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Meet the team
building the game
The Founders
Manuela Vilieri
All-round sportswoman, River Plate fan and footballer at heart, Manu has always believed in what sport can teach us far beyond the pitch. Drawn to what education can make possible and an economist by training, she’s always had one foot in big ideas that can make a difference and the other firmly planted in how to make them work in the real world.
At Club Quest, those two worlds come together: the mindset she built through sport and the drive to turn it into something sustainable that can reach kids wherever they are to create opportunities for the next generation.
When she’s not plotting Club Quest’s growth, you’ll probably find her on a football or hockey pitch, padel court or on an outdoor adventure somewhere with friends and family, followed by a healthy meal (and probably another plan already brewing) at some cool place.
Ligia Toffoli Navarro
From a small town in Brazil to a life around the world, from M&A lawyer to corporate venture capitalist, Ligia’s made more than a few leaps into the unknown across countries, cultures and careers. Somewhere along those paths, she discovered she had a way of connecting people and ideas, and found her own way to trusting herself.
She’s pouring all that into creating the “global local” club: a space where kids feel they belong, wherever they are, and build some of the inner tools she wishes she’d had earlier to carry wherever life takes them. Her international crew of nieces and nephews makes the mission personal.
With a brain that rarely switches off, when Ligia closes the laptop, you’ll likely find her running to clear her head, getting lost in a book (or some random topic), or ending up in yet another corner of the world with friends and family.
Michael
Beall
US Marine turned award-winning game designer, Mike has focused his career reimagining what games can do beyond entertainment. At the helm of UW-Madison’s game-based learning studio, he led the creation of dozens of games that turn complex ideas into something people can actually experience: from astrophysics and neuroscience to empathy. His thing? Making the invisible visible.
At Club Quest, he’s putting all of that experience towards his biggest ambition yet: creating games that can make a difference in millions of kids’ lives. Starting with one very close to home: his son, a passionate soccer (or football) player and constant source of inspiration.
Away from Club Quest, Mike is usually in his workshop creating sculptures and all kinds of art, or diving down a rabbit hole about storytelling, consciousness, astronomy or whatever has sparked his curiosity.
The developers
German Salas
To German, a game isn't just code; it's a medium that leaves a lasting impression on whoever plays it. Driven by how games shaped him, he loves building experiences that can do the same for others.
His journey across development and entrepreneurship taught him to see a game from different sides. At Club Quest, he acts as the translator between design, business, and development to keep the team aligned. Away from the keyboard, he channels his creative energy into theater.
Franco Yudica
A programmer with a builder’s instinct, Franco thinks about how a game is put together underneath, how the pieces fit, and how to keep them from tangling as it grows. His mantra: build it so it scales.
At Club Quest, he’s taking the systems to the next level, refining the architecture to give the game a solid foundation as it evolves. And he balances technical rigor with the flexible, empathetic, and collaborative approach it takes to make that happen.
A globally recognized expert in innovative education, Dr. Groff has spent her career rethinking how and where learning happens, including through games and emerging technologies. From classrooms to leading research at MIT and the OECD, she bridges real-world practice and research to turn new ideas about education into something that actually works.
A pioneer of game-based learning, Dr. Squire’s research has helped establish why and how games can be effective spaces for learning. A professor at UC Irvine and published author, his work has reached hundreds of thousands of learners worldwide, with backing from the Gates Foundation, U.S. Department of Education and Microsoft.
Professor and director at UW–Madison, Lori is a global leader in education, equity and wellbeing, whose career has centred on improving the quality of life of children and women across different contexts. She’s contributed to initiatives with USAID and UNICEF, bringing decades of experience in creating better conditions for children and communities, with a local-to-global perspective.
A child psychologist and education expert with a doctorate from UCL, Vanna is an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society and lectures at Birkbeck University. Her work brings together child development, social-emotional learning and responsible gaming, helping shape digital experiences that are age-appropriate and support children as they grow and navigate the world around them.
An AI and machine learning specialist (and a gamer), Jenny has spent almost a decade building and scaling AI systems across startups and leading companies, including AWS, Google and Isomorphic Labs. Her approach is strongly shaped by questions of safety and governance, and how emerging technologies can be used thoughtfully and responsibly.
The advisors
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