How did consumer behavior during Covid-19 impact Trigo?

“The changes to consumer behavior as a result of Covid-19 impacted us positively,” says newly joined Nili Valer, CPO at Trigo. “The social distancing requirements created intense pressure for retailers to implement technologies that do away with lines and crowding.”

According to Valer, who joined the team recently after 20 years of HR experience, “this inspired our team to not only deliver our solution to more retailers but to focus on creating new products that will continue to help retailers digitize and modernize their stores.”

Nili Valer · Chief People Officer at Trigo. Photo: Trigo

In the last year, Trigo had a funding round and has doubled its headcount as it helps people navigate life throughout lockdowns. Here are some of the ways the company is helping its employees - and customers - slowly return to normal.

Company Name: Trigo

HR Leader: Nili Valer

Field of Activity: Retail-Tech, computer vision.

Number of employees/location: 100 employees with offices in Tel Aviv, Germany, the UK, and the Netherlands.

Professional background of HR Manager:

I have 20 years of professional experience as an HR leader, specializing in growing organizations to enterprise-sized companies. I’ve spent six years working in executive positions, beginning my career as an organizational consultant supporting numerous companies in this role through hands-on corporate growth services. More recently, I’ve played an integral role, by leveraging my previous experiences, in leading growth companies to develop robust HR infrastructures, define company culture, and set up sufficient scale-ready HR routines. Having just joined Trigo, I'm very eager to get to work.

On a scale of 1-10, how much did the coronavirus pandemic disrupt operations at the company?

I just joined the team, but I’ve asked around and I would say 3, mainly because Trigo demonstrated growth in all areas during the past 12 months. During the year, we were able to pull off a successful series B funding round led by 83North, bringing our total funding to $94 million. Moreover, our team has grown by 100 percent with 50 new members joining the company, and we plan to double our size in the near future.

Furthermore, the changes to consumer behavior as a result of Covid-19 impacted us positively. The social distancing requirements created intense pressure for retailers to implement technologies that do away with lines and crowding. This inspired our team to not only deliver our solution to more retailers but to focus on creating new products that will continue to help retailers digitize and modernize their stores.

For us, Covid-19 served as an expansion driver and encouraged us to place our people where they were needed most. We for example relocated our COO to Trigo’s EU operation center in London. We did this because we realized that we needed to move fast to eliminate potential operational risks.

What interesting technological tools do you use in employee management/recruitment?

We evaluate new technologies, systems, and tools constantly to help support the ever-growing human capital at Trigo. My agenda for this year includes reevaluating some of the tools we currently use and putting in place the foundation for a data-driven talent management life-cycle.

What positive and/or negative impact did the outbreak have on the human capital of the company?

Covid-19 helped us profoundly realize what we already knew - our team is dealing with creative problem-solving. Therefore they strive to share the same space, meet, and work together.

Additionally, I think that for many of our employees, Trigo was an anchor. In a world of uncertainty, there was high demand for our solution. As a matter of fact, grocery shopping was one of the only places kept open during the lockdowns and became the new place to meet people and feel safe. I think that brought a lot of optimism to the team.

What are the two major challenges you are coping with these days?

We are growing fast, so our main challenges are talent acquisition and building the infrastructure for global expansion. In our day-to-day, we focus on people, processes, and tools while doubling down on culture development as a cohesive force. We are also pushing for data-driven cross-organizational standards and investing heavily in personal development.

Are you actively recruiting? If so, what is the process and where can the applicants find you?

Yes, we are definitely recruiting these days with more than 40 open positions in various geographies. We are after software developers, product managers, DevOps engineers, algorithm researchers, operations, HR, and many more.

You can find our open positions here, and you are welcome to visit our Facebook page to get a feel for the company vibe.

During these times, our recruitment process usually starts with Zoom meetings, but we always make sure that the candidate can visit our offices, meet their future team members, and feel the culture and vibe.

Which changes forced upon you by the circumstances will stay in place after Covid-19 is over, and which are you most eager to revert back to normal?

I believe that the hybrid setup is here to stay. From a wider angle, I can say that hybrid isn’t something new, it’s just become mainstream. As a company, we’ve adjusted to Work-From-Home and will continue to enable employees to work this way to some extent. However at Trigo, our job is to solve complex business, operational, and tech problems, and therefore, the core work will be done at the office where co-creation and multidisciplinary brainstorming sessions naturally occur.