Since the start of the pandemic, working from home has become commonplace. My first day at Cuebiq didn’t involve taking the subway, grabbing coffee, and sitting at a new desk, but rather walking across the room in my small apartment in Brooklyn and sitting at a fold-up desk I got on Facebook Marketplace with a coffee I brewed in my kitchen.

Despite my four-second commute, my first day as Content Marketing Associate wasn’t much different from my first day as Growth Marketing Intern at Cuebiq two years ago. I met with my manager, Isabel, via Zoom, and introduced myself to my coworkers via Slack. Instead of a handshake, I was greeted with welcoming messages and fun emojis, but the essence was the same.

New Hires: Learning About Mobility Data

On my third day, I started my new hire orientation with several other new hires from all over the US and Italy. As Cuebiq is an international company with offices in New York, Milan, Chicago, and San Francisco, it was no surprise when a few of my new coworkers announced they were tuning in from places like Washington, DC and central Italy. 

The orientation sessions lasted a week, during which we got to speak with several executives at Cuebiq, like Gerald Smith, Brennan Lake, and Jon Friedman. Cuebiq’s CEO, Antonio Tomarchio, welcomed each of us personally and gave us a bit of company history. He took us back to November 2014, when he first realized the potential for human mobility data, and the idea for Cuebiq was born. Since then, he has ensured that the company continues to innovate and evolve according to the standards and values he’s embraced since 2014, such as Cuebiq’s future-proof privacy approach and commitment to transparency. 

New Products: Launching Cuebiq Workbench

My second week, I relaunched The Digest, a compilation of relevant articles distributed to all employees. I read dozens of industry publications each morning to stay informed and to ensure that the most important articles are selected for the newsletter each week. This was a project I had helped with as an intern, and it remains a great way to get acquainted with relevant industries and the location data space.

I’ve also returned at an exciting time — less than two weeks after starting, Cuebiq launched Workbench, a data-neutral ecosystem that makes open innovation accessible to all. As Antonio presented the idea to the new hires, he couldn’t contain his excitement. He explained that Workbench fulfills the mission he set out to solve over five years ago: Cuebiq can now serve mobility-related use cases across many industries with ease, whether it be advertising, finance, real estate, consulting, or public health.

New Culture: Enjoying Virtual Events

While at home, though we no longer get to play ping pong like we did in the office, the Cuebiq company culture is alive and well. During my second week, I attended a virtual wine tasting with my coworkers, where a sommelier led us through an actual tasting and educated us on the history and varieties of wine. There is also an increased emphasis on employee mental health — the month of June is Cuebiq Wellness Month, where we will be engaging in a lecture series and meditation class. I am thrilled to be back at Cuebiq, not only because I believe the work we are doing is groundbreaking and impactful, but because the people and culture are so great!

If you’re interested in learning more about Cuebiq and our company culture, be sure to check out our current job openings.

For the latest updates on our platform formerly known as Workbench, visit Spectus.ai.

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We all remember growing up and constantly being reminded by our parents and teachers to recycle our soda cans or turn off the lights when we left a room. And, as we grew older, phrases like “going green” or “eco-friendly” became familiar. Various ways to promote environmental sustainability such as these have been ingrained in our brains since a young age.

At Cuebiq, we are true believers that, even in the workplace, taking steps to promote environmental sustainability will have a huge positive impact on future generations. So, to ensure we’re doing our part, three like-minded Cuebiqers — James Callahan, Clare Cosgrove, and Jessica Weinberg — founded the Cuebiq Green Team, or CGT for short. 

I recently sat down with these leaders of CGT to learn what the organization is all about, why they are passionate about the cause, and the ways CGT helps promote and build awareness to create a more eco-friendly office environment.

Cuebiq Green Team & Its Mission

Established in May 2019, CGT’s primary mission is to bring a variety of green initiatives into Cuebiq’s office environment in order to create a sustainable future. In doing so, it hopes to make the office as eco-friendly as possible, while still maintaining a fun and comfortable environment for all employees. 

When asked what motivated them to form CGT, Cosgrove responded, “I love that CGT gives us the opportunity to help a greater cause and get others involved, too! I believe it’s important to have other things going on at work outside of day-to-day tasks, especially when it brings others together. Most of us aren’t thinking about how small actions during the day contribute to a greater issue. By starting a Green Team initiative here at Cuebiq, we’re able to educate ourselves further and spread awareness throughout the company in a fun and effective way.”

