Description:
In this episode of The Builders Podcast, host Matt Levenhagen sits down with Yaakov Sash, founder and CEO of Novospir, to explore how game currency, social interactivity, and AI are coming together to reshape the gaming landscape. With roots in Wall Street and a deep background in digital asset technology, Yaakov shares his unique journey — from building trading systems at major financial institutions to launching massively multiplayer puzzle games that foster real community engagement.
Discover how Yaakov is reimagining monetization through portable game currencies, designing digital playgrounds for brands and nonprofits, and using AI to build in public. Whether you’re a gamer, a tech builder, or just curious about what’s next in digital experience design, this episode delivers powerful insights into the future of interactive systems.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- Game Currency as a Foundation: Yaakov shares how Novospir is reinventing in-game currencies to unlock new design possibilities and create economic value for both developers and players.
- Building Social-Driven Games: Multiplayer games can act as collaborative digital spaces—more like community playgrounds than solo challenges.
- Portable, Regulated Currencies: Novospir’s model allows players to move value across games without cashing out, creating continuity without complexity.
- Stack the Pixels & Brand Experiences: Learn how Yaakov’s platform allows communities to build digital tapestries together—unlocking trailers, prizes, or even brand-based virtual theme parks.
- AI-Powered Development: Hear how Yaakov is using AI tools to speed up development, reduce barriers for indie creators, and usher in a “rebirth” of what it means to be a developer.
- Wall Street Meets Gaming: Yaakov draws from his experience in fintech to explore how regulated digital currencies might scale beyond games—potentially reshaping how digital value moves across industries.
Yaakov Sash
Yaakov Sash is the founder and CEO of Novospir and the former Head of Digital Asset Markets Technology at Credit Suisse. At Novospir, he's pioneering the future of gaming through digital and non-digital game currencies. The company’s flagship release, Stack the Pixels, is a next-generation series of games showcasing breakthrough monetization, social gameplay, and massively multiplayer technology—from one player to millions.
Learn more at www.stackthepixels.com.
THE MEAT OF IT!
1. Yaakov’s Journey: From Wall Street to Gaming
- Early love for gaming and first self-coded game at age 10
- Programming for businesses as a teen
- Climbing the ranks in fintech and digital asset markets at Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse
- Transitioning from finance to full-time innovation in gaming
2. Reimagining Game Currency with Novospir
- Why traditional monetization limits innovation in game design
- Introducing Novospir’s portable, regulated currency model
- Solving monetization for free-to-play games
- Building economic value into game ecosystems without cash-out models
3. Social Gaming and Community Design
- The importance of games as a medium for conversation and connection
- Multiplayer puzzle games as virtual “theme parks” for communities and brands
- Creating collaborative goals and shared experiences through gaming
4. Stack the Pixels: A New Gaming Experience
- Overview of the Stack the Pixels brand and Daily Enigma puzzle game
- Vision for massively multiplayer games as community platforms
- Using games to unlock media content (e.g., trailers, prizes, red carpet access)
5. AI's Role in the Future of Development
- How AI is transforming game development workflows
- “The death (and rebirth) of the developer”
- Building games live using AI in public
- Implications for developers, educators, and creators across industries
6. The Bigger Vision: Digital Assets and the Utopian Playground
- Using gaming to explore broader financial infrastructure innovation
- The future of game currency as a gateway to digital economies
- A world where life itself becomes the game
Click to See Episode Chapters and Timestamp
| Timestamp | Summary |
| 1:58 | Exploring Business Innovation with Matt Levenhagen and Yakov Sash |
| 3:40 | Reimagining Game Currency and Social Gaming Experiences |
| 13:18 | From Programming Games to Banking and Digital Assets |
| 18:48 | Revolutionizing Finance with Regulated Digital Game Currency |
| 20:02 | Understanding Game Currency and Its Psychological Impact |
| 23:53 | Virtual Game Currency and AI Innovations in Business |
| 25:31 | Revolutionizing Game Currency for Better Player Value |
| 30:50 | Digital Rails and the Future of Wall Street Finance |
| 32:21 | Innovative Game Currency Unlocks New Gaming Experiences |
| 34:27 | Creating Community Through Collaborative Gaming Experiences |
| 44:32 | The Rebirth of Developers in the Age of AI |
| 49:58 | Building a Collaborative Virtual World for Brands and Gamers |
| 54:29 | AI Utopia: A World Transformed Into a Game |
| 56:44 | Building Community Through Creativity and Web Design |
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- Episode 228: Eli Tanzman- Cutting Edge Security: Catch AI, Cloud & App Risks Before They Go Live
- Episode 227: Dan Bennett – Hot Sauce & Hard Truths: Facing Fear, Playing the Hand Dealt & Rebranding
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