We’re delighted to announce the launch of our Founders Series, a sequence of interviews to help you get to know the four amazing individuals behind Cuebiq!
For our first interview, we sat down with William Nespoli, our EVP of Product Ecosystem and OKR. William recently made the move from Milan to New York and is passionate about promoting a strong company culture at Cuebiq. Bringing coworkers together has always been a top priority for him, and he hopes to continue fostering communication and collaboration in both offices. Keep reading to learn more about William’s role as EVP of Product Ecosystem and OKR and his unique perspective on bridging the gap between US and Milan.
Can you tell us about how you and the other three founders started Cuebiq?
After meeting our current CEO Antonio Tomarchio at Politecnico di Milano, where we were both students at the time, I started working with him and our other two founders, Walter Ferrara and Filippo Privitera, on an idea for an ad server. This became our first startup, AdRight, which we eventually sold. We then founded a mobile marketing company, Beintoo, which we spun off to ultimately create Cuebiq. The four of us turned the Cuebiq dream into a reality and have been working together ever since!
How has the product organization changed over time and where is it headed?
We started when it was just me doing everything product-related, then we hired Ivan for product. After that, we started moving in the direction of data science, getting a team under them and eventually a pod. We are hiring more and more, and the biggest change is hiring product managers in our NYC office. This is pivotal for us because the Customer Success team is there, so having Product Managers in that office is critical to share knowledge in a more direct and streamlined way.
What new product development are you most excited about?
It’s hard to pick just one. Measurement is very exciting because we are in the phase where the product has been developed and established, so we’re in a growth phase rather than discovery phase. We are currently adding different channels for Measurement, expanding our focus to out-of-home and TV as well. It’s exciting because you can merge the layers and different channels together and at the end observe the ideal media mix for your campaign, to get the best ROI.
What’s something you’re proud of that you’ve accomplished at Cuebiq?
I’m really proud of the culture we’ve fostered. I think everyone enjoys working in the environment we’ve developed and is happy to come to work, which is important to me as a founder.
Why is Cuebiq transitioning to an OKR methodology and what are the benefits?
I am building a Cuebiq version of the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) methodology, a system that should increase transparency and clarity across the company. It’s a methodology that will create alignment and engagement around measurable goals, so that everyone in the company knows what each other is working on and striving toward. Adopting this methodology will be key to driving the growth of our company and setting us up for continued success.
What is Cuebiq doing to achieve hyper-scalability?
We have recently created a Product Ecosystem area at Cuebiq, which will be essential for our company in achieving hyper-scalability, one of our main goals. We are looking to integrate with a variety of external partners, and in order to do that we have to build an ecosystem where we can raise our product availability to the whole market. This will be a major focus of ours moving forward.
What do you find to be the most valuable aspect of the Cuebiq platform for clients?
While there are many valuable aspects of the platform, one key point is the transparency we give to clients. We are providing clients with a holistic solution to map, target, and measure the offline consumer journey. Location intelligence gives them a window into real-world actions of consumers that they previously couldn’t access.
I’m also really excited about our predictive and prescriptive analytics capabilities — clients can now target audiences based on churn and other prescriptive insights.
You recently moved to the NYC office from Milan. Is there anything you want to establish in the NYC office?
I’d say in general, people in Milan feel more free talking with one another and expressing their opinions. When things don’t work, they’ll try something else. I’d love to bring that sense of direct communication and willingness to experiment to the New York office.
Also in Milan, employees gather in common areas for coffee and breakfast every morning. Even chatting for 15 minutes before diving into the daily agenda helps build a sense of camaraderie among the team — and it also spurs many great business ideas! Outside the office, I personally want to learn a bit more about baseball and bring the Milan team outside NYC to see a game when they visit!
Interested in working at Cuebiq? Then be sure to check out our current job openings in both New York and Milan.