Green Awareness Month

In August, CGT presented their first annual Green Awareness Month. During this time, employees were given weekly opportunities to get involved and make a difference.

Recycling Tour

The first event was a field trip outside the office —and into another borough — to one of NYC’s recycling plants, Sims Municipal Recycling (SMR) in Brooklyn. “The recycling plant tour really opened my eyes to recycling and everything that goes into the recycling process. It was remarkable to see the tremendous number of materials that are recycled by the planet every day, and seeing that made me realize how much more of an effort everyone needs to make to reduce the use of materials,” said Callahan.

Reusable Water Bottles

The following week, employees were encouraged to eliminate plastic water bottle waste by bringing in a reusable water bottle — like our Cuebiq branded S’well bottles! This event had nearly 100 percent of the office taking part!

Showing of Our Planet

Next up was an evening spent watching an episode of Our Planet and, of course, munching on some popcorn. For those who aren’t familiar, this wildly popular Netflix nature documentary series addresses the impact humans have on animal conservation. Weinburg noted, “I personally got super into the environment after watching Our Planet on Netflix. It is devastating to see what is happening to the environment and knowing that even the smallest changes can make a big difference.”

Plant Day

In the final week, CGT hosted a potting class where employees decorated pots and planted succulents. While the main outcome was increasing oxygen flow in the office, these plants also added some vibrancy to our desks!

Daily Green Initiatives

In order for Cuebiq employees to make a quick impact daily, CGT also implemented several green initiatives that are sure to have long-lasting effects.

Proper Recycling 

Since recycling is one of the easiest ways to ensure environmental sustainability, educating us on how to properly recycle was one of the first initiatives taken on by the team. Clearly labeling the blue and green recycle bins and sending out occasional email reminders helped us remember to recycle at work, as well as underscored the negative environmental impact of not recycling correctly.

Energy Reduction

There are also several easy ways to reduce energy on a day-to-day basis, which we’ve made an effort to implement. These include turning off the lights when leaving the office and, again, utilizing reusable water bottles.

Water Taste Test 

To make learning more fun and interactive, CGT invited us to a water taste test, where we blindly compared tap, bottled, and machine-filtered water. They also tested the pH balance and Total Dissolved Sediment, or TDS, indexes, and informed us of the importance of each.

In eight short months, CGT has already seen great success — but its work doesn’t stop there! In order to keep the momentum going, future plans include additional recycling education, trivia night, and even volunteer activities.

Are you ready to work for a company where you can bring a personal passion into your workplace to make a lasting impact? Make sure to stay up-to-date on job postings by visiting Cuebiq’s career page!

The post Cuebiq Green Team: Building Awareness of Office Recycling Habits & Creating a More Eco-Friendly Work Environment appeared first on Cuebiq.

The process of going from a big data lake to a mature product is involved, to say the least. With the goal of answering user questions, this process involves data analysis, process consolidation, robust APIs, and beautiful interfaces — and it requires a robust team of people with different backgrounds and skill sets to work on it. Read on for more...

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When evaluating a company to join, there are many factors that come to mind. You need to ensure that you are on board with the company’s mission, believe in their product offering, and of course receive competitive compensation. However, one of the most important factors these days is a strong company culture. Coming from someone who has a fair number of years under their “career belt,” I can honestly say that Cuebiq is a company that gets it right.  

Establishing a Strong Company Culture

I started out in the NYC office as employee No. 4 of our company, when culture was something that was extremely hard to practice — since our office was the size of a bathroom stall. Despite this hurdle, our founders made sure that company culture was a key part of what we were to become. Early on, our CEO Antonio wanted to get to know the team on a personal level outside the office, so he made sure to have regular lunches and dinners with us. This was just the beginning of creating the foundation for a strong company culture — from there, things took off.  

We needed to establish a bond between our American and Italian offices, and a great way to do that was through travel. Our founders decided that the first annual trip would be to Milan, for an immersive experience in the city where our company was founded. We partook in a team-building exercise of rugby, followed by an all-inclusive evening of food, drinks, and dancing. Leadership has continued this amazing tradition and has taken the employees of the company on retreats that many would dream about — on cultural tours through Prague, down the waterslides of Atlantis in Nassau, and to the Italian Alps to eat the finest foods.

