Sonzai Labs - Program Management & Marketing Ops

Challenge

Sonzai Labs is an AI-driven gaming startup building multiple products simultaneously: Pocket Souls (an AI companion app) and TeleMafia (a Telegram-based social deduction game). With engineering, art, and product teams all sharing resources across both projects, the studio needed structured program management to keep delivery on track. On top of that, marketing operations for both games needed to be built from scratch.

My Role

I wear two hats at Sonzai Labs. As Program Manager, I lead cross-functional coordination across engineering, art, and product. As Marketing Operations Manager, I own the go-to-market execution for both titles.

What I Built

Program Management:

• Designed and implemented sprint processes, milestone tracking, and coordination systems across all teams
• Created structured workflows that give each team clear priorities without bottlenecking on me
• Drive timelines and delivery accountability for both concurrent projects
• Facilitate cross-team alignment so engineering, art, and product stay in sync

Marketing Operations:

• Built marketing operations from zero for 2 games across Telegram, App Store, and Play Store
• Manage user acquisition campaigns and engagement analytics across global markets
• Coordinate content creation, campaign scheduling, and performance reporting

Results

• Both games progressing through milestones with clear visibility across all stakeholders
• Marketing operations running across 4 platforms (Telegram, App Store, Play Store, web)
• Cross-functional teams operating with structured sprints and clear ownership
• Reduced ad hoc coordination overhead by establishing repeatable processes

Tools Used

Linear, Notion, Figma, Slack, Google Analytics, App Store Connect, Google Play Console