Meet the Ware Force: Gio Valdenegro

As a young company, hiring the right people is crucial to success. We’re proud of the culture we’re building at Ware, and want you to meet the people behind our inventory control technology. These are the people that make it happen.

Next up in our meet the team series is Giovanni (Gio) Valdenegro, our senior product designer. Continue reading to learn more about Gio, his love for user-centric design, and how he brings this to life in our inventory control solution.

Name:  Giovanni Valdenegro

Role: Senior Product Designer

Department: Product Development & Engineering

Location: Oakland, CA

Q: Can you start by telling us about your background? How did you get into product design?

A: I was fortunate enough to grow up in various countries and spent about 10 years in Mexico and another 10+ years in Italy prior to living in the United States.

I originally studied Computer Science but realized it wasn’t my true passion. I rediscovered that my passion and skills were in the design world. Ever since I was a kid I was drawn to art and solving problems. In my early years, I was exposed to typography, painting and drawing classes in addition to regular school.

I started my tech career in San Diego, CA in search engine management (SEM) and search engine optimization (SEO). In 2009, I moved to the Bay Area where I was able to grow my visual design, UX design and product design skills.

In 2015, I joined DroneDeploy, which is where I first started working in the drone industry. I designed innovative solutions for autonomous data capture and analysis for agriculture and construction. I’ve also worked in fintech, blockchain, and healthcare, giving me the opportunity to work in different industries with different design challenges.

Q: What attracted you to joining Ware?

A: I’ve always enjoyed working on innovative solutions. After learning more about Ware’s vision, I became intrigued by the product. Another factor was  the culture at Ware. Not to mention the wonderful people I work with. I actually had the pleasure to have worked alongside Ian Smith and Conor Brady at DroneDeploy.

Q: What does a typical day in the life of your role look like?

A: As in any startup I wear multiple hats but I mainly focus on end-to-end product solutions from early exploratory research to delivering elegant solutions.

At Ware we know how important it is to understand our user needs. Part of the process involves listening to our users and prioritizing solutions that bring the most value to our users.  We listen to our users with an empathetic mind-set to design solutions that deliver elegant and easy to use products.

Q: And finally, tell us a fun fact about yourself.

A: Many find it hilarious, but I like buying rare plants, one of them being rare and delicious fig plants. I am intrigued by nature and replicating ecosystems where plants thrive. Not to mention that it’s extremely therapeutic.

Learn more about our inventory control solution for warehousing. Book a demo with our team today.

‍