From smashing particles together to driving data strategy and innovation – Skrmiish welcomes Dr. João Pela as new Head of Data

João Pela (PhD) has recently been appointed as Skrmiish’s new Head of Data. Pela comes from a strong background in the field of data science and machine learning, working as a researcher and experimental physicist at CERN before moving to tech startups Rotageek and Seatfrog as a data scientist and quickly ascending to leadership roles. He now joins Skrmiish to focus on data-driven innovation and help deliver exceptional experiences to its global community of gamers.

Speaking about his new role, Pela said: “I am joining Skrmiish at a key moment in its journey and I will be focusing on building up our data practice and making sure we have a data-driven culture in all we do. I plan to help the company shape its strategy by building a modern and effective data infrastructure, democratising data access, and introducing machine learning where relevant.”

From CERN in Switzerland to a global tech startup                                                          

Pela spent nine years working at the world’s largest particle physics lab, CERN, helping to discover the famous Higgs Boson – the so-called “God particle”. This discovery was awarded the Physics Nobel Prize in 2013. Pela left academia and research in 2016 to join Rotageek as a Data Scientist and quickly took the lead building their flagship auto-scheduling products. In 2018, he moved to Seatfrog as Head of Data where he built their engineering and analytics teams. Both Rotageek and Seatfrog have successfully raised over $40-million between them and are high growth tech businesses. Pela has a strong background in algorithm and model building, forecasting, analytics and also strategic and project planning.

“João comes from an incredible background of data, science and smashing particles together deep underground in CERN,” says Skrmiish co-founder and MD, Chris Heaton. “We are all very excited to have someone with his expertise in the business. He is another weapon in our armoury helping Skrmiish to achieve incredible success.”

Unique play-to-earn model

Based in the Isle of Man, but building with a strong tech team out of Cape Town, Skrmiish is the world’s first app that gives any gamer the opportunity to monetise their matches in the games they love to play.

Boasting the world’s first competitive blockchain-based gaming wallet, the company is pioneering play-to-earn technology for the AAA gaming market. Over half a million GBP in earnings has been paid out to-date and Skrmiish has more than 75,000 active players earning money gaming every month.

Creating a data-driven gaming tech culture

“João’s appointment marks a significant milestone for Skrmiish as it continues to expand its capabilities in the gaming industry,” says Heaton. “Pela is well-positioned to lead Skrmiish’s data initiatives and drive innovation across the organisation, ensuring that Skrmiish maintains its competitive edge. He will join our CEO Luke Grob and team in the London office.”

Pela concludes: “I will be Skrmiish’s data voice as we grow into a major player in how gamers can generate income from doing what they love. I’m excited about joining a fast-growing business with a lot of potential, where I feel I can make a real impact!”