As the CEO of Pixelhunters, a global leader in 3D content, Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality, Metaverse, and game development, Dr. Ani Atanasova is well-versed in animation, 3D design, anamorphic content, and user interaction. With a Ph.D. in Quantum and Optoelectronics, she has been involved in research, teaching, and various patented projects in the EU pertaining to lasers, laser amplifiers, laser applications, and magnetic field management. She is on the advisory boards of several universities in the UAE and is the UAE correspondent for the Young Business Leaders France and chairwoman of the UAE Chapter of the International Game Developers Association.
Additionally, she has been a judge for the International Business Awards, Stevie Awards, and “A Design” Awards. Dr. Ani is also a frequent speaker at conferences focusing on technology, women’s leadership, AR/VR, innovation, game design, and gamification.
We recently got the chance to sit down with Dr. Ani to learn more about how she is leading Pixelhunters to exceed customer expectations by binding future technology to their accomplished artists’ visual imagination and knowledge.
“Pixelhunters is not just a business for me, but my life.” It is a label of love, not just because am passionate about the work, but also, I run the business with my husband Iliya Atanasov.
I came from a science background before Pixelhunters. The reason for shifting to the creative field is actually my husband. We are 24 years together; for him creating digital art is a passion, he started in the CGI field as a hobby that he turned into a profession. Almost 14 years ago, he convinced me that we could have an exciting journey with Pixelhunters, and thus the story begins.
We merged our interests, and expertise to build Pixelhunters. A lot of people are curious about the name – we hunt pixels to create beautiful things.
I am a very tenacious person that doesn’t give up easily at obstacles; my mission was and still is to make Pixelhunters a recognizable brand that stands out with quality that brings value to our customers. In the beginning, I had to learn fast about the industry, but I was motivated to introduce science into the art, which we successfully did.
