We’re Turning 3!

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TribalScale

6 min readNov 2, 2018

By Sheetal Jaitly

We talk about being a rocketship a lot, and when you’re growing and scaling as quickly as we are, you feel this and know it. A lot has happened in the last year and I’m pumped to share some of TribalScale’s top highlights from the last year.

1. Launching a Rebrand

This year we decided it was time to rebrand. In the past three years, we’ve grown and changed a lot. We opened 5 offices, grew to over 200 people, kicked-off Venture Studios, and already, 4 disruptive startups have been launched. We partnered with OneMethod, got a fresh look and disrupted ourselves. It’s bold and kickass, just like us.

The rebrand launched on September 12th, if you missed it, watch the announcement video and read our blog. I promise you’ll love it.

2. Reaching 200 Employees Strong

The TribalScale rocketship really took off this year. At our two-and-a-half-year mark, we officially grew from five founders to over 200 employees, and we’re still hiring for 50+ full-time positions. It’s been an incredible ride, but we’ve also learned so much from growing and scaling so fast. I shared some of those hurdles and the lessons we’ve learned along the way in a blog. It’s all about #failfast.

3. TakeOver Innovation Conference 2018

We hosted the second annual TakeOver Innovation Conference in Toronto on June 11th with over 1,400 attendees! We had C-Suite executives and industry leaders traveling from the UAE, England, Germany, all over the USA and Canada to share their insights and perspectives on innovation. I walked into a workshop room and saw top-tier business leaders sitting on the floor so hungry and ready to learn. It was incredible, and it’s exactly why I say and believe that your network is your net worth.

For TakeOver 2017, we had a diversity mandate to have 50/50 female and male speakers. This year, we took it a step further and invited speakers, partners, and attendees from all over the world for FULL diversity. If you missed out, don’t worry, you can watch all the full sessions here.

4. TakeOver Dubai

After hosting two massive TakeOvers in Toronto, we decided to take it on the road with Dubai as our first stop. I’ve been traveling back-and-forth from Dubai for the last few years and there is so much hustle and opportunity in the region. I wanted to connect my North American and MENA region networks and build bridges.

We’re hosting TakeOver Dubai on November 14, and it’s going to be an exclusive, invite-only event for global leaders and innovators ready to discuss digital transformation, innovation, and enterprise strategy. Our speaker line up is impressive with H.E. Marcy Grossman, the Consul General of Canada in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, Rita Makhoul, Editorial Publisher at ArabNet, Neelay Patel, the Director of TV, Radio & Music at the BBC, and more.

If you’re in the MENA region and want to attend, you can apply or learn more here.

5. Venture Studios Cohort 1 Launch

TribalScale Venture Studios co-creates, invests in, and scales disruptive startups with entrepreneurs and corporates. At TakeOver, Cohort 1 took the stage and launched their disruptive startups. HUGE kudos to Every, SENSO.AI, Troupe.AI, and Mesh for their hard work and success, since kick-off they’ve been making waves in the financial services and automotive industry. But their journeys are just beginning and I can’t wait to see how they scale and change the future of these verticals.

After seeing the big wins of cohort 1, I can’t wait to see what cohort 2 brings. Find out how you can get involved with Venture Studios.

6. OC Team Crushing Auto Hackathons

OC team at the SDL Developer Hackathon at MWC Americas 2018

The OC team is the king of winning every hackathon they participate in. In November 2017, they won the AutoMobility LA hackathon hosted by Honda Innovations, and in September 2018, they took the grand prize at the SDL Developer Hackathon hosted by Ford and FordDev. We’ve proven to be leaders in the connected car space and we’re continuing to work with leading OEMs to build, define, and strategize on innovative technologies.

We’re ready to crush the next hackathon at AutoMobility LA this month.

7. Taking Over New Cities & New Offices: Boston, Chicago, Texas & Dubai

Last year, we moved our OC team to a new office and kick-started our Dubai team. Now, a year later, we’re preparing to move our Dubai family to their own office at the Dubai Design District, freshly renovated, kickass office. And hey, we also opened up a new offices in Boston, and we’re expanding in Chicago, Texas, and New York!

8. Key Hires

As we grow and scale internationally, we knew we needed to fill our gaps and drive this team forward with smart and ambitious leaders that will help take us to the next level. We brought on Theresa Smith as the Global VP of Business Development, Karen Pattani-Hason as the Head of Strategic Partnerships, Fraser Matthews as the MENA Regional Director, and Harp Gahunia as the VP of Venture Studios. Each brings a wealth of strategic knowledge and experience and are adding fuel to this fire.

9. Kirstine Stewart’s TribalScale Story and Accomplishments

I can’t thank Kirstine enough for the support, guidance, and everything she’s accomplished in the last ten months at TribalScale. We are growing at a rapid pace and have definitely experienced some bumps along the way. Kirstine helped us smooth out those bumps and set us up for success. In her time here, she helped triple the size of our Marketing, HR, and Finance & Operations teams, set up an organizational structure that empowers each person to rise up, and created formal reporting structures and levels for performance and comp reviews. Kirstine is leaving us with an amazing game plan and a momentum that won’t slow down.

Kirstine is moving to Geneva for the World Economic Forum. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime! Bittersweet, but I know she’ll always be a close friend and a phone call away.