From One Office to Seven: My Experience Watching Liftoff Grow

In reflecting upon my experience at Liftoff over the past 3 and a half years, my mind takes me to my first day, back when we had two offices split between a parking lot. It was an intimate space, cozy and supportive with everyone chiming into conversations to offer advice or feedback. Eager to take on the challenges of joining a small company, we were all there for growth — both for Liftoff and personally. 

Fast forward to now, we not only have one combined HQ (yay!), but we have 6 other offices around the world. Yet we still honor and demonstrate the same values every day — supportive, transparent, data-driven, proactive, humble and courage to change. And this is not just the case in our Palo Alto HQ, but also is true in New York, London, Paris, Singapore, Tokyo and Korea:

• Singapore, Tokyo and Seoul always have a shared Google Hangout turned on to make it feel like each office is connected – to share information, ask questions, and tell jokes.
• London hosts “International Hours” – lunches or dinners hosted by a teammate who prepares a presentation and quiz to share their culture.
• New York, a small but mighty crew of four people are able to have informal spontaneous conversations. They talk about accounts, a new project, a Liftoff event, or anything that is current and relevant.

I’ve had the opportunity to visit almost every office, most recently our brand new Seoul office in Korea. It is incredible to fly to the other side of the world and feel right at home — even when you can’t speak or read a single word in the local language. 

From the moment I arrived, our two new Korean coworkers did everything in their power to make sure I enjoyed my stay and experienced Seoul like a local: they took me to eat my favorite Korean banchan (side dish), myeolchi bokkeum; we shopped at a nearby store to fill the office with Korean snacks and candies; we visited Artbox, a store that sells cute character goods only found in Korea and Japan (I bought more than I should have btw).

Liftoff prioritizes care and attention on hiring the right people and cultivating the best culture, no matter which office you call home-base. I feel lucky to have experienced Liftoff’s growth in various offices around the world and I’m excited to see where we jet to next!