In their weekly interview series Womenize! features inspirational, diverse people who work in the games and tech industry, to share their experiences, give valuable advice and talk about their projects. In cooperation with Womenize! and Madeleine Egger, GamesMarkt is republishing these inspirations.
Womenize! – Inspiring Stories is our weekly series featuring inspirational individuals from games and tech. For this edition, we talked to Dani Valkova, Founder of GOGIA. She speaks about how her work across music, neuroscience, and immersive tech is guided by creating meaningful experiences that positively affect people, balancing creative innovation with purposeful design, and fostering supportive, inclusive communities to maximize the impact of technology and leadership. Read more about Dani here:
Hi Dani! From launching your first tech venture as a teenager to creating GOGIA, your work bridges neuroscience, music, and immersive tech. Looking back, what key mindset or principle has consistently guided you through such diverse ventures?
I have always been guided by the effect an experience has on people rather than industry boundaries. Whether it was writing music, working with code or building immersive worlds, my attention naturally went to how people felt before and after: their focus, emotional state or deeper sense of presence. Over time I learnt to trust that instinct, even if the language hadn’t caught up yet. That mindset is what has allowed me to move fluidly across disciplines while staying anchored on the same mission: how do we design experiences that genuinely help people feel more balanced and connected? Creating GOGIA today is the most explicit expression of that principle so far.
You’ve led teams to turn audio into award-winning, immersive experiences across gaming, AR/VR, and brand projects. How do you balance the creative, experimental side of audio innovation with the need to deliver commercially successful products?
I learnt that creativity becomes fragile when decisions are driven by novelty rather than purpose. In gaming and immersive environments especially, audio shapes emotion, attention and player behaviour in real time which means it must be designed with precise intent and not unnecessary complexity. The most commercially strong projects are the ones that make audio decisions based on how they support the player’s cognitive load or emotional pacing, not on how technically impressive they are. That clarity gives creative teams freedom while ensuring that commercial priorities stay grounded in the real user value.
You’re deeply involved in mentoring founders, teaching at NYU, and championing diversity in tech. What’s one piece of advice or insight you wish more people understood about the intersection of creativity, technology, and leadership?
The insight I wish more people understood is that creativity reaches its full potential when it’s supported by community and not just existing in a vacuum. In tech and immersive media we celebrate innovation, but so often in isolation. I’ve seen immensely talented people burn out or second-guess themselves because they lacked the support to nurture their ideas. True leadership isn’t about having all the answers but about creating conditions where diverse voices feel safe to take risks, speak up and shape the future. When we invest in each other’s growth (especially those who haven’t traditionally been in the spotlight) the work becomes more resilient, more meaningful and more reflective of the world we want to build.
