received high marks from NFL fans around the world to win the developer challenge, ” said Andrew Paradise, CEO of Skillz. “Empowering game developers defines the heart and soul of what we do at Skillz, and is the reason why we approached the NFL to team up on this competition. We are excited to partner with Play Mechanix to offer the thrill and fun of NFL QB Shootout to millions of players.”

“It’s an incredible honor to win the NFL & Skillz Developer Challenge” said George Petro, President of Play Mechanix. “The NFL is one of the biggest brands in the world, and our vision was to create a unique game experience that will excite both current and new fans alike. Through this opportunity, Skillz is empowering us to create an NFL branded mobile game that enables evenly matched tournaments while facilitating an amazing experience for players.”

NFL QB Shootout will enable engagement with millions of new and existing football fans where they live – on mobile – while driving the convergence of offline and online sports. The winning game, NFL QB Shootout, showcases the possibilities that happen when developers’ creativity meets the power of the Skillz platform, along with the magnitude of the NFL brand and its fandom.

NFL QB Shootout is available now for play on iOS and Android

About Skillz Inc.

About Play Mechanix, Inc.

Founded in 1995 by former Midway designer George Petro (NARC, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Revolution X), Play Mechanix is a global leader in the design and development of arcade video games. Merging with Raw Thrills in 2006 to form the top arcade video game manufacturer in the world, Play Mechanix is responsible for hit releases such as the Big Buck Hunter series, Minecraft Dungeons Arcade, Halo: Fireteam Raven, The Walking Dead, Terminator Salvation, Aliens Armageddon, MotoGP and many more.

Fireside chat with Jerry Bruckheimer

By Brand Creative on October 7, 2022 in Blog Posts

If you could hang out with one famous person who would it be?

For us, it would be Jerry Bruckheimer – legendary, iconic, and world-renowned film and television producer. Perhaps the most successful producer of all time, Jerry Bruckheimer’s productions include the monumental films Pirates of the Caribbean, National Treasure, Bad Boys, and Beverly Hills Cop franchises, Black Hawk Down, Pearl Harbor, Remember the Titans, Armageddon, The Rock, Crimson Tide, and Top Gun – just to name a few.

In a career spanning 40+ years, Jerry’s projects have been honored with 43 Academy Award nominations, 6 Oscars, 8 Grammy Award nominations, 5 Grammys, 23 Golden Globe nominations, 4 Golden Globes, 140 Emmy Award nominations, 23 Emmys, 36 People’s Choice nominations, 15 People’s Choice Awards, and numerous MTV Awards, including one for Best Picture of the Decade for “Beverly Hills Cop.”

For those reasons and more, we couldn’t contain our excitement when Skillz CEO Andrew Paradise hosted a special fireside chat with Jerry Bruckheimer for all Skillz employees. Jerry and Andrew discussed Skillz, gaming, entertainment, and what it takes to make a blockbuster hit.

Here is a snapshot of their conversation:

Andrew: Can you give us any lessons that you’ve learned throughout the years? Is there a formula for the success you have achieved?
Jerry: I think if there was a formula, every one of the pictures I made would have been a hit, and they’re not. It’s about finding the gem. There’s always a gem there somewhere in that story. Whatever you want to tell – be unique, be different. Make things better. Do whatever you’re doing better than the next person, and you’ll succeed. And if you put the time in, you get rewarded – you always get rewarded. Success breeds success and hard work is always the way you get there.

Andrew: Do you ever feel nostalgic when you see any of your earlier films?
Jerry: You know, what’s interesting is that I never look at them again unless I am being asked to. It’s because I always see things I want to change, and I think, because they’re already out, that’s difficult. I always feel you can make something better. It’s never good enough anytime.

Andrew: What’s your favorite TV show or movie that you didn’t work on?
Jerry: That’s hard to say, I couldn’t even answer that question to be honest. There are so many great TV shows and movies that I would have loved to have been a part of, but you can’t make them all. There are still so many actors and directors that I would love to work with.

Andrew: What’s your biggest piece of advice for someone who wants to start their own production company?
Jerry: I think that you have to understand what everybody does. You gotta start at the bottom and work yourself up and understand what everybody’s job is. You have to understand how they do it, why they do it, and what makes them as skillful as they are. That’s what I did. Starting out, I worked in a mailroom and eventually became an associate producer. I figured out what everybody did and that’s how I learned. So really, that was my schooling.

Andrew: How do you pick which movies to work on?
Jerry: I ask, “Do I want to see it?” If I want to see that movie, I’ll try to get it made.

Andrew: Jerry, what is your life mantra?
Jerry: Always look forward, never look back. You know, we had this big success, and I’m always worried about the next one. We’ve done it, we climbed that mountain – and I’m looking at the next mountain right now.

Andrew: Thanks for joining us Jerry. Any parting words?
Jerry: Thanks for having me. You’re very lucky to be working at skillz. I think Andrew is somebody who’s going to do it again, and he’s done it before – building these companies and making huge successes. When I first met Andrew, I thought he was a real disruptor – somebody who would come in and build a company, which he already has, and make it fantastic, which is exactly what he’s doing. I hope you achieve everything you want to achieve and that you have fun while doing it. You got to have fun – that’s what it’s about. We have fun making movies, and TV shows. We always find ways to have fun at work – so enjoy it.