Nowadays, the company culture has grown beyond just incredible trips. Leadership personally ensures that the employees of Cuebiq are taken care of and well fed — just as any Italian mother would expect. Daily lunches are provided from various vendors around New York City, snacks are available (even healthy options!), and you can try your hand at Mario Kart or ping pong for a break in the day. Sports leagues, yoga in the office, and quarterly team summits are also part of the fun.

Trust, Generosity, and Transparency

The Cuebiq culture is more than just fun, games, and food. I think the most important part of the culture is the trust that leadership has in its employees. Cuebiq is not a place where you are going to be micromanaged nor is it a place that is going to count your PTO and give you a hard time for a much-needed vacation. Other companies will not allow you to work from home. Cuebiq’s policy is one that if you are getting your work done to the level that is expected, it doesn’t matter where you are in the world.

If I could describe Cuebiq’s culture in one word, it would be “generous” — it describes the price leadership pays to ensure Cuebiq employees are enjoying their time at the company. It also describes the fact that Cuebiq knows employees have a life outside the office. The company is generous in providing unlimited time off and work-from-home policies that allow people to refresh and get things done that they might not have been able to do while working in the office.

I have seen tech companies that promise certain things during job interviews but don’t deliver on them. Cuebiq is not one of those places. Transparency is one of our core values and it is truth. We are transparent about our products. We are transparent about data collection. We are transparent about our culture. The best part is, everyone has a hand in creating and contributing to our company culture. We look forward to continuing to add amazing people to our company who contribute to what we have built. The future is something to be extremely excited about here at Cuebiq. Next stop: the moon!

If you’re interested in learning more about Cuebiq and our company culture, be sure to check out our current job openings.

The post The Evolution of Cuebiq’s Company Culture Over the Years appeared first on Cuebiq.

My first day as an intern at Cuebiq was just a few weeks ago on a sunny Monday morning. I hopped off the 6 train, walked a few blocks through NoMad, snapped a picture of the Empire State Building, and finally stepped out of the summer heat into a small lobby on West 27th St. 

Though I was elated to accept an offer with the Growth Marketing team, I had no idea what to expect — I’d never worked for a startup, much less one centered around location data.

Getting to Know Great People

I took the elevator up to the 9th floor and found that I had my very own desk, already decked out in Cuebiq swag: a S’well water bottle, hat, sunglasses, phone case, and a MacBook Air. My manager, Isabel, rushed me around the two-story office and introduced me to every person we encountered — I even met some people visiting from the Milan office! Everyone greeted me with a big smile and a firm handshake. Several coworkers even offered me some tips, from the cordial, “Come to me if you have any questions,” to the practical, “Watch out for flying ping pong balls.” (There’s a ping pong table on the 10th floor — how cool!)

One of the first things I noticed about being in the office was the friendly, supportive vibe. I immediately felt welcome, which I think speaks volumes about the company culture here at Cuebiq. 

Getting to Know Growth Marketing

Over the course of my first week, I quickly realized I had a lot to learn. Thankfully, the marketing team was quick to help me get acclimated. Several of my team members set up meetings with me to explain their responsibilities, define complex terms, and help me understand the offline intelligence landscape. Everyone I have spoken with has been extremely knowledgeable, passionate, and happy to answer all of my questions. 

After a few days of training, I began to help with the Daily Digest, a compilation of relevant articles distributed daily to all employees. I read dozens of industry publications every day to be informed and to ensure that the most important articles are selected for the email. By the end of my second week I was helping write tweets for the Cuebiq Twitter account, attending Marketing team meetings, and had completed my very first blog. 

I’m also excited to be using what I’ve learned in my communication and business classes on a daily basis, like how to create a content calendar for social media, the importance of a strong brand message, and the meanings of all of those confusing acronyms (ROI, CRM, KPIs, DAUs, etc.).

Getting to Know a Global Company

When I was first offered an internship with Cuebiq, I was especially excited to be working for an international company. Though Cuebiq’s HQ is in NY, the company has offices in Chicago, San Francisco, China, and Italy. 

This past spring, I studied abroad in Rome, and when I discovered that all four of Cuebiq’s founders are Italian, I was thrilled. One of the most important Italian traditions, lunchtime, is taken pretty seriously here — lunch is catered daily, and every day for about an hour, the office takes a break, socializes, and gets to know one another over some delicious food. The most common lunch conversation topics? Our favorite travel destinations and the latest episodes of our favorite shows.

