In our 'Meet the Team' series, you'll get to know the amazing individuals behind Raw Stadia. Next up is Olay Dede, a dynamic software engineer with a decade of experience in sports tech. Let's dive in and learn more about Olay!
Can you tell us a little about your background and what brought you to join our team?
I’ve dedicated the past decade to sports tech, primarily as a software engineer and co-owner of a company that developed Athlete Management and Performance Monitoring software tailored for refereeing. Seeking new challenges, I was drawn to Raw Stadia’s innovative approach after hearing about it from a colleague. Meeting Jan for drinks and learning more about the team’s vision solidified my interest. A few months later, I made my first pull request, and I’ve been excited to bring my expertise to such a forward-thinking team ever since.
What excites you the most about your role here?
After many years in sports tech, I’m excited to contribute to the development of a completely new solution at Raw Stadia. Capturing data and generating insights around player-surface interaction feels like exploring uncharted territory in sports tech. The prospect that every API endpoint we create will help generate innovative insights and help our customers become better is very exciting.
What are some of your key strengths or areas of expertise that you bring to the team?
I am passionate about building solutions and equally enjoy collaborating with users, observing them use the product, and incorporating their feedback to improve it. One of my key strengths is my ability to bridge the gap between technical requirements and user feedback. Effective communication between the technical team and customers is crucial, and I believe this ability is a major asset for Raw Stadia.
How do you envision contributing to the team's goals and objectives?
I aim to contribute by developing top-notch features that meet customer requirements while ensuring we maintain a high standard of code quality. By balancing the quantity of code with quality, I believe we can create a solid foundation that will enable us to grow faster and more sustainably in the future. My goal is to help the team deliver exceptional solutions that drive our success.
Outside of work, what are some of your hobbies or interests?
Outside of work, I enjoy watching lots of movies with my lovely wife and diving into a variety of books (not just the ones on data structures and algorithms). I love eating out with friends and enjoying great company. For physical activity, I hit the heavy bag weekly and occasionally go mountain biking. Whenever I have time off, I like to plan short vacations, preferably to Scandinavia, the Alps, or any place that has lots of mountains.
Lastly, do you have any fun facts or anecdotes you'd like to share with your colleagues?
A few years ago, a friend and I decided to embark on an adventure with my recently restored 30-year-old Mercedes G300. We set off for Norway, but just 10 kilometres before reaching the ferry from Hirtshals, Denmark to Kristiansand, Norway, the car’s transmission shattered. Stranded at a gas station with a car full of camping equipment, we thought our trip was over. However, after some discussions with our insurance company, we managed to have the car towed back to Belgium and got a small rental car instead. Fitting all our gear into a tiny Renault Captur was a challenge, but we managed and ended up having a fantastic trip.
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