On a snowy 2016 morning in Northeast Minneapolis, Eva Dixon and Drew Anunti both started their first days at a tech startup of 11 employees. Three years later, that company is now in downtown Minneapolis and has grown to more than 60 employees. Eva is now the Director of Marketing and Drew is the Vice President of Hospitality Customer Partnerships. We interviewed them on their three year Kipsu anniversary to learn more about their journeys:
What was your first impression of Kipsu?
E: I remember meeting everyone throughout the interview process, and I was so impressed by their open-mindedness, professionalism, and drive.
D: I had worked for a company in DC that was very much a startup when I joined and quickly got very large. I realized I was happier and offered more in smaller, leaner environments. Throughout my interview process, I was impressed by how smart everyone was but, also, how down-to-earth and authentic they were as well.
How has your role at Kipsu changed over time?
E: When I first started, I was hired as a member of our Customer Success team. My role now is a lot different. I’ve moved into marketing and on the day-to-day, I mainly work with our Market Development team to bring in new potential partners, help develop our company’s brand, and drive our efforts to become an industry thought-leader.
D: When I started, the Customer Partnership Team was four people, I was managing one person and selling for everything east of the Mississippi River. Currently, I manage nine people directly and only sell into a few states. Personally, I really enjoy the management aspect, and seeing the team grow over the last three years has been a really fun, rewarding process.
What’s your partnership like as the heads of Marketing and Sales?
E: I think I am generally a person who’s asking “what’s new and what’s next?” Drew is so much better at building a solid foundation, fueling the established engine that our team has built over the years, and thinking through incremental improvements. Together, I think we do a good job keeping each other in check while continuing to push each other out of our comfort zones.
D: My relationship with Eva is one of the strongest working relationships that I have had in my career, though Eva and I probably couldn’t have more different working styles. She is a true innovator and always wants to change, tweak, and experiment. I am much more resistant to drastic change and much more likely to ask lots of questions before implementing anything new. We are a great team and have complementing strengths and weaknesses.
What’s your favorite skyway lunch spot?
E: Aloha Poke!
D: Aloha Poke!
What’s your favorite non-work part of Kipsu?
E: Definitely volunteering. I like that we give back to the community around us and volunteer in ways that are sometimes completely unrelated to our company or product. Recently, we packaged about 400 lbs of food at Second Harvest and helped restore a park in downtown Minneapolis.
D: By far, my favorite so far was the Kipsu soccer team. I hadn’t played soccer in an embarrassingly long time, so, it was fun to rediscover a sport I hadn’t played for years. But, more importantly, it was awesome to be able to win and lose with coworkers and get to know them away from the office.
Want to work with Drew, Eva, and other cool people? Check out our careers page!
