Retail Media Innovation in Action: How Vantage Builds Better Solutions
Evolving how we innovate
Retail media solutions move faster when the people building them have the space to think boldly and collaborate in real time. That’s why we brought the entire Vantage team together in person for our first companywide hackathon—an energizing few days dedicated to experimentation, problem-solving, and shared ownership. Teammates traveled in from across North America and we stepped away from our day-to-day work to focus on what matters most: building solutions that create real impact for retailers and brands.
Mixing it up to move forward
As products and teams scale, collaboration can naturally become siloed. For Brandon Kane, Vantage’s Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer, significant growth within both the company and our platform marked the ideal time to kick off a hackathon. “We have a pretty sizable product and there isn’t as much opportunity for people on different teams to interact. The hackathon let us mix up teams and get some of the best practices and new approaches to cross pollinate.” All Vantage employees were encouraged to submit ideas, nearly 20 of these ideas advanced to the development phase, and cross-functional teams were formed.
Shared ownership in action
What’s most rewarding about getting dedicated time to innovate with people you don’t often work with closely? The camaraderie, collaboration, and creativity.
Brandon notes, “There wasn’t a single team that failed to work together or didn’t create something interesting. That we can throw any group of people from any department at our company together and have them come up with a solution gives me great hope for the future.” Derwin de Vera, Vantage’s VP of Engineering adds, “Non engineers contributed to projects, displaying system-level thinking and the ability to deliver working demos.”
Proof over polish. Leadership without labels.
The sprint format of a hackathon encouraged grittiness, emphasized progress over perfection, and empowered anyone interested in a leadership role to step up. Derwin appreciated that “teams iterated quickly, prioritized validating the idea over polish and created proof of concept projects that we would not have seen in our sprint cycles.”
What stood out most wasn’t just what teams built, but how they built it. Matt Kojalo, Vantage’s Director of Product, Growth & Diversification expands, “What surprised me most was the creativity. People were genuinely having fun, but they also took it seriously; that combination is rare. Bringing colleagues face to face unlocked something. The competitive energy was real, teams pushed each other, and there was a shared willingness to pick up AI tools and turn loose ideas into something tangible. I’ve done hackathons before, and none were this fun.”
Brandon remarks, “We have so many smart folks on the team with a diverse range of skills and backgrounds. Thinking that leadership has all the answers is naive and doesn’t reflect our core values.”
Recognizing the builders
In addition to a “Best in Show” award at the hackathon, other accolades given included “Smooth Operator” (the best internal tool to remove friction and boost productivity) and “Duct Tape” (a scrappy, messy, but functional solution).
While the hackathon may have been the focus of the retreat, there was plenty of time to socialize in both small and large groups. A highlight of our company dinner was the seating chart that mixed teams up, inspiring fun conversations on a wide range of topics beyond work including travel, music, sports, proposal stories, parenthood, gaming, and home office setup. Alexia Mancini, Vantage’s Event Marketing Manager explains, “A team dinner is more than a meal, it’s an opportunity to build new connections and spark memorable conversations. I put a lot of intention behind the seating chart, bringing together colleagues who don’t often cross paths, blending different perspectives, and ensuring leadership is part of every table.”
At one of our social events, two employees were met with loud applause as they were honored with a Hard Hat Award. This peer-nominated recognition is given twice a year to employees that embody Vantage’s values and are proactive, innovative team players. Moments like these reinforce who we build with matters just as much as what we build.
Advancing retail media innovation, together
The impact of the hackathon extends far beyond the few days we spent together in person. It’s a signal of how we’ll continue to build: retail media solutions shaped by shared ownership, curiosity, and collaboration at every level of the organization.
As Brandon put it, “We really have built an incredibly diverse team that shares a set of core values. There wasn’t a single team that failed to work well together or didn’t create something interesting.” The ability to bring together people from any department and trust them to create something meaningful is what fuels how we innovate—and how we move forward.
And we’re just getting started. As we continue to grow, we’re looking for proactive problem-solvers and curious minds who want to shape the future of retail media with us. If that sounds like you, explore the range of roles we’re hiring for. We’d love to build what’s next, together.
About the Author: Bess Devenow
Bess Devenow is the Senior Strategic Insights & Communications Manager at Vantage, known for connecting dots across trends and telling clear, compelling stories that drive smarter decision-making.
With a background spanning market research, content strategy, and brand building, she thrives at the intersection of insight and narrative—making data not just understandable, but engaging.
When she’s not working, Bess is likely planning her next vacation, hiking, or scouting the best tiramisu in Los Angeles.
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