modl.ai announced today the appointment of James Gwertzman as the new Chairman of its Board of Directors. As Chairman of the Board, Gwertzman will play a critical role in advising modl.ai through its next phase of growth and development in the AI and games industry.
“I’m thrilled to join modl.ai’s world-class team of developers and researchers,” Gwertzman said. “Game development has always been at the cutting-edge of new tools and technologies, and this is especially true now with AI. As games and game teams continue to grow, and live events and updates become the norm, modern development practices become ever more critical to success. I look forward to supporting modl.ai in its exciting growth trajectory as it continues to build new partnerships and expand its suite of tools and services.”
Gwertzman has been an executive in the video game industry for over 20 years. Most recently he was a founding general partner for the A16Z Game Fund, where he helped raise $660 million to invest in game-related startups. At A16Z, he led five investments, including Voldex, a leading Roblox game publisher, and Snapser, a new game services startup.
“We are thrilled to have James take this leadership position on our board,” stated Christoffer Holmgård, CEO and co-founder of modl.ai. “His extensive experience in the games industry will bring invaluable insights and expertise to our company, helping us to navigate new challenges and seize opportunities. With his guidance, we are confident in our ability to drive innovation and achieve even greater success.”
Before joining A16Z, Gwertzman was the co-founder and CEO of PlayFab, a leading back-end gaming services provider that was acquired by Microsoft in 2018. At Microsoft, he led the Azure Gaming Cloud and provided game creators with advanced tools and services. He has worked professionally in Tokyo and Shanghai, where he established and managed the first Asian studio for PopCap Games. Gwertzman also founded and led two game studios, console developer Escape Factory and casual game developer Sprout Games.
