DevelopmentExclusive Interviews

Vicens Martí: Making the Right Bet

September 22, 2016 — by David Radd

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DevelopmentExclusive Interviews

Vicens Martí: Making the Right Bet

September 22, 2016 — by David Radd

Vicens Martí is the President of Tangelo Games. Tangelo Games was formed through the acquisition of Diwip and Akamon Entertainment and was formerly Imperus Technologies Corporation. While their time in the gaming industry includes being the Managing Director at Cirsa Gaming Corporation, Vicens has also been CMO at Vueling (a Spanish low-cost airline) and CEO of Custo Barcelona (a fashion label).


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Vicens Martí is President of Tangelo Games.

Cirsa is a notable casino company in Spain, Italy, and Latin America, helping to operate table games and casino slot machines. Vicens says that the experience in real money gambling was beneficial. “I did so much at Cirsa… You learn by doing,” they said.

While Vicens says they had the childhood dream of being an astronaut, they have no difficultly imagining what they’d be doing if they weren’t at their current position. “Oh, that’s easy. I am a simultaneous entrepreneur,” they described. “I have invested in a company called Appeth. I have interest in electronic music. Fintech is another company that I have going too. I have many projects going at once so if I wasn’t in the industry, I have plenty else I could be doing.”




The Future of Online Gambling

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Tangelo Games headquarters in Barcelona

Real money online gambling is still controversial in the U.S., being allowed in only a handful of states. On the other hand, social casino apps are popular and gaining steam here in the U.S., and Vicens is for that in real life to become legal as well: “Worldwide real-money gambling is more widespread. That has more to do with lobbies and laws. I would be totally for legalization of gambling in the US. People in the US like casino games with much reward for little money.”

People in the US like casino games with much reward for little money.

Vicens points to the popularity of skill-based casino gaming in the U.S. as an example of Americans’ desire for games with the potential for reward. For the moment, though, the biggest growth sectors for online gambling are outside of the U.S., so-called “emerging markets”. Vicens indicates that Tangelo will continue to look for areas of new growth, which they expect will continue for some time.

Assembling a Team

Assembling a team of developers is always a challenge, but landing someone with the right expertise in mobile technology might be the hardest part, according to Vicens. Demand is so high for people with the right technical backgrounds that Vicens claims that they “can put their price as high as they want.”




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When looking for new people, Vicens says that sharing values with them is important. “The first one is integrity. The second is a sense of humor. The third one is being  an outlier and stand above the rest. There needs to be something special about the person. Somebody that is passionate or has an edge and stands out.”

In the end though, Vicens says the most gratifying part is seeing the people around him achieve success. “I take pride in seeing people evolve and succeed… I don’t mind making money but by far my favorite thing is to see people evolve and succeed,” said Vicens.”

Forever an Entrepreneur

When it comes to getting where they’ve gotten, Vicens credits mentors within the IESE Business School. “One mentor that I want to mention specifically is Joan Roure. He is a PhD from Stanford. He is still an inspiration everyday.” When it came to advising others on a similar career path, Vicens was very humble in their response.

tangelo-games-everyday-is-a-day-to-play-google-chrome-2016-09-15-11-18-00“I don’t think I deserve to give advice to anyone,” said Vicens. “It is my profession. It is what I do. I will say that as an entrepreneur, you do need to know that you won’t have job security.”

Vicens indicates that they were always interested in having a non-traditional career. They say they’ve always wanted to pursue the things they are passionate about. What drew them to gaming was the importance of creativity and ability to scale, which Vicens describes as two vital components of games.




Some of the new platforms will pan out while others will be a disaster.

Looking to the future, development is something Vicens says is an aspect that it is still unfolding. “Mobile was a huge step and has become quite successful. Some of the new platforms will pan out while others will be a disaster,” they continued. “Devices like VR, smart TVs and smart watches may or may not work out. Some of the legacy like computers and consoles will have a space too. There will be other technology as well that will come into play in the industry as well.”




 

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David Radd

David Radd

David Radd is a staff writer for GameSauce.biz. David loves playing video games about as much as he enjoys writing about them, martial arts and composing his own novels.

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