Samet is the Growth Therapist — because most app teams don’t need more tactics, they need someone to diagnose why they’re actually stuck. Based in Berlin, Samet consults and fractions for subscription apps and games on user acquisition, creative strategy, and the stuff nobody wants to talk about (like cashflow or focus).
In your own words, what’s your role in the app business right now?
I help app teams figure out why their growth is stuck — and it’s usually not what they think. Most teams come to me focused on campaign tactics, but the real blockers are often strategic: creative concepts that don’t connect emotionally, misunderstanding how Meta’s algorithm actually works, or ignoring cashflow realities of long payback periods. I’m part strategist, part therapist — hence the name.
How did you end up working in apps?
Hard work and luck got me an internship at Wooga in Berlin. I loved both.
What are you most excited about in apps right now?
The shifts happening with Meta’s Andromeda algorithm are genuinely fascinating. It’s changing how we think about 2026 advertising strategies. I’m also excited about the maturation of subscription app economics as a discipline. More teams are finally taking payback periods and financing seriously instead of just optimising for CPI. And honestly? The community. The mobile UA space has some of the sharpest, most generous people I’ve met in any industry.
Is there anyone you’d like to shout out to who has influenced your journey in the app industry?
Honestly, there are too many to name. I’d do someone an injustice by leaving them out. The mobile growth community has been incredibly generous with knowledge and support. If you want to see who’s shaped my thinking, follow me on LinkedIn and you’ll quickly spot who I’m learning from and engaging with.
What’s in your app tech stack?
Higgsfield for hooks, Segwise for creative analytics, SocialPeta and AppMagic for creative and app usage analytics.
What do you like most about working in apps?
The feedback loops are fast, and the data is rich. You can have an idea in the morning, test it by the afternoon, and know if it worked by the evening. Unlike a lot of marketing, you can actually attribute outcomes to actions. There’s something deeply satisfying about that level of clarity.
What one thing would you change about the app industry?
I’d want every growth team to have three brains working together: one which understands design, one which understands numbers, and one which understands the business. Let these people challenge each other and challenge the status quo. Too many teams are siloed or missing one of these perspectives entirely, and that’s when you get stuck.
If you weren’t working in apps what would you be doing?
Plant-based nutrition consultant or full-time visual artist.
iOS or Android?
Android.
What apps have been most useful to you over the last year?
LLMs, Libre 3 (for glucose monitoring), Headspace.
What’s on your Spotify playlist?
332 genres, according to my last annual wrap-up.
Is there anything else we should know about you?
I am less intimidating than in my photos. 😁
Do you know someone driving change and growth in the app industry? Nominate an app leader here.
