Available for Work

Luc Smits

Game designer who got hooked on VR therapy. I spend my days building software that helps patients recover — and my evenings playing everything I can get my hands on. The two aren't that different.

5+ Years Experience
4+ Products Released
Cups of Coffee

Technical Designer & Producer

I started in game design, taught myself to code, and accidentally became the person who runs the dev team. Shipped on everything from Nintendo Switch to medical VR headsets. Each platform has its quirks, and honestly? Figuring those out is half the fun.

PC
VR Headsets
Nintendo Switch
PlayStation

Off the clock, I'm still playing games — can't turn off the designer brain. Every menu, every feedback loop, every "wait, why did they do it that way?" goes into the mental library. It's a blessing and a curse.

Featured Projects

A selection of work that showcases my experience in VR therapy, game design, and technical production.

CUREO

CUREO — VR Therapy Software

A gamified, VR-Based therapy solution containing over 25 different therapy applications for ergo & physiotherapy.

Unreal Engine 4 & 5 / Meta Quest / PICO

MUSCLY

Muscle Magic

Local party game where Muscly Wizards fight to be the last wizard standing.

Unreal Engine 4 / Nintendo Switch / Steam

RACER

Physics Racing

Physics-based racing game in a custom engine for PS4.

Custom Engine / PlayStation 4

5+ Years Experience

Feb 2022 - Present
CUREOsity GmbH
Head of Software

Running the dev team at CUREOsity, shipping VR therapy software across Meta Quest and PICO. Three major releases, 25+ therapy apps, and a lot of arguments about frame rates. Game design meets healthcare: it's exactly as weird and rewarding as it sounds.

Aug 2020 - Feb 2022
CUREOsity GmbH
Technical Designer

I lead development for multiple gamified therapy applications for CUREO. I collaborated with both internal and external therapists to create prototypes, design documentation based on medical requirements.

Mar 2020 - Aug 2020
CUREOsity GmbH
Intern Technical Designer

I helped develop multiple gamified therapy applications for CUREO. Additionally, I analyzed existing production processes and implemented improvements to both the concepting and Jira processes.

Sep 2019 - Feb 2020
Motek Medical B.V.
Intern Technical Designer

Designed, pitched and developed a potential gamified therapy application for the MOTEK Ryzen walking robot. Used Unity, HTC Vive and an overhead projector to create walking training.

Want to Build Something?

Got a VR project? A game that needs shipping? Drop me a line — worst case we'll nerd out about game design for a bit.

Product Leadership

I turn game design instincts into healthcare products that actually ship

Started as a game designer, now I run a dev team building VR therapy software. Turns out making games taught me everything about keeping scope tight, teams motivated, and users happy.

01 / About

I speak fluent Developer, Designer, and Boardroom

The honest version: I'm a game designer who learned to code, then learned to manage, then learned to talk to doctors. Now I translate between all of them.

I run the dev team at CUREOsity — 8 people building VR therapy software that actually helps patients move again. My job is keeping everyone aligned: our therapists who know what works clinically, our engineers who know what's possible technically, and our business side who knows what keeps the lights on.

Before this, I was the person in the room who could explain why the designer's vision would take six months to build, or why the engineer's "quick fix" would break three other things. Turns out that skill scales. 50+ shipped products later, I still get excited when a patient tells us the therapy actually helped.

  • Turning vague requirements into actual shipped features
  • Keeping 8 developers and 40 stakeholders on the same page
  • Explaining technical constraints without the jargon
  • Making Jira bearable (yes, really)
  • Shipping on VR, console, and PC without losing my mind
  • Cutting scope before it cuts us
Current Role
Head of Software
Leading product development at CUREOsity GmbH, managing team of 8 developers
Industry Focus
Healthcare Tech, VR/AR, Gaming
Where "move fast and break things" meets "please don't break the medical device"
Technical Stack
Unreal Engine, Multi-Platform
Shipped products on Meta Quest, HTC Vive, PICO, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, PC
Tools
Jira, Confluence, Linear
The person who actually keeps the boards updated
02 / Work

Product leadership in complex domains

Selected case studies demonstrating strategic thinking, cross-functional coordination, and measurable business impact.

