Stephanie Liverani at the new Crew headquarters, opening in April 2016 | Photo courtesy of Stephanie Liverani
What was once headquarters of the country’s most powerful bank will soon become the new home base for local tech company Crew. The professional web-based service connects businesses wishing to boost their online presence with high-quality freelancers that have the skills to make it happen.
It’s the brainchild of Liverani and husband Mikael Cho. The couple, ages 26 and 29, co-founded the company three years ago along with partners Luke Chesser and Angus Woodman.
The 1,000-square-metre ground-floor space of this historical building, which has retained the original tile, stone and brickwork, will also house a co-working space and café when it opens its doors in April 2016.
“We have quite a lot of freelancers that are based in Montreal, and we had to get a new office space anyway,” Liverani says. “We figured, let’s have a physical presence and show what Crew looks like in the real world.”
As chief operating officer, Liverani helps define new product features, assures quality, sets up team processes, is responsible for hiring, and manages investor relations and the future of Crew.
Since tripling its staff in 2014 — the company now employs upwards of 30 people — she admits that maintaining a good work-life balance is challenging.
“There’s always something to do. It’s about finding that time where you can just think, maybe go for a walk,” says Liverani.
For her, this precious personal time is early in the morning when her Chow Chow dog begs to be taken out for a stroll.
Staying on top of things takes a lot of self-discipline — a skill Liverani says she learned during her time at Concordia.
A lifelong love of math led her to study actuarial mathematics in the Department of Mathematics & Statistics. Motivated by the challenging and fast-paced nature of her studies, she was dismayed when her first job offered little more than a 9-to-5 grind in a tiny cubicle.
“What I learned in school was very different than what happened when I graduated and went into the real world of working,” she says.
Disillusioned, Liverani decided to make a career change after just one year in the actuarial field. Meanwhile, Cho — a designer — had grown tired of working in an agency and was ready to do something different.
With a $25,000 investment from FounderFuel — a Montreal-based startup accelerator that helps young entrepreneurs refine their vision into deliverable products — the couple co-founded Crew in 2012. Last year, the company raised more than $12 million.
“In terms of learning how to start a business, it’s a lot of trial and error and listening to your gut,” Liverani says. “I think a lot of that stuff you can’t get in textbooks.”
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