I have also begun to understand what it really means to be a global company. Cuebiq is a thought leader in its industry, with cutting-edge technology and future-proof privacy standards. It is so engaging to be working at such an innovative and visionary company.

If you’re interested in learning more about Cuebiq and our company culture, be sure to check out our current job openings.

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At Cuebiq, our interview process is simple. It is quick, technical, and fun. Ask any Cuebiqer why they accepted our offer over others they had, and they’ll tell you it was because of the interview — along with the fact that Cuebiq is the only company in Italy that offers the opportunity to work in big data with cutting-edge technology. Cuebiq collects privacy-compliant, 100% first-party location data via app-direct partnerships with over 170+ apps — that's over four billion data points per day!

When asked, “Well, what about the interview? What was it that impressed you?” colleagues report that above all, it was difficult. The tone of the interview is friendly yet demanding — here at Cuebiq, nothing beats a challenge. Not surprisingly then, we hire only about nine percent of the candidates we interview. 

So, what makes the tech interview so difficult? We use a technically demanding interview structure to look for a certain mindset in candidates. This ideal mindset bridges intellectual curiosity and the ability to embrace change, and it is crucial to thrive in a rapidly scaling company like Cuebiq. So, now that you know what we’re looking for, here’s how to ace your tech interview with Cuebiq.

1. You don’t know the answer? That’s OK.

It’s alright if you don’t know the answer to a question — we just want to see your ability to reason. Don’t be afraid to ask us questions; we’re interested in how you get to the answer and will help you get there. Take your time, and think out loud. Try out a couple of ideas. Use “we” instead of “I” — show us that you think of yourself as part of a team. At Cuebiq, sorting out complex problems is something we love to do, and it is one of our most important ingredients for success. 

2. Things Change. Show Us Your Resilience.

In the workplace, things don’t always go as planned: Deadlines shift, business requests change, priorities evolve, and you need to be able to adapt to and manage changes like these. We’ll only hire people who aren’t put off by change and who prove they understand that it is intrinsic for success in the evolving tech ecosystem. So come prepared with examples from your relevant professional experience that highlight how you deal with change.

3. Caught up in the Coding Challenge? Remember the Objectives.

If you’re interviewing for a tech role at Cuebiq, you’ll have to do the coding challenge — which serves as a primer for understanding how you reason. Again, we’re not necessarily interested in the solution. This tool provides you with the opportunity to showcase your ability and allows us to use this work as a basis for deeper conversation. Come prepared with questions that challenge us!

4. Be Prepared — It’s as Simple as That.

You’re trying to get a job in tech, so brush up on data structures and algorithms. Run a lot of practice problems and focus on your time-management skills. In particular, be sure to focus on data structures, computational complexity, and sorting and search algorithms.

5. Pick a Programming Language and Know It Well.

What we’re looking for is your ability to learn a language and your passion for what you do. While the language itself isn’t that important in this scenario, you should be able to show us why you like one language over the others. Show us you have a complex level of understanding and have challenged yourself on how the language works. (Hint: we work mainly in Java, Javascript, Kotlin, and Python in Milan.)

6. Don’t Forget the Basics.

Have fun; ask relevant, memorable questions; challenge us; get the details about all our benefits and learning opportunities. Find out if we’re a good fit for you — ask for a tour of the office or an invite to one of our themed aperitivos on Fridays. Check out the games on the Playstation, see if we have your favorite breakfast cereal in our fully stocked kitchen, and introduce yourself to as many people as possible so that you can get a full sense of what it’s like to work with us!

There is a wealth of opportunity in the tech space right now, so much so that it's easy to feel overwhelmed. Recruiters are under pressure — they will promise you the moon and then some. The only way to test your future employer is to get the full interview experience. And hopefully, with our tips, you’ll ace it!

Interested in hearing from real people who work at Cuebiq? Check out our blog detailing the company culture in the Milan office.

The post Six Interview Tips to Land Your Dream Tech Job at Cuebiq in Milan appeared first on Cuebiq.