Project Screenshot

CUREO — VR Therapy Software

Head of Software · 2022 - Present

Led the team that builds CUREO (a modular VR therapy product with 25+ applications). Helped grow the platform from fewer than 5 apps to over 25, led design on most features and systems, and built a scalable product now used in 100+ clinics worldwide.

Company
CUREOsity GmbH
Platforms
Meta Quest, PICO, Unreal Engine, Perforce, Jenkins
Team Size
9 direct reports

Context

CUREO started small: a handful of therapy apps running in a few clinics. The business wanted to scale, tackle new target audiences (Parkinson's, stroke) and offer better therapy options. We also wanted to improve clinic efficiency with features like the training plan (automating therapy sessions) and the group system (conducting therapy for multiple patients simultaneously). The product wasn't built for any of that. We needed more apps, more modularity, and a system that could grow without each new module being a special case. On top of that, every change had to comply with ISO 13485 medical device regulations.

Strategy

My role was product management: deciding what to build, in what order, and making sure it was specced well enough that engineers could build it modularly. I structured the team, mentored developers, and introduced processes that made prioritization transparent. On the design side, I led most application and feature designs, working directly with therapists to define what each module needed to do.

Execution

Ran a 9-person team across development, design, art, and UI. Grew the CUREO library from fewer than 5 to over 25 applications, each designed for specific therapy use cases. Managed stakeholders across both internal (management, medical leads) and external (therapists, clinic administrators, customers). The product now runs in 100+ clinics and practices worldwide.

25+
Therapy Applications
100+
Clinics Worldwide
8
Direct Reports
Project Screenshot

Process & Team Transformation

Head of Software · 2022 - Present

A startup scaling rapidly with people moving into unknown territory. I built the delivery systems from scratch (development processes, traceability, CI/CD automation) and managed the tech debt that comes with growing fast.

Company
CUREOsity GmbH
Platforms
Jira, Jenkins, Confluence, Python
Team Size
40-person organization

Context

Startup growing fast. People stepped into new roles, took on things nobody had done before, and tech debt piled up. We wanted to ship more, but the processes hadn't kept up: knowledge lived in people's heads, new hires took months to get up to speed, and there was zero traceability across the development pipeline.

Strategy

Built proper development processes from the ground up. Perforce for version control, Jira workflows with bug criticality systems, stand-ups, documentation standards, and technical software requirements for traceability. Mentored team members into leading their own projects and features (ownership with quality). On the CI/CD side: if something slows us down (slow builds, manual test loops, fragile deployments), I fix it.

Execution

Got buy-in from stakeholders across clinical, ops, and business (internal management and external partners). CI/CD automation improved build and testing throughput by 150%, so engineers could iterate faster and catch issues earlier. Grew the team from 5 to 8 developers during the transition without losing velocity. The process framework became the foundation for everything we shipped after.

150%
Faster Build & Test Cycles
3x
Product Portfolio Growth
Project Screenshot

Shipping Across Platforms

Game Designer · 2019 - 2022

Designed and shipped individual game titles across Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and PC. At CUREOsity, helped lead the port of CUREO from Meta Quest to PICO (adding VR as another platform in the mix).

Company
Various
Platforms
Switch, PS4, PC, Meta Quest, PICO
Team Size
Multiple titles

Context

Each platform (Nintendo, Sony, Steam, Meta, PICO) has its own technical constraints, submission requirements, and timelines. As a game designer, I worked across all of them, adapting designs to each platform's strengths and limitations. Later at CUREOsity, the challenge shifted to VR: porting CUREO from Meta Quest to PICO meant rethinking interaction models and performance targets for different hardware.

Strategy

Designed with platform constraints in mind from day one rather than retrofitting. On the gaming side, this meant understanding each platform's controller schemes, performance budgets, and UX conventions. On the VR side, leading the PICO port meant auditing every interaction, shader, and performance path to work on different hardware without degrading the therapy experience.

Execution

Shipped individual titles across Switch, PS4, and PC as a game designer: handling level design, interaction systems, and platform-specific adaptations. At CUREOsity, helped lead the Meta Quest to PICO port, expanding CUREO's reach to a new VR platform and opening up additional markets.

