Why this persona fits the audience
He is the founder of a small mobile gaming app startup in Stockholm with exactly three people total: him, one Unity developer, and one artist-community lead. The team is already in market, and he spends most of his time on product metrics and user acquisition.
- Age: 27
- Location: Stockholm, Sweden
- Occupation: Founder/CEO
- Income: SEK 55k draw, equity-heavy
- Education: B.Sc. Media Technology
- Company size: 3
- Years in role: 2
“Every data point is a conversation; you just have to listen hard enough to hear what the players are trying to tell you.”
Kjell Dahlberg grew up in a middle-class family in Uppsala, Sweden, developing a passion for video games early on. His academic path led him to a B.Sc. in Media Technology at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), where he met Elias and Sofia. During his studies, he gravitated towards the intersection of design, technology, and user psychology, fueled by late-night gaming sessions and a growing interest in indie game development. Upon graduation, instead of pursuing traditional employment, he convinced Elias and Sofia to pool their limited savings and start PixelPioneers, focusing on a hyper-casual mobile game with a unique artistic style. Two years into their venture, they've launched their first title, which shows promise but requires constant optimization. Kjell draws a modest SEK 55k monthly draw, a figure carefully managed to keep the company afloat, with the bulk of his personal wealth tied up in equity. He’s driven by a desire for autonomy and the challenge of building something from scratch, viewing status not in material wealth but in the impact and recognition of his creation. He recently decided to pivot their marketing strategy from broad social media ads to more targeted influencer outreach after seeing diminishing returns on the former. He also pushed for a significant UI simplification based on early user retention data, a decision that sparked some debate but ultimately aligned with his data-centric approach.
Background & daily life
A day in their life
Kjell’s alarm jolts him awake at 7:00 AM. After a quick coffee and scanning industry headlines on his phone, he heads to the small co-working space they rent. The morning is spent in back-to-back calls: a quick sync with Elias on build issues, a deeper dive into analytics dashboards, and a strategy session with Sofia about upcoming community engagement. Lunch is often a quick sandwich eaten at his desk while reviewing user feedback logs. The afternoon is dedicated to user acquisition: optimizing ad campaigns, exploring new platform placements, and drafting pitches for potential investors. He typically leaves around 7:00 PM, stopping by the grocery store for dinner ingredients, often eating while watching a Twitch stream or reviewing one more data report before calling it a night.
Lifestyle
Kjell’s life revolves around his startup. He lives in a compact Södermalm apartment, prioritizing function over luxury. His days are structured around work, often stretching late into the evenings. Weekends offer a slight reprieve; he might catch up with a few close friends for a casual beer or hit the badminton court for a quick game to de-stress. He's not overly concerned with material possessions, his income primarily funding essential living costs and reinvesting into the company. He occasionally splurges on a new gaming peripheral or a ticket to a local esports event. His social life is a small but tight-knit group, mostly composed of friends from university who understand the startup grind.
Work life
As CEO of 'PixelPioneers', Kjell is the strategic engine. His days are a blur of analyzing user engagement funnels, A/B testing onboarding flows, and poring over acquisition cost data. He directs the product roadmap based on these metrics, constantly pushing for rapid iteration. His two co-founders, Elias (Unity dev) and Sofia (artist/community lead), are his core team. He trusts their expertise but feels the pressure to shield them from the most intense business realities. He spends hours researching new user acquisition channels, from social media ad platforms to niche gaming forums, always looking for that next scalable growth hack. The constant need to prove market traction weighs heavily.
Relationships
His closest relationships are with his co-founders, Elias and Sofia, with whom he shares an intense, collaborative bond forged by the startup's challenges. He maintains contact with a few university friends, often discussing work struggles. His parents are supportive but don't fully grasp the startup world's volatility. He occasionally seeks advice from a former professor who runs a successful tech company.
How they decide
Kjell is a data-driven decision-maker, heavily reliant on metrics and user behavior analysis. He favors rapid experimentation and is willing to pivot quickly based on results. While he values Elias's and Sofia's input, the final call on strategic direction rests with him, often made after synthesizing available data and his own intuition about market trends.
How they sound
Speaks with a clear, slightly fast-paced cadence, often using technical jargon related to gaming and analytics. Tends to be direct and avoids excessive pleasantries when discussing work. May use some mild English slang picked up from gaming communities. He’s enthusiastic when talking about game mechanics or positive user metrics, but can become more reserved and measured when discussing financial pressures or future uncertainties. He dislikes overly 'salesy' language.
Personality traits
- Analytical
- Driven
- Resourceful
- Slightly impatient
- Pragmatic
- Enthusiastic (about his project)
- Direct
- Adaptable
Goals
- Achieve profitability within the next 18 months
- Secure seed funding to expand the team
- Build a recognizable brand in the indie mobile gaming space
- Maintain team morale and foster a positive work environment
- Develop a game that genuinely resonates with players
Problems & frictions
- Limited marketing budget makes user acquisition highly competitive
- Balancing rapid development cycles with bug fixing and polish
- Finding the right balance between user feedback and his own product vision
- The immense pressure of sole responsibility for the company's survival
- Attracting and retaining talent with limited resources compared to larger studios
Values
- playfulness
- iteration
- independence
- candor
- growth
Interests
- gaming
- esports
- design
- badminton
- indie music
- scandinavian crime dramas
Media habits
- Listens to tech and gaming podcasts during commutes
- Skims industry news sites (e.g., GamesIndustry.biz, TechCrunch)
- Watches Twitch streams for esports and game development insights
- Reads Reddit for user feedback and gaming community trends
- Occasional YouTube deep dives on game design theory