Over the course of an hour, leaders and references of the gaming sector enter a hyperbaric chamber to reveal their stories, successes, failures, dreams, and aspirations, sharing the experiences and lessons they’ve learned along the way. They are hosted by Alexandre Tomic, the man who conceived Alea and decided to break away from the mold by launching this excellent podcast, ‘Under Pressure,’ which is causing a stir in the industry.
So far, the podcast has had three guests: Alex Pratt (Managing Director at Clarion Gaming), David Natroshvili (founder of Spribe), and Eman Pulis (founder of the SiGMA Group).
Regarding the success of the podcast, which has quickly accumulated more than 11,200 subscribers and surpassed 144,000 views, Tomic states: “I’m surprised by the numbers. I thought maybe a few hundred people would care about these deep conversations. I consider people starving for authenticity. They want to understand how someone survives rejections and dismissal and transforms that into an unstoppable drive. The industry was ready for something deeper, the real human experience of building something meaningful under extreme pressure.”
AN ORIGINAL IDEA UNDER EXCEPTIONAL CONDITIONS
The executive tells the idea came from realizing that the most powerful stories in the industry never get told at conferences. In the podcast, he doesn’t discuss issues with interviewees about products or strategies for gaming success. Instead, they have deep conversations about what actually drives human behavior. Those talks aren’t business case studies; they’re survival stories.
One of the most interesting aspects of The Under Pressure Podcast is that it literally takes place inside a hyperbaric chamber. He explains: “The hyperbaric chamber setting wasn’t planned initially, but when I thought about it, it made perfect sense. I spend hours in there myself. It’s where I do my deepest thinking, my recovery. There’s something about that environment that strips away the corporate talk. You’re in this pressurized space, it’s quiet, intimate. People can’t help but be real. It’s like when I do therapeutic work: you can’t hide from yourself.”
ON MEANINGS AND EXPLORATIONS
Industry representatives often seek to escape the work routine through various hobbies, whether it’s sports, collecting, or entertainment beyond gambling. Here, the podcast has become an obsession for Alexandre.
“It is where I express my fascination with human psychology. When I’m sitting with someone like David Natroshvili, from Spribe, I’m not just learning about his business journey. I’m studying how he builds genuine relationships, knowing where founders vacation, whether they’re married, and what drives them personally. What also fascinates me is watching how extreme pressure creates transformation,” he details.
The dialogues explore the essence of human beings: the impulses that drive decisions, the motivations for being pioneers, leaders, and opening new spaces for others. In this sense, Alexandre expresses: “I’m looking for those moments where everything could have collapsed, but they carried on anyway, and I’ve learned a lot. These are people I’ve known and admired for years but hearing them reflect with such honesty gives me even more respect. Every guest brings a different energy and a different lesson. I think there’s huge value in capturing that and sharing it, especially for the next generation entering this industry. There’s a lot of context and history that can be lost otherwise. These conversations reveal the consciousness behind the achievement. Not just what they built, but why did they make specific choices under pressure.”
HEALTH, WELLBEING, AND HELPING OTHERS
Of course, the podcast doesn’t take up all of Alexandre’s time. There’s also his particular approach to nutrition and his interest in research. About his habits, he says: “My whole life is basically one big human optimization experiment. I take around 100 supplements daily: magnesium, omega-3, vitamin D and K, creatine, ashwagandha, lion’s mane, cordyceps, NAD+, and blue methylene. I fast for 3-4 weeks at a time. People don’t believe me when I say I don’t eat.”
This personal philosophy was adapted and brought to the company. At Alea, they provide vegetarian food for everyone at only €1 for lunch. Besides, the office has a gym, sauna, ice bath, and the hyperbaric chamber. All employees get WHOOPs devices (fitness tracker that focuses on measuring recovery, effort, and sleep to optimize the user’s physical performance and overall well-being); there are professional trainers, and an in-house biohacker. The air is analyzed, and the team has access to glass-bottled volcanic water and fresh nuts.
Beyond health, recently, Tomic started funding psychedelic research for problematic gambling through a university study with war veterans who have gambling co-morbidities. They are giving them psilocybin truffles with therapy to see if it helps break addiction patterns.
On this subject, he mentions: “Sometimes, you have to try something new to break the cycle. Everything interconnects: wellness, consciousness, trauma healing, human optimization. It’s all one system, and business performance is just one expression of that deeper work.”
FOCUSING ON INNOVATION, INVESTMENT, AND THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
A tech entrepreneur and investor with a longstanding track record in the online gaming industry, Alexandre Tomic is the co-founder of Alea, a multi-award-winning game aggregator platform, and Vegas Legends, a next-gen social casino project. With over a decade of hands-on experience, from affiliate marketing to casino operations, Tomic has played a key role in shaping iGaming’s evolution.
Under his leadership, Alea became one of the most reliable and secure aggregation platforms in the market, offering over 16,000 games via a single API. In addition to his operational work, he actively promotes API governance and best practices across the industry. Today, he continues to focus on innovation, investment, and thought leadership through initiatives like The Under Pressure Podcast, where he interviews leading industry figures.
WHERE TO WATCH THE EPISODES OF ‘THE UNDER PRESSURE PODCAST’
YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@TheUnderPressure-Podcast
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/The-Under-Pressure-Podcast/dp/B0F18LHLCF
Apple
https://podcasts.apple.com/hn/podcast/the-under-pressure-podcast/id1805867647