5
Platforms Shipped
4
Titles Delivered
Meta Quest to PICO Port
03 / Experience

Career progression

Feb 2022 - Present

CUREOsity GmbH

Head of Software

Run a 9-person team shipping VR therapy software. Own the roadmap, sprint cadence, and stakeholder relationships (which means translating between therapists who want features and engineers who want clean architecture). Grew CUREO from fewer than 5 to 25+ apps, now in 100+ clinics.

Aug 2020 - Feb 2022

CUREOsity GmbH

Technical Designer

Turned medical requirements into things engineers could actually build. Worked directly with therapists to prototype therapy apps, wrote the specs, and started fixing the production processes that were slowing everyone down.

Mar 2020 - Aug 2020

CUREOsity GmbH

Intern Technical Designer

Built therapy apps and audited how the team actually worked. Redesigned the concepting pipeline and cleaned up the Jira setup (first taste of process improvement).

Sep 2019 - Feb 2020

Motek Medical B.V.

Intern Technical Designer

Designed and pitched a gamified walking rehabilitation app for the MOTEK Ryzen robot. Built the prototype in Unity with HTC Vive and an overhead projector: scrappy, but it worked.

Got a product that needs shipping?

I'm looking for product roles where I can do what I do best: keep teams aligned, keep scope sane, and keep patients (or players) happy. Bonus points if there's VR involved.

Product Leadership

Building products where execution complexity meets real-world impact

I lead product development in high-stakes, high-complexity environments — healthcare tech, multi-platform gaming, and developer tools. Six years of managing cross-functional teams, navigating regulatory constraints, and delivering outcomes that matter to users and businesses alike.

TPM proof 8-person team 40+ stakeholders 50+ clinic deployments 3 major releases 100% cert pass rate
About

Leading products in high-stakes, high-complexity environments

Six years building products where failure has consequences — clinical, regulatory, and commercial. I translate between engineers, designers, therapists, and executives to keep everyone aligned on outcomes that matter.

As Head of Software at CUREOsity, I manage an 8-person multi-disciplinary team building VR therapy applications deployed across 50+ clinics. My background combines the velocity of game development with the discipline of regulated healthcare — learning to ship iteratively while navigating medical device compliance, clinical validation, and diverse stakeholder needs.

Game development taught me to scope ruthlessly and communicate trade-offs transparently. Healthcare tech taught me to navigate regulatory constraints and balance innovation with evidence-based outcomes. This combination means I can move fast in complex environments without breaking things that matter — whether that's patient safety, stakeholder trust, or team morale.

  • Translating requirements into actionable development plans
  • Coordinating multi-disciplinary teams and 40+ stakeholders
  • Communicating technical constraints to non-technical audiences
  • Implementing agile processes that teams actually use
  • Managing multi-platform releases across VR, console, and PC
  • Scope management and prioritization under pressure
Current Role
Head of Software
Leading product development at CUREOsity GmbH, managing a team of 8
Industries
Healthcare Tech, Gaming, Developer Tools
Regulated product development in stakeholder-heavy environments
Specialization
Regulated Product Development
Medical device compliance, multi-platform strategy, cross-functional leadership
Product Management Tools
Jira, Confluence, Linear
Process design and workflow optimization for cross-functional teams
Work

Product leadership in complex domains

Selected case studies demonstrating strategic thinking, cross-functional coordination, and measurable business impact.

CUREOsity GmbH · Meta Quest, PICO, Unreal Engine, Perforce, Jenkins · 9 direct reports team

CUREO — VR Therapy Software

Head of Software · 2022 - Present

25+ Therapy Applications
The gist

Led the team that builds CUREO (a modular VR therapy product with 25+ applications). Helped grow the platform from fewer than 5 apps to over 25, led design on most features and systems, and built a scalable product now used in 100+ clinics worldwide.

Read the full story
01

The Challenge

CUREO started small: a handful of therapy apps running in a few clinics. The business wanted to scale, tackle new target audiences (Parkinson's, stroke) and offer better therapy options. We also wanted to improve clinic efficiency with features like the training plan (automating therapy sessions) and the group system (conducting therapy for multiple patients simultaneously). The product wasn't built for any of that. We needed more apps, more modularity, and a system that could grow without each new module being a special case. On top of that, every change had to comply with ISO 13485 medical device regulations.