If you’d like to join Skillz on our journey to build the future of competition check out our careers page for more!

Leaders of the leaderboard – Grace Tang

By Brand Creative on September 26, 2022 in Blog Posts

Meet Grace Tang, a Marketing Analyst on the Product team here at Skillz. Grace is also an amazing player and often at the top of our staff leaderboards! We took some time to chat with Grace to learn more about her favorite games, strategies, and ways of playing.

Q: What is your Skillz username? Why did you choose it?
A: My username is “gtang770”. “gtang” is just my first initial and last name. The “770” was from when I was playing Pokemon Go with my brother. I wanted a username that was already taken, so he came up with the number “770” to append to the end (as opposed to “007”). Since then, I’ve been using “770” as part of my identity.

Q: Which Skillz powered game are you playing the most right now? Why do you love it?
A: I really like puzzle games. At the moment, I’m playing a lot of Spider Solitaire Cash. As a kid I spent a lot of time playing Spider Solitaire on my family’s computer, so this brings a lot of nostalgia for me. Other Skillz favorites of mine include Sushi Drop Tournament, Cubie Dash Tournament, Block Blitz, Bubble Shooter Arena, Big Cooking, and Word Star.

Q: Any tips and tricks you learned along the way?
A: For Spider Solitaire Cash, I learned that it’s easier to move the cards in the central piles if you swipe sideways (left-right vs. up-down). The timer also does not set off until you touch the cards, so you can actually spend some time visualizing potential combos before taking action.

Q: Tell us, what’s your highest score to date?
A: It depends on the game, but for Spider Solitaire Cash, my highest score is 7,806. For Bubble Shooter Arena, my highest score is 440,040. They’re very different games, so the scoring is drastically different!

Q: How many games do you play on average every week?
A: It varies from week to week depending on what I have going on at work or in my personal life. This past month, I’ve been averaging about 215 games/week.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about playing Skillz games?
A: I like how I can pick them up and put them down at any time because of how short the games are (though oftentimes they are very hard to put down, since they are so fun!). I also like how there are no ads, so it’s quite streamlined to go from one tournament to the next.

Q: Can you tell us about an epic win you had on the platform?
A: I felt really satisfied the first time I made a perfect run in the Cubie Dash Tournament!

Q: Have you ever redeemed Ticketz? Which prize(s) did you choose?
A: I currently have 1.9 Million tickets, and I’m planning to buy some Skillz Swag for me and my fiancé.

Q: Is there another Skillz game you wish you could master?
A: Block Blitz. I really enjoy that game, but I have yet to master it! I often gridlock myself and end up running out of moves before the timer goes out. Hopefully one day I can pick up some good strategies and rack up some points!

Can you beat gtang770? Download Spider Solitaire Cash TODAY!

Leaders of the Leaderboard: Mahip Vyas

By Brand Creative on September 21, 2022 in Blog Posts

Mahip Vyas is a Programmatic Lead on the User Acquisition team at Skillz. Mahip is also an amazing player and often on top of our leaderboards. We took some time to chat with Mahip to learn more about his favorite game, strategy and ways of playing.

Q: What is your Skillz username? Why did you choose it?
A: My username is MVSklz. It’s a combination of my initials and Skillz. I have been a member of the platform since May 2015.

Q: What Skillz powered game are you playing the most right now? Why do you love it?

A: While I enjoy competing in many games on Skillz, the one which I play most on my phone is Bubble Shooter Arena. Being a big fan of arcade games, I love the simplicity of this game. I enjoy being challenged head-on-head in this fast-paced, 3-minute game where strategy, precision, and fast fingers are what give you that edge over your competitor to clear the board, maximize the score, and rake in big bucks.

Q: Any tips and tricks you learned along the way?
A: Pay attention to the accuracy of the aim while shooting the bubble and creating clusters of bubbles. Look out for special bubbles which give you double points, and skillfully use the bouncing walls to direct bubbles in the right spot.

Q: Tell us, what’s your highest score to date?

A: 332,640

Q: How many games do you play on average every week?

A: Somewhere between 25-60 games per week.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about playing Skillz games?

A: I enjoy the thrill of 1-on-1 competition in live real-time games – where I can challenge my friends and win real world cash prizes. While staying at home during the pandemic, it was difficult to meet with friends in person. Interactions such as this gave us a sense of being close while still keeping that competitive spirit alive. And now that we all have such busy routines again, Skillz has empowered us to play snack-size competitive games in the digital world!

Q: Can you tell us about an epic win you had on the platform?

A: Unlocking trophies of winnings of $1000 or more.

Q: Have you ever redeemed Ticketz? Which prize(s) did you choose?

A: I frequently redeem Ticketz for bonus cash and challenge my friends to play cash games.

Q: Is there another Skillz game you wish you could master?

A: Real time 8-ball pool matches in Pool Payday. The excitement level to play against another person in real-time is hard to describe, especially in Pool, and it takes a lot of practice to learn pool gameplay skills and master the tricks of the game.

Can you beat MVSklz? Download Bubble Shooter Arena TODAY!