Graduating during a time of economic prosperity, I entered the workforce with an optimistic outlook. Shortly thereafter, however, the 2008 recession hit. Millions lost their jobs, including me.  As I sat in shock, contemplating how I got here after working so hard, I came to the stark realization that none of it really mattered; nothing would change the situation I, along with millions of others, was in at that very moment. I was forced to adapt and embrace change.  

As can be expected during a time of transition, I found myself lost at times, especially professionally, unsure of which path to follow. But five years ago all of this drastically changed when I joined the team at Cuebiq.

The underlying difference between Cuebiq and the various other organizations I’ve worked for boils down to one thing: Embracing change is simply in Cuebiq’s DNA.

Every organization will have its fair share of growing pains, especially a company like Cuebiq that is growing exponentially. In these times, I believe it is imperative that organizations be able to strike a balance between recognizing the importance of maintaining and fostering both curiosity and innovation, while also understanding that those two factors can be enemies of scalability. While it is not always rainbows and sunshine, I wholeheartedly believe that Cuebiq is on the right path to achieving both.  

With that, here are three factors I consider important to maintaining a culture of change.

1. Connectivity

Just as Cuebiq connects data to create insights, we at Cuebiq connect to each other to increase operational empathy, better ourselves and our clients, and achieve more together. In order to successfully create any culture within an organization, you must start by garnering the buy-in all the way at the top with executive leadership. Once leaders have embraced the change, in turn, they can empower employees to push boundaries that otherwise confine companies that have a culture of “we’ve always done it that way.” This empowerment can create open dialogue across the organization. Here at Cuebiq we constantly strive for this.

2. Transparency

Transparency means being forthright, which ultimately instills trust. While at first I didn’t realize how much transparency would play into how Cuebiq would grow, I now know the importance of it and how it has enabled us to build and strengthen relationships both internally and externally. I’ve had numerous clients tell me this was the very reason they decided to work with us in the first place and why they continue to do so. Internal transparency, which I may view as even more important, also enables us to foster our culture of change. By being open in communications throughout the company, people do not shy away from sharing their ideas, which only helps us grow. 

3. Getting shit done 

While every person has their own ideas about how they could change things at work, very seldom do they express or act on them. Not at Cuebiq — here we are willing to put pen to paper, putting our ideas into action and implementing them in our products. As a result, our organizational structure aims to be nimble by being both proactive and reactive to each individual client’s needs. All in all, while we recognize that resources will always be finite, having the infrastructure to implement ideas, or “get shit done,” makes all the difference in the world. We spend a lot of time thinking about how to optimize this side of our business.

In order for any organization to truly believe in and embrace a culture of change, every single person from the CEO to the summer intern must be on board. I was forced to embrace change very early on in my career due to economic conditions. While at the time, I did not comprehend the important life lesson I was learning, I can look back now and say it was a truly defining moment and I wouldn’t change anything about it. Why? Because if I didn’t embrace change, I might still be sitting in a cubicle feeling as though I didn’t have a voice, as opposed to where I am today, feeling I am truly part of an incredible organization.  

Now, if I could only get the world to stop calling me a millennial as though it’s a negative thing!

If you’re interested in learning more about Cuebiq and our company culture, be sure to check out our current job openings.

The post The Key to a Successful Company: Maintaining a Culture of Change appeared first on Cuebiq.

This past summer, we had the chance to interview Cuebiq’s Head of Engineering, Marco Funaro. Having been with Cuebiq since its early days, Marco has extensive experience in software development and oversees the team in Milan. Read on to learn about the day-to-day of a software engineer, how to balance time management with attention to detail, and what Marco’s favorite product is.

Can you describe the path that led you to work at Cuebiq?

I got a PhD in software engineering, which was a three-year program. After that I began working for a major airline booking company, where I acquired experience on how to build things for an enterprise. Then, I worked one year at a startup and eventually moved to Beintoo, and then Cuebiq. I’ve been here since November, 2015, and have helped build almost every product we have; I’ve seen all the development cycles. Now, I take care of all the activities in our product roadmap. It’s been an exciting journey, and I’m looking forward to seeing Cuebiq continue to grow.

What does a software engineer typically do on a day-to-day basis?

The philosophical answer is that we get problems, slice and dice them until we get to their smallest unit, and then solve them. We use computers and code to do that. In reality, this involves a lot of frustration, and a lot of coffee! We need to understand what needs to be done, challenge the product people, and then build the software. But building software is not like building a bridge — you don’t have to get the plan correct at the very beginning. We do something different from that; we iterate and talk with people to get feedback. If the product is not performing at its best, we regroup based on feedback and keep building.

