# Jenny Xu

> Jenny Xu is the founder and CEO of Talofa Games, the San Francisco studio behind Run Legends, a heads-up fitness RPG where your running speed powers turn-based battles heard through spatial audio. A competitive MIT cross-country runner who shipped her first game at 12, she has released 10+ mobile titles with 10 million-plus downloads, earned a spot on Forbes 30 Under 30, and raised $6.3M in seed funding to build games that make players mentally and physically healthier.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at Talofa Games
- **Organizations:** Talofa Games, JC Soft (formerly), MIT
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. in Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- **Known for:** Forbes 30 Under 30: Games (2018), Grand prize winner, Niantic Beyond Reality Developer Contest (2019), The Game Awards Future Class (2020)

## Career timeline

- **~2007** — Made her first video game at age 12; began running the same year.
- **2015-2019** — Studied Computer Science at MIT while competing as a D3 cross-country and track athlete.
- **2018** — Named to Forbes 30 Under 30: Games as an MIT junior with 120+ games designed and 9M+ downloads.
- **2019** — Graduated MIT and won the grand prize at Niantic's Beyond Reality Developer Contest for a real-world running game.
- **2020** — The Game Awards Future Class; launched the 'Abs With Jenny' fitness class.
- **2021** — Founded Talofa Games in San Francisco to build 'healthy gaming' experiences.
- **2023** — Talofa raised $6.3M seed round led by Chamaeleon; Run Legends beta grew from 10,000 to 370,000 players.
- **2024** — Launched Run Legends 1.0, a cooperative and competitive social fitness RPG.
- **2025** — Received the Unity Social Impact Award and Game Changers Top Innovative Gaming Startups recognition.

## Achievements

- Forbes 30 Under 30: Games (2018)
- Grand prize winner, Niantic Beyond Reality Developer Contest (2019)
- The Game Awards Future Class (2020)
- Unity Social Impact Award (2025)
- Shipped 10+ mobile titles with over 10 million combined downloads
- Raised $6.3M seed funding for Talofa Games
- Run Legends surpassed 300,000+ downloads in its first three months
- Founded Game On Girls at MIT to connect female students with local game developers
- IGF Game Design Jury member (2022-2026)
- Boston Marathon qualifier with a 2:56 personal best (approx. 6:42 pace)

## Latest updates

- **2024-01** — Talofa Games launched Run Legends 1.0 as a cooperative and competitive social fitness RPG on iOS and Android.
- **2025-01** — Recognized with the Unity Social Impact Award and named among Game Changers' top innovative gaming startups.

## Links

- Website: https://talofagames.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/xujennyc
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/xujennyc
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p5ufNftRz4
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xuoot
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PlayMonsterWalk/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/jenny-xu
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-01