02

The Approach

My role was product management: deciding what to build, in what order, and making sure it was specced well enough that engineers could build it modularly. I structured the team, mentored developers, and introduced processes that made prioritization transparent. On the design side, I led most application and feature designs, working directly with therapists to define what each module needed to do.

03

The Outcome

Ran a 9-person team across development, design, art, and UI. Grew the CUREO library from fewer than 5 to over 25 applications, each designed for specific therapy use cases. Managed stakeholders across both internal (management, medical leads) and external (therapists, clinic administrators, customers). The product now runs in 100+ clinics and practices worldwide.

04

TPM Artifacts

  • Release milestones & clinical validation gates
  • RAID log for regulatory and clinical risks
  • Stakeholder map (therapists, clinics, regulators)
  • Decision log for scope vs. compliance trade-offs
  • Launch plan + rollout checklist
  • Weekly stakeholder comms cadence
25+
Therapy Applications
100+
Clinics Worldwide
8
Direct Reports
CUREOsity GmbH · Jira, Jenkins, Confluence, Python · 40-person organization team

Process & Team Transformation

Head of Software · 2022 - Present

150% Faster Build & Test Cycles
The gist

A startup scaling rapidly with people moving into unknown territory. I built the delivery systems from scratch (development processes, traceability, CI/CD automation) and managed the tech debt that comes with growing fast.

Read the full story
01

The Challenge

Startup growing fast. People stepped into new roles, took on things nobody had done before, and tech debt piled up. We wanted to ship more, but the processes hadn't kept up: knowledge lived in people's heads, new hires took months to get up to speed, and there was zero traceability across the development pipeline.

02

The Approach

Built proper development processes from the ground up. Perforce for version control, Jira workflows with bug criticality systems, stand-ups, documentation standards, and technical software requirements for traceability. Mentored team members into leading their own projects and features (ownership with quality). On the CI/CD side: if something slows us down (slow builds, manual test loops, fragile deployments), I fix it.

03

The Outcome

Got buy-in from stakeholders across clinical, ops, and business (internal management and external partners). CI/CD automation improved build and testing throughput by 150%, so engineers could iterate faster and catch issues earlier. Grew the team from 5 to 8 developers during the transition without losing velocity. The process framework became the foundation for everything we shipped after.

04

TPM Artifacts

  • Program milestone plan & delivery calendar
  • RAID log for schedule and resourcing risks
  • RACI for product/clinical/engineering ownership
  • Weekly status reports + executive readouts
  • Decision log for prioritization trade-offs
  • Postmortem template for missed commitments
150%
Faster Build & Test Cycles
3x
Product Portfolio Growth
Various · Switch, PS4, PC, Meta Quest, PICO · Multiple titles team

Shipping Across Platforms

Game Designer · 2019 - 2022

5 Platforms Shipped
The gist

Designed and shipped individual game titles across Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and PC. At CUREOsity, helped lead the port of CUREO from Meta Quest to PICO (adding VR as another platform in the mix).

Read the full story
01

The Challenge

Each platform (Nintendo, Sony, Steam, Meta, PICO) has its own technical constraints, submission requirements, and timelines. As a game designer, I worked across all of them, adapting designs to each platform's strengths and limitations. Later at CUREOsity, the challenge shifted to VR: porting CUREO from Meta Quest to PICO meant rethinking interaction models and performance targets for different hardware.

02

The Approach

Designed with platform constraints in mind from day one rather than retrofitting. On the gaming side, this meant understanding each platform's controller schemes, performance budgets, and UX conventions. On the VR side, leading the PICO port meant auditing every interaction, shader, and performance path to work on different hardware without degrading the therapy experience.

03

The Outcome

Shipped individual titles across Switch, PS4, and PC as a game designer: handling level design, interaction systems, and platform-specific adaptations. At CUREOsity, helped lead the Meta Quest to PICO port, expanding CUREO's reach to a new VR platform and opening up additional markets.

