This week’s featured team member is Adriana Cascarano, an L.A. native and savvy partnership developer. She earned her degree in Business, Finance & Marketing from Loyola Marymount University, has been with Enplug for almost a year and-a-half and even speaks Italian! Adriana’s got a wicked sense of humor and adorable (and tiny) dog, making her a blast to hang out with. Meet Adriana!
Enplug is one of the fastest growing tech startups in Silicon Beach. Learn more about the team that’s building the world’s first open digital signage software platform.
What is the best part of strategic partnerships role?
The opportunity to expand Enplug globally has given me a lot of satisfaction. Enplug can currently be translated into Russian, Portuguese, Czech, Slovak,Spanish, German, French, Dutch and Polish, and the Enplug team is looking into adding an additional language by Q4.
What’s the most difficult aspect?
International clients require a bit more coordination and require some random late night hours, but their enthusiasm for Enplug’s technology makes it well worth it. 🙂
Of all the clients you’ve worked with, who had the most creative use of our software?
I am working with a client in Malaysia that is utilizing Enplug’s open Software Development Kit to create a smart emergency alert system via Enplug. A brilliant use case of Enplug’s system that could potentially save lives.
What do you have printed on your bracelet?
I just got this bracelet actually. It was difficult to think on one word that described me, but something that I am most proud of is my resilience. My life’s intention is to come out stronger through life’s adversities and so I came up with “mettle.”
What’s your dog’s name?
Gia.
Can you describe Gia in three words or fewer?
Demanding and affectionate.
When did you first start working with Enplug?
I started working at Enplug in March of 2014.
What made you choose to join our team?
I was looking for a company I considered to be at a tipping point of being a major player in the tech community. But, it was the people and the company culture that really differentiated Enplug for me. The team here is brilliant and they offer an aura of positivity that is infectious. I knew that surrounding myself with a team like this would directly impact my professional growth.
What app would you develop for the Enplug Market?
I actually just finished working with SocialIKON to launch hashtag printing. It works amazingly with Enplug’s social application and takes it one step further by actually printing posts onto polaroids in real-time. It’s pretty nifty.
Who’s Hashtag Printing for?
Hashtag printing would be ideal for brands looking to maximize social interaction at an event.
What app do you find yourself using most?
I have really been getting into our Web Page application lately. It is just so versatile. You can use the URL of any webpage and feature it live on your display. I’m consulting with clients to use this for in-office dashboards, live polling and even showcasing live transportation options.
As an L.A. native, what’s the first place our team members from out of town need to go?
Bike through Venice Beach during the Summer months. It’s insanity in a good way. It keeps you active. You get to enjoy the sun and beach air, and you have an opportunity to marvel and be in the center of an amazingly eclectic crowd.
What’s your favorite theme event that you’ve done?
I’ve done a lot of different themes. But, my most recent James Bond 007 theme was pretty spectacular. A whole casino was set up on a rooftop with roulette, poker, and craps. Guests came decked out in tuxedos and everything from the cake to to the photo backdrops were covered in gold glitter. And the party wouldn’t have been the same without the 007 ice luge.
Do you have a hidden talent?
They’re not talents that I have an opportunity to flaunt often, but my balloon twisting and baton skills are quite impressive.
How on earth did you learn to do balloon animals?
When I was 19, I became a children’s entertainer. This gave me an opportunity to learn and perfect my balloon twisting ability.
Slack, email, or text?
I’m a bit old school, text definitely.
What’s your favorite sport?
To watch? Golf, and I’ll follow the Seattle Seahawks football. And, to play? Beach football and soccer.
Pick a golfer: Rory McIlroy, Ricky Fowler, or Bubba Watson.
I’m going to have to go with Bubba. I loved him in the The Golf Boys “oh oh oh” release (check it out if you haven’t yet). But, overall his story is just so intriguing. He’s one of the few left-handed players with a 300+ yard drive and he has this crazy swing that he taught himself. But, I think the reason I stand with him is because of how much he adores his wife and their 2 adopted children, I love that.
What’s your favorite aspect of musical theater?
The stories are always so amazing and in one evening at the theatre you can see a melding of story, music, lyrics, and dance. I just get engulfed in it all.
Do you have a TV guilty pleasure?
Bachelor Mondays. It consists of about a half a dozen young women yelling at the television.
What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned about working in tech?
Patience. Because in the instance that your technology isn’t working, beating up your hardware rarely helps the situation.
Did you learn anything unexpected while building your house?
If you’ve never done it before, you should expect your construction project to take about twice as long as you think and you should be prepared to to spend about three times as much. I remember laughing out loud when somebody first said this to me, but it was very accurate.
If you could have chosen to be in any culture, country, etc., what would you choose?
This may be a bit cliche, but I would probably choose France. The architecture just amazing. The language is intoxicating. The life expectancy is one of the highest in the world. And, socially, they are very progressive. Technologically, they could be a bit more advanced, but Enplug can assist with that.
What will you do in your next life?
Politics! I would love to go into politics. But, I hope that I won’t have to wait until my next lifetime. I would actually love to run on a very local level, down the road. My area is home to the last significant wetlands in the Los Angeles basin affecting wildlife in a major way, and they will soon need new advocates.
Who will take the Iron Throne?
Ahhh! There is only one that deserves to be in power by true right and by true valor… Daenerys Targaryen or “Mother of Dragons.”
Any advice to your younger self?
Don’t let discouraging opinions influence what you decide. Use your many life failures as life lessons. Study abroad. Take dance lessons. Finally, surround yourself with the type of person you want to be—surround yourself with kind people that value themselves and are ambitious.
What is one skill still unmastered?
Any and all skills in the artistic arena.
What has your experience been, working in stereotypically male-dominated spaces like Tech and Finance?
I have always considered myself to be very fortunate to have launched my career in a city like L.A. My first position out of college was very male-dominated. However, the top producers were women and so they had already opened a lot of doors for me.
And, although the tech space is very male-oriented, the startup world is all about ambition, culture and talent. So blue or green, male or female, if you have these important attributes, you will always be accepted.