Building a Culture-Focused Team
What is “company culture”? And what makes it “good”? The first step to talking about company culture is to define it. Company culture is the behaviors, beliefs, interactions and attitudes that determine how work gets done at a company. A number of factors drive a positive company culture; the most important being that it’s authentic. […]
Shield Spotlight: Ward Shelley
Tell us about your journey to Shield AI. I first heard about Shield AI from a previous coworker who reached out to me and said, “Do you know anything about this company? I just joined and it seems like it might be a good fit for you.” The technology was really cool, but what most […]
Shield Spotlight Tristan Novak
How did you first become interested in engineering? I’ve always enjoyed building things, creating plans and designing something new. I grew up doing a lot of mechanical work and other hands-on activities, such as woodworking, metalworking, and automotive work. As early as elementary school I remember designing things and building them out of wood. I […]
On Reaching New Milestones
When my brother, Brandon, and I founded Shield AI with Andrew in 2015, we set out to create a defining company in the emerging defense technology sector to serve service members and first responders. We wanted to use AI to protect those who go to war and civilians caught in conflict by providing the best […]
Our Philosophy On Professional Development
“What does good leadership look like?” If you were to pose that question to ten people, you would receive ten different answers with some common themes. Each answer would draw heavily from the individual’s personal experiences. One person might describe the leadership of their high school coach, another the style of their favorite college professor, […]
When is the Right Time in Your Career to Join a Start-up?
Small, growing companies like start-ups have a reputation for catering to the under-30 set and those just beginning their careers. Shield AI has broken this mold, with teammates of all backgrounds and ages. We sat down with three of our recent additions to discuss their motivations in joining the company. What follows is our conversation […]
Shield Spotlight: Ben Anderson
A conversation with Ben Anderson, a Hardware Engineer at Shield AI. You were one of the first people to join the Shield AI team, what was the company like in the early days? I joined the company when there were about 15 people. My team, the mechanical engineering team, was three people. Shield AI was […]
Shield Spotlight: Kenny Yokoyama
A conversation with Kenny Yokoyama, a Software Engineer at Shield AI. How did you first learn about Shield AI? I first heard about Shield AI from a classmate of mine from UCSD. He had just accepted a position with the company, and he shared with me how excited he was about the opportunity to work […]
On Balancing Parenting and Start-up Life
Being a working parent is challenging. But is it tougher at a start-up? We sat down with three of our working-parent teammates at Shield AI to discuss the realities of parenting: What is it really like? How does start-up culture differ from other corporate? The impression is that start-up life and parenting don’t go together. […]
The Role of Trust in Building a Team
A conversation with Andrew Dimitruk, Shield AI’s Head of Talent. How important is trust in recruiting and building a team? One word: Essential. What has influenced your opinions of trust? My experience in the military helped to inform my perspective on the value of trust. When an officer is commissioned in the United States military, […]
