Building Better Together: Inside Ruvna’s 2025 Austin Team Onsite

When Ruvna Comes to Austin: Remote Team, Real Connections

We kicked off this tradition last year with our first-ever company-wide gathering — “Ruvnadelphia” in Philadelphia. Our team members flew in from across the country, finally putting faces to Zoom squares. We wandered through historic streets, engaged in team-building activities, and established the foundation for what would become our annual retreat. Those Ruvnadelphia moments–spontaneous laughter, intense brainstorming sessions, and priceless “aha!” moments when brilliant ideas clicked into place–set a high bar for our future gatherings.

Early this March, our Ruvna team arrived in Austin for what turned out to be an amazing few days of collaboration and connection. Though we're proudly a remote team, there's nothing quite like getting together in person—which is why we create these meetups whenever we can! 

"Watching our teammates trade Slack threads for sticky-note walls—and Austin BBQ—for three intense days reminded me why we built Ruvna as a people-first company," shares Joey Nutinsky, our CEO. "Hearing engineers, product, and ops riff side-by-side, you can almost feel the next big feature take shape in real time. We fly home re-energized, carrying those breakfast-taco brainstorms straight into the work that keeps schools safer."

This year, we chose Austin as our destination–smack in the middle of the US–making the journey more manageable for our coast-to-coast team. The vibrant energy of Austin, with its booming tech scene, incredible food, and live music around every corner, created the perfect backdrop for our 2025 onsite. We fueled our strategy sessions with authentic Texas BBQ and strengthened our company culture under the warm Texas sun. There's something special about sharing the same physical space, watching ideas bounce around the room, and building the connections that will inspire our next big moves.

Real Talk with Real Users: Client Insights that Drive Our Direction

We started our week with an absolute highlight—jumping on a call with two of our amazing clients, Hiram Cuevas, Director of Information Systems and Academic Technology at St. Christopher's School, and Tye Campbell, Director of Strategic Information and Innovation at Gilman School . They were refreshingly candid about what they love about our platform and where they see room for improvement. 

"Client conversations like these are golden for our product development. Hearing directly from schools about their day-to-day challenges helps us prioritize features that drive real impact. What I loved about this session was having our entire team present - it creates a shared understanding that shapes our product decisions for months to come," notes Bill Farrell, our VP of Product. 

They shared valuable insights about their experiences, challenges, and what they want to see next from our platform. These conversations highlighted what truly matters – not just building great technology but providing the responsive support that schools need. With a 1-hour average response time and 94.8% support satisfaction, we're committed to being true partners to our schools. 

Having everyone from different teams in on this call was invaluable—it meant we all heard the same feedback directly from the source, so we're completely aligned on where Ruvna needs to go next. Nothing beats getting that unfiltered client perspective!

From Zoom Squares To Face-to-Face Collaboration

The team meetup was more than just catching up—it was a productivity powerhouse! Our days were filled with dynamic sessions led by different department heads who guided us through future plans, current challenges, and a whirlwind of solution brainstorming. Imagine our usual video calls, but with immediate feedback, sticky notes on the wall, and the energy that only comes from being in the same room together.

Each session sparked many fruitful discussions amongst the team. We jumped from nailing down our marketing language to racing through our demo site in these fun challenges our team leads created for us. They really know how to make learning fun!

"With any large-scale annual event, it's easy to feel a bit uncertain—hopeful for big outcomes, but unsure if they'll really come to life," shares Rachel Strauss, our Community Manager. "I wasn't sure how much we'd actually accomplish in just a few days. But the progress we made—in hours instead of weeks—spoke for itself. The ability to quickly sketch ideas and get immediate reactions changed everything. It reminded me that the right space and the right people make all the difference."

A memorable moment everyone still talks about? Working on our elevator pitch together. We were all trying to boil down what Ruvna does into something clear and compelling. Then Macey Belter, our VP of Marketing, grabbed a random businessman from the hotel lobby and brought him into our session for some real-world feedback! Talk about putting our messaging to the test. His unfiltered reactions showed us exactly which parts of our pitch were landing and which needed work.

Being the tight-knit crew that we are, we already collaborate across teams pretty seamlessly. But there's something special about literally sitting around the same table that lets ideas flow more naturally and gives everyone space to jump in with their thoughts. That's the Ruvna way—anyone on the team can bring an idea to the table and run with it.

Client-Centered Innovation: Building a More Connected Future

Throughout all our conversations, one theme kept popping up again and again – how can we better serve the schools that count on us? The answer we kept circling back to: integration. 

We're focused on making Ruvna work more seamlessly with the tech systems you already have in place. The onsite provided valuable time for our team to collaborate on future directions and priorities that will enhance the Ruvna experience for our schools.

Every session we held sparked dozens of rich discussions among our team members. These conversations have planted the seeds for some seriously exciting developments that we're busy bringing to life.

We've got some game-changing updates in the pipeline that we're absolutely itching to share with you. Stay tuned – the wait will definitely be worth it!

More Than Meetings: Team Bonding and Competitive Spirit

It wouldn't be a Ruvna meetup without making time for a little fun! We spent one evening at Dave & Buster's, where we were divided into three teams—red, orange, and pink—for an all-out arcade battle. Just between us, the pink team dominated and hasn't stopped reminding everyone about it since.

We also enjoyed an incredible dinner together at Ember Kitchen before breaking out into some unforgettable karaoke. Who knew our colleagues were hiding such impressive singing voices? And the surprise rap skills that emerged? Let's just say we captured some content that'll keep us laughing in Slack channels for months to come.

Looking Ahead: What Our Austin Energy Ignited

 Fun and games aside, our Austin meetup truly accelerated our plans for Ruvna this year. There's something irreplaceable about brainstorming together in the same room and hearing directly from our clients that sparked so many fresh ideas. 

The energy and creativity from our time together will influence several exciting initiatives in the coming months, including our new partnership program that will expand the Ruvna ecosystem. We're particularly excited about developing our integrations library to make Ruvna work more seamlessly with the other systems schools rely on daily.

We've also launched our "Connected Schools" webinar series to continue these valuable conversations with our community. Each month, we bring together experienced education leaders to share real solutions and discuss important topics affecting school safety and operations. This initiative emerged directly from our onsite discussions about creating more opportunities to learn from the schools we serve.

Consider this just the beginning of an exciting new chapter! We're bringing the energy and insights from Austin back to our virtual collaboration, ensuring that the momentum continues.

As we continue building the future of school safety together, we'd love to hear from you. What features would most impact your school's emergency response capabilities? Connect with us on LinkedIn or reach out directly to share your thoughts.

Keep your eyes peeled for what we have coming—the best is definitely yet to come!

Want to learn more about how Ruvna is transforming school safety? Schedule a demo today to see our latest innovations in action.

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