Software development requires intense attention to detail as well as strong time management. How do you balance these?

In my role as Head of Engineering, unfortunately, I don't do a lot of the hands-on work anymore. I am the tech lead, so I guide the team in understanding problems and in finding the right tools to solve them, such as various algorithms, methodologies, or existing products. Thus, the team is empowered to search for suitable solutions and determine whether they work for all the stakeholders. I help the people building things by providing context and guidance so they can find the right balance between what is perfect in a technical sense and what is actually good for the business. The latter is of crucial importance as engineers love thoroughly investigating and exploring problems, but that is not always ideal for the business.

What’s your favorite product?

I’ve worked on all the products, but the one I’ve invested the most time in is Attribution. Our Attribution solution enables clients to measure and optimize cross-channel campaigns, based on real-time, real-world footfall analysis. I’ve worked with the Attribution product from its infancy, so seeing how it’s grown over time has been especially meaningful for me.

If you’d like to work at Cuebiq, be sure to check out our current job openings in both Milan and New York.

The post What It’s Like to Be Head of Engineering at Cuebiq: A Q&A With Marco Funaro appeared first on Cuebiq.

A five-day trip to the Bahamas... for work? It sounds too good to be true, right? Well, for Cuebiq last week, this was our reality. Every year, Cuebiq hosts an annual company-wide retreat to a different location, and this year it was in Nassau, Bahamas, at the lovely Atlantis resort.

What exactly does one do at a company retreat to the Bahamas, you might ask? From team-building exercises to dynamic presentations to themed dinners, our days were full of different activities. Read on to learn about our experience in the Bahamas.

Connecting With Coworkers and Collaborating Cross-Departmentally

The theme of our retreat was “Cuebiq Connect,” so every event — from conference sessions during the day to social events at night — revolved around this concept. This past year, we more than doubled in size of our workforce, so as you might expect, not all of us knew each other well. On top of that, we work in NYC, Milan, San Francisco, and Chicago, so many of us were meeting for the first time at this retreat. As such, it was a fantastic opportunity both to bond with existing colleagues from other departments and to get to know new coworkers.

One exercise we did that facilitated this connection was called the Collaboration Marketplace. Our moderator, Ariel Halevi, worked with several Cuebiq employees to develop this game, which encouraged collaboration and communication across teams.

How did it work? Cuebiq employees were broken up into their respective departments, and then they received three “dollars” from a “bank” that they could submit to other teams in exchange for completing a request. For example, one team asked another to be brought along to client meetings with them once a month.

This was a really interesting exercise, because it forced teams to identify their top needs from other departments and then ask for them in a very direct way — without the typical obstacles of time differences or distractions. For me, it was really effective to think about how my team, marketing, could interact with teams we often don’t work with — such as product development, for example. This led to new ideas for collaboration that we might not have conceived before.

At the end of the exercise, each team presented a summary of the requests they had accepted, announcing their commitment to carrying out the requests in front of our whole company. This was a great way to hold teams accountable and help them identify their top needs from other departments. In the end, not only did this exercise reveal new ways for departments to save time by working together, but it also led to increased innovation across the company as a whole.

Participating in Debate-Style Breakout Sessions

One of my favorite exercises we did was participate in debate-style breakout sessions. We selected topics of interest to us in advance, and then broke up into smaller groups based on those. Each session had a moderator, who structured a debate around the topic.

For example, I participated in a session focused on out-of-home advertising and Cuebiq’s place in that market. Cuebiq’s own SVP of Innovation & Strategic Partnerships, Lawrence Chan, moderated this session and started it off with an overview of the OOH market and Cuebiq’s OOH measurement product. Then, he divided us into two teams to debate a topic, one “pro” and one “con,” complete with opening statements, rebuttals, and closing statements.

In this exercise, what was interesting to me was that it really didn’t matter who won the debate — the purpose was more to get us thinking about both sides of an argument before reaching a decision. Moving forward, when our company is facing an important decision, structuring a debate around it would be a fantastic way to hear everyone’s perspective and come to a well-reasoned conclusion. This was a great takeaway, as I’d never thought of structuring a meeting as a debate before!

