Our Story
The concept behind Whiznook came quite unexpectedly from educational games. Many schools use games to learn math, typing and other subjects. Being parents themselves, the founders of Whiznook found the gamification concept very intriguing — as you play a game you learn useful skills.
Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, adults stopped playing.
Research shows that learning and behavioral changes happen more organically and assimilate quicker when people are in a state of flow. A state of flow is achieved when there is a perfect balance between the challenge of a certain task and the joy we get from it. Playing is the best and most tried method of getting into a state of flow.
The gamified approach sparked an idea- why not make a game that helps teams to be stronger and better.
Playing is so integral in unleashing our creativity, improving our well-being, and increasing feelings of connection. Furthermore, it has been shown that most successful teams are not necessarily the most skillful but have the highest sense of connection and feeling of safety.
Challenges we face
Hardships of being in a toxic work environment
Stress and unreasonable demands at work put employees in an impossible position where their well-being is in conflict with fulfilling their ambitions. Whenever employees experience dysfunctional dynamic in the workplace it undoubtedly reduces their productivity and enthusiasm. Stressed-out employees are more prone to work-related accidents, suffering from depression and take more sick leave.
83% of US workers suffer from work-related stress.
Research shows that overworked and overstressed employees are less productive and can lead to a dysfunctional work culture. Quality of work can only flourish from individual and group well-being. It is no wonder then, that feelings of belonging and emotional safety are the most important factors of a successful team. The proven method of improving bonding and cohesion in any team is simple – playing.
Struggles with forming well-functioning teams.
Many companies are struggling with forming and sustaining well-functioning teams. With expertise in behavioral science and data analytics, Whiznook team deeply believes that every team can be successful in achieving their goals when they find harmony and utilize each other’s skills and talents in the most effective way. That’s how we roll.
Our Values
- We strive to improve upon the world by our actions
- Growth and learning is in our DNA
- We dream BIG and start small
- We find strength in human interconnectedness and vulnerability
- We discover new talents in each other
- We are passionate about our work
- We are accountable for our actions and decisions
- We create balance between our work and personal lives
- Humor is our sanity pill to deal with challenges and mistakes
See what it's all about
Schedule A Live Demo
at your convenience and our team will demonstrate how our team building game works.
Meet Our Team
At the foundation of our mission, we take pride and care in building a solid team that will support the growth and opportunities for Whiznook.
Anastasia Neddersen
CEO & Co-Founder
Anastasia Neddersen
Whiznook founder & 15-year-long serial entrepreneur Anastasia Neddersen has earned her badges in start up culture. Enough to see what it’s missing. While leveling up stats across the board in product development, high volume fundraising, and gamification she found her abyss: the lack of emotional intelligence in the modern work environment. She’s set on a journey to create accessible and fun games to help teams build stronger connections and become exceptional at achieving their goals. On her quest, she is fueled by joy, authenticity, and personal growth.
James Creasy
CTO & Co-Founder
James Creasy
Founder & CTO, James is an industry veteran and a part-time gear head. He’s dedicated his time to gaining XP in software product development and management. His main objective: delivering creative, high-quality products with a laser focus on customer experience. Equally important, is building companies that create leveled opportunities and positive outcomes for those involved. At Whiznook, James is combining these two passions to enable better workplace experiences for all of us.
Kimberly Kauer
Marketing Lead
Kimberly Kauer
Kimberly is a content creator, brand specialist, and community-builder with over 20 years of experience working in the social space. Kimberly was always the person talking in class, building community before it was a keyword. She has a background in journalism, and in addition to working as a reporter, she has previously worked for Rakuten/Ebates and on campaigns for Coca-Cola, Nintendo, Disney, Yahoo!, Stonyfield Yogurt, and more. Kimberly is known to get lost in Instagram Stories at least once a day.
David Dell'Agostino
UI/UX Designer
David Dell’Agostino
David is a user experience designer and strategist with over 20 years of agency, corporate, and marketing experience. He has designed a variety of products, from complex enterprise applications to award-winning social media campaigns, to robust ecommerce sites and medical device software. He is a strategic problems solver, effecting extendable solutions that synthesize requirements with expectations. Outside of work David is a mentor to aspiring designers and teaches user experience design for UC Berkeley Extension.
Harry Xiong
Behavioral Data Scientist
Harry Xiong
Harry hails from the world of computational sciences, having learned the trails of psychology and team onboarding. He has years of experience in lassoing large data sets and extracting meaningful behavioral insights from the numbers. He revels in formulating a real time strategy out of the data from your gameplay, so your team can be more successful while AFK. (Away from keyboard)
John Dobrota
Software Engineer
John Dobrota
John brings his experience as a full stack Software Engineer to Whiznook’s development team. In between taming bugs and pushing out new features, he spends his day helping Whiznook take one step closer in their goal – to revolutionize the way we instill mutual trust and friendship in our teams through games. In his free time, you can catch him playing tennis or salsa dancing the night away.
We're Ready, Let's Talk.
Contact Info
Our Location
Bay Area, CA United States
Email Us
info@whiznook.com
Call Us
+1 (408) 475 0522