04

TPM Artifacts

  • Cross-platform dependency map
  • Platform-specific design guidelines
  • Launch plan with platform milestones
  • External partner comms cadence
  • Decision log for scope parity trade-offs
5
Platforms Shipped
4
Titles Delivered
Meta Quest to PICO Port
Approach

How I lead products

Product leadership principles developed through six years of shipping in high-stakes, high-complexity environments.

01

User evidence over stakeholder opinions

I prioritize direct user feedback and behavioral data over internal assumptions. When therapists request features, I ask: "What patient outcome are we trying to improve?" When executives want capabilities, I validate demand with users first. Strong opinions, loosely held — but always grounded in evidence.

02

Ruthless prioritization

Not everything that matters gets built. I defend team focus against scope creep by maintaining a clear "not now" list and communicating trade-offs transparently. The hardest part of product leadership isn't saying yes — it's saying no to good ideas so great ideas have room to breathe.

03

Transparent trade-offs

I document why we said no to features, not just what we shipped. Every roadmap decision involves trade-offs — performance vs. features, time-to-market vs. polish, innovation vs. stability. I make these visible to stakeholders so they understand the constraints we're navigating, not just the outcomes we're delivering.

04

Systems over heroes

I build processes that work when I'm not in the room. Documentation, retrospectives, and standardized workflows aren't bureaucracy — they're how teams scale without chaos. When a crisis hits, we don't need heroics. We need systems that prevent the crisis from happening in the first place.

In Practice

When we faced pressure to ship a high-profile VR therapy app in half the original timeline, I didn't just push the team harder. I convened stakeholders, presented three options with clear trade-offs (scope, quality, timeline — pick two), and documented the decision rationale. We cut 40% of planned features, shipped on time with zero critical bugs, and used the "not now" list as the roadmap for v2. Therapists appreciated the transparency more than the feature set.

Experience

Career progression

Feb 2022 - Present

CUREOsity GmbH

Head of Software

Run a 9-person team shipping VR therapy software. Own the roadmap, sprint cadence, and stakeholder relationships (which means translating between therapists who want features and engineers who want clean architecture). Grew CUREO from fewer than 5 to 25+ apps, now in 100+ clinics.

Aug 2020 - Feb 2022

CUREOsity GmbH

Technical Designer

Turned medical requirements into things engineers could actually build. Worked directly with therapists to prototype therapy apps, wrote the specs, and started fixing the production processes that were slowing everyone down.

Mar 2020 - Aug 2020

CUREOsity GmbH

Intern Technical Designer

Built therapy apps and audited how the team actually worked. Redesigned the concepting pipeline and cleaned up the Jira setup (first taste of process improvement).

Sep 2019 - Feb 2020

Motek Medical B.V.

Intern Technical Designer

Designed and pitched a gamified walking rehabilitation app for the MOTEK Ryzen robot. Built the prototype in Unity with HTC Vive and an overhead projector: scrappy, but it worked.

Let's talk about your next product challenge

I'm interested in product leadership roles where I can apply my experience leading products in regulated industries, managing cross-functional teams in healthcare tech, and bridging technical depth with business outcomes. Happy to discuss how I might help your team deliver.

Resume Contact
Portfolio 2026 Open to opportunities
Luc
SMITS
Technical Product Manager
I build the systems that make products ship.
25+
Apps Built
100+
Clients Worldwide
5
Platforms Shipped
9
Direct Reports
01 About

Who I Am

I solve messy problems. The kind where nobody owns the process yet, where three teams need to align on something none of them fully understand, and where the answer is usually a better system (not more effort).

I started in game development, shipping titles across Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and PC. Then I moved into healthcare tech, helping grow CUREO (a VR therapy product) from fewer than 5 applications to over 25, now used in 100+ clinics worldwide. Different industries, same pattern: find the bottleneck, build the process, ship the product.

That range is the point. I'm not looking for a niche: I'm looking for products with real technical complexity and teams that need someone who can debug the architecture and run the roadmap.

