We're better together: why Coactive AI is championing office culture

In the age of remote working, Coactive is proud to champion hybrid in-person opportunities for our team. In this blog we’ll take you behind the scenes of our new office so you can get a sense of what our working culture and environment are like. It’s our first dedicated space, so we’re super excited! To give us the low-down, we caught up with Jennifer Mathers, Executive Assistant and professional plate-spinner at Coactive. She told us why in-person working opportunities are so important to the company’s values.

(Oh, and we’ll be paying homage to noughties acoustic sensation Jack Johnson throughout this piece. After all, he knows better than anyone… we’re better when we’re together.)

Jennifer, there's no combination of words we could put on the back of this start-up. Is culture really Coactive’s first and most important product?

Without a doubt, and our new office speaks to that. When I started in December 2021 we were mostly all working from home due to COVID-19 precautions. But we’re a personable team, so working remotely was hard. Thankfully, we were soon able to spend more time together in the office this year, and we all felt the benefits immediately. Being together is key to our culture of putting people first.

Our team has become more connected since we resumed in-person working, and a lot of regular socials have developed off the back of it, like hiking trips, dinners, drinks, and game nights. It’s a totally different feeling working with your colleagues face-to-face and seeing their smiles in person! Working together in-person allows social bonds to take seed.

It sounds like Coactive’s the answer for most of the questions in your heart. Like why are we here, and where do we go?

Do you have to play that guitar while we’re talking?

Contractually, yes. But staying with the location questions, if Coactive was already in an office, why did the team move?

We started out in a co-working space but we outgrew it within a few months – even with hybrid working we were bursting at the seams! That’s the flipside of nailing an ambitious hiring plan, I guess.

It got so busy in our first space that Cody and I had to temporarily move into a separate room. But we believe sharing a physical space is a key part of sharing our company culture, so Cody tasked me with finding a new, dedicated office for Coactive’s rapidly-growing team.

So you’re saying our dreams really are made out of real things?

Nice.

Thanks. Tell us more about you, though, Jennifer. Did you ever imagine you would be tasked with optimizing the team environment of a cutting-edge AI startup?

Never! I have quite a different background than everybody else at Coactive. I actually come with twenty years of experience in the animal welfare industry. The corporate world is totally different!

At first it was a little overwhelming seeing the range of requirements in my role, including finding and fitting a new office space so early on. Not everyone enjoys controlled chaos and a rapid speed of change, but I actually love it. For instance, I was recently at a bunch of consecutive meetings on totally different topics – insurance, then accounting, and then HR. One of our DOD fellows was like “woah, how do you not get whiplash?” – but I don’t see it that way!

It’s not always easy, but would you say that multitasking is your superpower?

It truly is! It might not sound like a big deal but in my role that is what allows me to be successful. Having no problem jumping between radically different tasks.

Sometimes life can be deceiving. What drew you to Coactive in the first place, and has it lived up to your expectations?

Culture was the number one thing I was looking for when changing jobs. I needed a career change to keep challenging myself, and my tech friends encouraged me to join the fast-paced start-up scene. They knew it would be right up my alley. But I also knew that there would be huge variety between startups regarding treatment of staff.

Cody, our co-founder, is an amazing human being and he really sold me on Coactive’s culture. Cody and Will are very deliberate with the team they’re building. When I look at our team they’re just amazing people. So yes, I’m truly impressed by the organization’s commitment to its culture, and its team.

How is the new office supporting the company’s people-first culture?

What happened to the Jack Johnson puns?

We’re saving them for a big finale.

Sweet mercy. Well, the new office layout is open concept, meaning that we’re all back together again, and working side by side, which is great for building community. We also have a beautiful view from the seventh floor which overlooks the cathedral, the city, and the mountains of San Jose. There’s a breakout room and two conference rooms too, but, for the most part, we’re all working together.

There are little details as well. I ordered a coffee 'chemex' so people can make coffee together. The machine takes a little time, and that’s deliberate. Those few minutes create opportunities for team members to reinforce their social bonds, which ultimately nourishes our company culture.

Mmm, it really is always better when we're together. Especially if there’s fresh coffee. Were other Coactive team members keen to get involved in the design?

Absolutely. We felt it was really important that everyone had the opportunity to contribute in some way — our whole culture is all about co-creation. For instance, we worked on the décor for the soft seating area as a team, and took a team trip to a furnishing store so that everyone could input on the selection. We’re co-creating an environment that itself promotes ongoing collaboration.

At Coactive, we believe in memories (they look so pretty when we sleep). Can you remember times you’ve seen Coactive’s people-first culture in action?

All the time! We start each bi-weekly team meeting with a team “temperature check”, to see how everyone’s feeling. I've never worked somewhere that cares about how I am feeling overall, not just in relation to work. We also do weekly “lunch and learns”, which are a fun way to learn and bond.

We all have individual weekly progress meetings with the CEO, Cody. Not only is actionable downward feedback given, but upward actionable feedback is expected as well. Having these regular 1:1 meetings and sometimes hard conversations allows us all to stay accountable and progressive. It’s key to our personal and organizational growth and success.

We also do optional drinks and games on Fridays to help everyone wind down from work, which is a great way to continue bonding. I love all of these things about Coactive – we start and end each week in ways that value everyone as individuals as well as as a team.

The new office has a mango tree?!

It’s a lyric from the… never mind.

Thanks for sharing your experiences with us, Jennifer, and enjoy the new super-team office!

You’re welcome! Time to go sit beneath the mango tree, right?

Culture is our first and most important product. What makes Coactive special is having a truly collaborative, diverse, and learning team. We’re also the best-in-class solution for analyzing unstructured image data. Be part of the next data revolution. Join our team.