John Welch

John Welch is an accomplished product designer and a seasoned leader in the internet and mobile business industry.

Currently serving as the Chief Digital Officer at innovative biotech company Amyris, Inc. based in Emeryville, CA.

He is a co-founder and Chairman of the Board at Making Fun, Inc., specializing in developing and publishing mobile and PC games for digital platforms.

Before his involvement with Making Fun, John was a co-founder and CEO at PlayFirst, a prominent casual games publisher known for the highly popular 'Diner Dash' franchise, which has garnered a vast consumer base.

At PlayFirst, he spearheaded the vision, financing, strategic direction, and operations for the initial five years, and led the production of the first Diner Dash title – pioneering the full-service console publishing model for online games.

Prior to establishing PlayFirst, John played a pivotal role in elevating Shockwave.com to become one of the internet's premier entertainment hubs during his tenure as Vice President of Games and Product, contributing significantly to the early stages of digital entertainment distribution.

His earlier experiences include serving in leadership positions at the Dreamcast Network within SEGA and co-founding a software development consultancy. John commenced his professional journey at Andersen Consulting.

John Welch is an alumnus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, holding a S.B. in Mathematics with Computer Science, and furthered his education with a Master's in Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Actively engaged in the educational realm, he has been an Educational Counselor conducting interviews with aspiring MIT students since the late 90s.

A proactive member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), John fulfills officer roles within both the local YPO Golden Gate chapter and the regional YPO Pacific Region.

He is passionately supporting charitable causes, with a special inclination towards myAgro and the East Bay Agency for Children, encouraging others to extend their support to these organizations.