Location
Düsseldorf, Germany
Current Role
Head of Software
Company
CUREOsity GmbH
Domain
Regulated Tech · Gaming
Team
9 direct reports
Background
Game Dev → Technical PM
See the work →
02 Work

Selected Work

01
CUREOsity GmbH
CUREO — VR Therapy Software
Led the team that builds CUREO (a modular VR therapy product with 25+ applications). Helped grow the platform from fewer than 5 apps to over 25, led design on most features and systems, and built a scalable product now used in 100+ clinics worldwide.
Meta QuestPICOUnreal EnginePerforceJenkins
25+ Therapy Applications
100+ Clinics Worldwide
02
CUREOsity GmbH
Process & Team Transformation
A startup scaling rapidly with people moving into unknown territory. I built the delivery systems from scratch (development processes, traceability, CI/CD automation) and managed the tech debt that comes with growing fast.
JiraJenkinsConfluencePython
150% Faster Build & Test Cycles
3x Product Portfolio Growth
03
Various
Shipping Across Platforms
Designed and shipped individual game titles across Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and PC. At CUREOsity, helped lead the port of CUREO from Meta Quest to PICO (adding VR as another platform in the mix).
SwitchPS4PCMeta QuestPICO
5 Platforms Shipped
4 Titles Delivered
04
CUREOsity GmbH
Cloud Data Platform for CUREO
Helped design and manage the creation of CUREO's online platform: where clinics create patient profiles, build therapy reports, and review treatment data. Implemented the medical-grade encryption on the CUREO side in C++.
RDSEC2ReactVueUnreal Engine 5Crypto
E2E Medical-Grade Encryption
Patient Data Platform
Interested? Get in touch →
03 Side Projects

Side Projects

Software
Jenkins BuildBot

Gamified build dashboard. Devs earn points and track streaks, non-devs bet on outcomes. Uses Jenkins webhooks for live updates, Teams chat integration, and AI log analysis with snarky commentary.

JenkinsNode.js
OneOnOne

Tool to optimize 1:1s with my team. Tracks goals and progress, exports into yearly evaluation format. Shareable meeting prep links and AI-powered action point prioritization.

Next.jsshadcn/uiTailwindSupabaseVercel
Games
BumbleBee

Android & iOS Spelling Bee app for English learners. Inspired by NYT Spelling Bee but with easier vocabulary (CEFR A1-B1) and built-in hints.

KotlinJetpack ComposeHilt DISupabase
Mask Your True Self

A platformer about hiding behind masks. Masks give you power, but beating the boss means losing them. Win as your true self.

Unreal Engine 5PerforceGGJ 2026
Bubble Brawlers

Local co-op party game where bubble buddies fight to be the last soap standing.

Unreal Engine 5PerforceGGJ 2025
Mafia Assassin Ninja III

Action game set in a crime-ridden metropolis. Stealth, agility, and deadly precision in a closed-world environment.

Unreal Engine 5PerforceGGJ 2024
04 Experience

Career History

Period Role / Company Description
Feb 2022 - Present Head of Software CUREOsity GmbH Run a 9-person team shipping VR therapy software. Own the roadmap, sprint cadence, and stakeholder relationships (which means translating between therapists who want features and engineers who want clean architecture). Grew CUREO from fewer than 5 to 25+ apps, now in 100+ clinics.
Aug 2020 - Feb 2022 Technical Designer CUREOsity GmbH Turned medical requirements into things engineers could actually build. Worked directly with therapists to prototype therapy apps, wrote the specs, and started fixing the production processes that were slowing everyone down.
Mar 2020 - Aug 2020 Intern Technical Designer CUREOsity GmbH Built therapy apps and audited how the team actually worked. Redesigned the concepting pipeline and cleaned up the Jira setup (first taste of process improvement).
Sep 2019 - Feb 2020 Intern Technical Designer Motek Medical B.V. Designed and pitched a gamified walking rehabilitation app for the MOTEK Ryzen robot. Built the prototype in Unity with HTC Vive and an overhead projector: scrappy, but it worked.
05 Contact
Let's build
something
worth
shipping.

Looking for Technical Product Manager roles where the product has real complexity and the team needs someone who can think in systems, ship on schedule, and get their hands dirty when it matters.

Error — Unknown Mode

"???"

is not a valid mode.

← choose one ↓


Dev Dark cyberpunk. Game devs & VR specialists.
PM Clean minimal. Product & project managers.
Modern Contemporary minimal. General professional.
Brutalist Swiss grid. For people with taste.