In the push for full-stack recruiting, we recognized the need to build our technology platform in-house, and for that, we needed an internal development team–the RATs. Like many companies, our first few hires were opportunistic. But as you start to build out a team, the time comes to be strategic. Rivi VP of Engineering Majed Itani took the recruiting reins himself and brought in a couple of individuals who were critical to developing Sutro and adding more apps to our ecosystem.
Fittingly, both of Majed’s first two hires came from open-source CRM companies–his own stomping grounds. First up was David Tam, a software developer who ran into Majed at a career fair two weeks before he graduated. David is currently working on the infrastructure of our platform and other back-end functionality that gives us the ability to build out multiple apps. He’s developing what our users will see and experience in both the present and future. Says David about coming to Rivi: “I was pitched on the idea of taking recruiting to the next level using technology and it just made sense. It also seemed like something that nobody else has done well yet.”
Next, Majed won over Peter Deng, another software developer who worked on his own start-up before joining the team at Rivi. Peter is focused on front end development, working on the UI design of our apps and helping implement cohesive branding and usability. Says Peter about working for Rivi: “I was in the process of recruiting and the experience was less than enjoyable. I wanted to scratch my own itch.”
When they’re not coding up a storm, Peter is spinning electronic music on his turntables, while David might be falling asleep on public transit–though he’d prefer to be working on his car or going for a run. Peter also loves to travel, but never plays the part of the tourist.
The culmination of a great team under great leadership with a clear goal makes for amazing progress on projects large and small. We’ve always had our eye on the big prize, so the next step was to expand the team even more in order to bring our tech to the next level.