# Sharan Shodhan

> Engineering Lead at Rec Room

Location: United States, United States
Profile: https://flows.cv/sharanshodhan

Engineering leader with 14+ years of experience building and scaling high-impact consumer products across mobile, VR, and multi-platform ecosystems. Deep expertise in consumer systems, UI/UX, client-side architecture, and discovery platforms, with a strong track record of rapid prototyping and owning problems end-to-end across 0–1 and 1–10 phases. Strong background in object-oriented design, system architecture, data-driven experimentation, and cross-functional collaboration, delivering end-to-end solutions from concept to production.

Currently an Engineering Lead at Rec Room, leading discovery, experimentation systems, and AI product bets supporting millions of users across mobile and immersive platforms. Known for high-velocity execution, wearing multiple hats across architecture, prototyping, and delivery, and leading cross-functional initiatives spanning product, design, data, and platform teams. Trusted owner of P0 initiatives, including server-driven feature platforms, high-velocity experimentation frameworks, and discovery systems that enable rapid iteration, safe rollouts, and measurable gains in engagement and retention.

Previously led engineering for flagship consumer and educational products at Osmo and Joyride Games, spanning subscription platforms, computer vision- and ML-integrated experiences, and shared client frameworks powering multiple games. Experience also includes early-stage startups – including co-founding a mobile product company, leading development of personalized K–12 learning systems with deep analytics, and shipping 10+ educational games reaching over 1M users worldwide.

Research background includes published work at ACM CHI focused on experimentation, optimization, and learning systems. Consistently focused on durable architecture, fast learning loops, and clear business impact.

## Work Experience
### Engineering Lead @ Rec Room
Jan 2023 – Present | San Francisco, CA
- Owner for discovery, experimentation systems, and AI-driven product initiatives supporting 5M+ MAU across mobile and immersive platforms.
- Built Roomie from the ground up – an AI-powered companion experience – owning the system from early prototyping through production launch and iteration, driving 60% payer adoption and 50% M1 retention.
- Led client-side architecture and server-driven systems enabling rapid experimentation, controlled rollouts, and data-informed iteration at scale.
- Built and evolved experimentation and discovery platforms used by 30+ engineers, supporting 4–5 experiments per week and 150+ experiments overall.
- Drove execution across 0–1 and 1–10 initiatives, improving engagement, retention, and learning velocity across consumer surfaces.
- Worked closely with product, design, data, and platform teams to align technical decisions with product goals.
- Regularly staffed on high-priority initiatives requiring clarity under ambiguity, strong ownership, and reliable delivery.

### Game Engineering Lead @ Osmo
Jan 2021 – Jan 2023 | Palo Alto, CA
- Engineering lead for Reading Adventure, a flagship subscription-based learn-to-read product used by millions of learners globally.
- Owned client-side architecture, delivery planning, and code quality across 20+ engineers and external studios in Chile and India.
- Coordinated closely with computer vision and speech recognition teams to integrate ML-driven features while maintaining performance, stability, and release cadence.
- Balanced rapid iteration with long-term maintainability for a consumer education platform operating at scale.

### Engineering Lead @ Joyride Games
Jan 2021 – Jan 2021 | San Francisco, CA
- Led Unity client-side architecture and shared frameworks enabling rapid development and launch of multiple games from a common foundation.
- Managed and mentored engineers across teams in the United States and India.
- Took Tennis Champs from concept to launch as a multi-platform mobile title, shipping to app stores in India and the United States.
- Focused on developer velocity, scalable architecture, and efficient execution.

### Engineering Lead @ Tonk Tonk Games
Jan 2019 – Jan 2021 | Austin, Texas
- Led client-side development for uFighter and uDancer, supporting a multi-million-player consumer ecosystem.
- Built and owned core Unity systems including complex UI frameworks, editor tools, native iOS plugins, combat systems, and a custom camera framework.
- Grew from senior IC to engineering lead, setting technical direction and supporting globally distributed teams.
- Partnered closely with leadership to evolve shared platforms and improve long-term maintainability post-acquisition.

### Software Engineer in Games @ Osmo
Jan 2018 – Jan 2019 | Palo Alto
- Engineering lead on three Disney-licensed Super Studio titles, enabling interactive, creative experiences for children.
- Built shared infrastructure and optimized cross-platform performance across iOS, iPadOS, and Amazon Fire tablets.
- Developed custom Unity editor tools to streamline content creation workflows and integrated Spine-based animation pipelines.
- Worked with Unity Timelines and Unit Tests to improve reliability and iteration speed.

### Software Engineer Intern @ Osmo
Jan 2017 – Jan 2017 | San Francisco Bay Area
- Contributed to six projects in three months with meaningful ownership and delivery.
- Built an SDK enabling external developers to create games using Osmo’s proprietary computer vision platform.
- Worked on shared Unity-based infrastructure supporting multiple consumer products.

### Lead Developer @ Teal Labs
Jan 2016 – Jan 2016 | Ahmedabad, India
- Led development of a personalized K–12 learning platform combining technology, pedagogy, and analytics.
- Built systems enabling customized content delivery tailored to individual student needs and interests.
- Designed analytics pipelines to measure learning outcomes and inform continuous product improvement.
- Focused on personalization, experimentation, and engagement in an education-first environment.

### Co-Founder and Lead Mobile Developer @ Dekorate Solutions Pvt Ltd
Jan 2015 – Jan 2015 | Gurugram
- Co-founded a mobile-first interior design platform focused on simplifying and structuring the design experience.
- Led end-to-end development of native iOS and Android applications, shipping to market within three months.
- Built and managed a 20-person interdisciplinary team across engineering, design, and operations.

### Senior Game Developer @ Playpower Labs
Jan 2012 – Jan 2015
- Core engineer responsible for mobile development across 12+ educational games, including Math Planet.
- Shipped products to iOS, Android, and Amazon Appstore using a shared cross-platform engine.
- Helped deliver learning-focused games reaching 1M+ users globally, blending learning science with engaging gameplay.

### Research Scholar @ Carnegie Mellon University
Jan 2013 – Jan 2013 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Conducted research on improving number sense and number concepts for children aged 6–12.
- Built experimental infrastructure to systematically vary game parameters and measure learning impact.
- Developed a design optimization framework enabling experimentation to be embedded directly into game design workflows.
- Contributed to published research at ACM CHI focused on experimentation, optimization, and learning systems.


## Education
### Masters in Entertainment Technology
Carnegie Mellon University

### Bachelor of Technology (BTech) in ICT
Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology (DA-IICT)


## Contact & Social
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sharanshodhan
- Portfolio: https://www.sharanshodhan.com

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Source: https://flows.cv/sharanshodhan
JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/sharanshodhan/resume.json
Last updated: 2026-04-11