Enjoying Team Themed Dinners and Social Events

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not talk about all the fun social events we participated in after the daily conference sessions. Let’s start with the themed dinners, of which there were four: Tropical Island Themed Dinner, White Party, Under-the-Sea Themed Dinner, and the Cuebiq Academy Awards. Our team went all out with the themes, from one employee wearing not just one but 10 leis for the Tropical night, to another wearing a snorkel to the Under-the-Sea Themed Dinner. We also went all out in dancing — the first night, a surprise band appeared at dinner playing all kinds of different instruments, and the Cuebiq team had no problem joining in to dance, even forming a conga line!

Perhaps my favorite night was the last, when we had our own version of the Academy Awards. Our CEO, Antonio, wore a top hat and gave out prizes to several Cuebiq employees — such as Most Frequent Ping Pong Player, Most Active on Slack, and Most Frequent Traveler. These awards were mostly lighthearted, but they still captured our company culture of fun, effective communication, and travel between our global offices.

This awards ceremony was a fantastic cap on our trip, and I still have the dulcet tones of the “L’amour Toujours” remix ringing in my head — which our DJ dubbed the “Cuebiq Song” — along with a mental image of our whole company fist-pumping and singing along together. Needless to say, I can’t wait to see what’s in store for our retreat next year!

The post From Conga Lines to Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Cuebiq Retreat 2k18 in the Bahamas appeared first on Cuebiq.

For our third employee spotlight from our trip to Milan, we’re featuring Cuebiq’s own Head of Product Development, Ivan Parenti. We had the chance to interview Ivan about his experience at Cuebiq, where he has served in many roles and eventually grew to become Head of Product Development. Ivan constantly works with many different departments, so much so that he is the most active member of our company on Slack — in fact, he won an award for this at our Cuebiq Academy Awards ceremony during our recent company retreat in the Bahamas! Read on to learn what it’s like to be Head of Product Development at Cuebiq, from Ivan’s perspective.

What does a day in the life of Head of Product Development look like?

To start off, I have at least four meetings per day. Usually I need to prepare for those, send a couple of emails to top managers asking for updates and giving new ideas for projects, and then set up more meetings with Engineering and Data Science to coordinate and size projects. I also meet with the product managers themselves, though they are pretty independent — we have a weekly sync. After I handle all that in Milan, the US team wakes up and starts working (we have a 6 hour time difference), so then I start coordinating with Operations and Product people there. Fun fact: I’m the top one in Slack rankings because I’m always talking with people to coordinate projects!

What made you want to work in product, and how did you wind up in the position you’re in now?

I studied marketing and then came to Beintoo, where I entered a job rotation program. I started in operations for adtech and then moved into sales, yet while I’m interested in working with people, sales was not my thing. So, I moved into tech ops and worked on the competitive analysis. I was good at that, and I was eventually noticed by Willy and Antonio, the product people there at the time. They needed to manage audiences and build taxonomies; I then went with them as they formed their new company, Cuebiq. I was the first person in product at Cuebiq after Willy (one of Cuebiq’s founders), which was awesome.

What has been the most rewarding product you’ve worked on so far at Cuebiq?

Analytics, because I’ve seen it through from beginning to end. Our Analytics product enables brands to unlock insights about their consumers’ offline behaviors as well as gain competitive intelligence. I wasn’t involved in the design of our Attribution product from the very beginning, because that product was developed earlier, and I was more junior at the time.

What is the team culture like at Cuebiq? Do you think it’s different between the Milan and New York offices?

It’s definitely different between the offices. We only have tech people here in Milan, who typically work in a different way than client-facing employees — they often have headphones in for a long period of time and then take a break. And as a result of not hosting meetings with clients in the Italian office, our space feels more casual than the New York one.

In terms of similarities, people like to have fun in both the Italian and New York offices and not take things too seriously. Everyone is very motivated, and we’re hiring a lot of talented people who want the company to succeed. However, that doesn’t necessarily entail working overtime. For engineers in particular, working overtime can be problematic — it causes them to make more mistakes, and then that results in a negative feedback loop.

In Milan, we also have a variety of social events, such as aperitivo (happy hour) in the office and beach volleyball nearby. We go out for lunch more than the US team, which is a good way to break up the day!

If you’d like to work at Cuebiq, be sure to check out our current job openings in both New York and Milan.

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