Ep. 190: Inside the Retention Shift w/ Irakli “Marcus” Davarashvili from Promofy

Ep. 190 features Irakli “Marcus” Davarashvili, Founder & CEO of Promofy, for a deep dive into the global rise of AI-powered gamification and how operators are rethinking loyalty, engagement, and retention.

Hear him discuss:

• His 13-year journey across advertising, brand building, and iGaming leadership and how operational pain points at scale inspired him to build Promofy

• What Promofy is: an AI-driven, no-code gamification platform that lets operators launch loyalty systems, missions, sports predictors, prize drops, kiosks, and full-page engagement experiences in minutes

• How Promofy’s rapid traction and product innovation led to winning “Launch of the Year” at the Starties, and why that recognition validated the team’s vision and executio

• Why global operators misunderstand “gamification,” and how true gamified ecosystems differ from simple bonuses, cashbacks, and tournament

• The massive market shift away from bonus-led retention to personalized and behavior-driven engagemen

• Regional adoption trends across LATAM, Europe, Asia, CIS, and North America plus why gamification is becoming “must-have” instead of “nice-to-have

• How Promofy differentiates itself with AI design tools, content generators, sports prediction engines, casino loyalty, and a full library of mechanics that operators can test and optimiz

• The challenges and realities of fundraising as a first-time founder, why saying “yes” and “no” matter equally, and what kinds of investors Promofy is seeking today

• The transition from operator to entrepreneur expectations vs. reality, resilience, failure tolerance, and why agility is a survival skil

• Why 2026 will be a breakout year driven by global expansion, new product launches, and massive demand heading into the World Cup

Catch the video version of this episode here.

Learn more 👇

➡️ Promofy website

➡️ Irakli Davarashvili on Linkedin

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This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.