This month, we’re excited to spotlight Vinícius Quintal Dalter, Head of Product Data at Freenow. Vinícius has had a fascinating journey from game development to leading a diverse data team that shapes how millions of users experience our product. Beyond his professional expertise, he also has a surprising passion that brings rhythm to his life in unexpected ways.
To start off, can you share a surprising fact about yourself that most people might not know?
Well, it's not a secret that I'm a huge fan of Brazilian percussion, but not everyone knows how this happened. It all started in university when I wanted to learn how to play, but couldn't find a group to join. So, I did what any motivated person would do: I started my own! I founded a student group that brought people together to learn and perform.
Fast forward 10 years, and the group is still a thriving community on campus. This passion has taken me on some amazing journeys, from playing for half a million people at Street Carnival in São Paulo to joining a Brazilian percussion group right here in Hamburg, where I'm the only Brazilian. It's been a fun way to connect with people and learn something completely new.
Can you walk us through your career journey and how you came to Freenow?
I started out with a degree in Computer Science, and my first role was as a game developer. While I loved the technical challenge of building games, I really wanted to get closer to the business side of things and see how my work could directly impact strategy. That's what drew me to data analytics.
After focusing on product analytics in the gaming industry, I moved to Latin America's largest food tech company, iFood. There, I got deep into marketing and incentives strategy, which was a huge learning experience.
Then, in 2019, I got the opportunity to join Freenow, which brought me to Germany. My time here has been a real growth journey. I started in marketing analytics, moved into a growth manager role, and eventually became a Data Product Lead. Now, I'm the Head of Data for our product organization.
My team is a diverse group of data analysts, data engineers, and analytics engineers. We own the entire data lifecycle, from ingestion to product discovery and experimentation. We even have a fun team mascot, a Meerkat! It embodies key traits of a great data team: collaboration, vigilance, curiosity, and resourceful problem-solving.
What makes your role both challenging and exciting?
One of the most exciting aspects of my role is that we get to solve some pretty complex problems for millions of users across multiple countries. One challenge is that each city is unique, with its own specific needs for both passengers and drivers. This can be a huge challenge because a solution that works in one market might not work in another. It forces us to constantly rethink how we use data to suggest the best product improvements.
It’s this combination of complexity and real-world impact that makes the work so engaging and ensures that our efforts are always pushing the user experience to the next level.
What do you enjoy most about working at Freenow?
What I love most about Freenow is the unique blend of a truly multicultural team and the complex challenges we tackle every day. But what makes it truly special is seeing the direct impact we have on a widely used product. It's not just an abstract idea; it's a service that people around me can rely on. Knowing that our work helps my friends get around their city is a powerful feeling.
It's incredibly rewarding to see our users in the real world, whether it's seeing them use a new feature we launched or reading their feedback. Even when we receive constructive, or sometimes even harsh, criticism, it's a powerful reminder that our work is directly tied to a real person's experience. It keeps us grounded and focused on solving the right problems.
On top of all that, the recent acquisition by Lyft is a huge motivator. It's a great opportunity for me and the team to collaborate with other professionals on similar problems and ultimately drive even more impactful solutions for our users.
What advice would you give to someone thinking about joining Freenow?
The best advice I could give is to be incredibly curious and do your homework. Dive into the world of Freenow, research the industry, explore the app, and take a ride. This will give you a genuine understanding of our product and the complex problems we solve every day.
That kind of curiosity is essential here because we are always challenging ourselves to see things from the perspective of our drivers and passengers. It's a mindset that will help you not just land the job, but truly succeed on the team.
A big thank you to Vinícius for sharing his journey and insights with us!