In July Informed K12 held our first in-person retreat in 2 years! This was an amazing opportunity for people to get to know each other and meet for the first time in person. Employees traveled from all over the country to our Headquarters in Oakland, California for three days of building relationships, tackling company initiatives, and singing amazing karaoke!

Here are some highlights from our 2022 retreat:

What we discussed

1. Advisor Discussion: We heard from a Venture Capitalist who also serves as an advisor to our Founders, Sarah and Qian, about our role in the market and how our unique product and employee knowledge makes us a leader in the EdTech space. In addition, it was exciting to hear him talk about the strength and sustainability momentum Informed K12 has as a business leading into 2023. Better understanding more about our market fit and strengths as an Ed Tech leader really speaks to why we can continue to grow our team during this uncertain economic time. 
2. DEI & Life Map Groups: We worked in small groups and shared personal experiences of barriers we’ve experienced in the workplace. After, we ten developed specific initiatives that we can address internally to make sure these barriers are not holding people back from their growth potentials. 
3. Hackathon: Four different groups took on different company initiatives to create a deliverable by the end of this session. These projects included revising our company values, creating competitive battle cards, developing a structure on how to volunteer, and creating a process calendar where we can look at trends happening at districts during a typical school year. The ability to work with team members across different functions is an exciting and core part of our culture.
4. Team Meetings: There’s nothing better than getting together with your teammates! Each group had an afternoon to work with each other and plan out goals and initiatives for the next year!

How we had fun

1. We explored the Oakland dining and beer scene by hosting a company happy hour at Original Pattern Brewery and team dinners at Nido’s Backyard, Oeste, Forge Oakland and Agave Uptown
2. A group of folks checked out North America’s largest climbing gym, Pacific Pipe
3. There was fierce competition during our Apples to Apples game
4. Our final night concluded with rooftop karaoke! 

What our employees said about the retreat

Being together with my teammates, and getting to know folks on other teams face to face was so valuable. I felt very energized by the experience. I was able to speak with other folks about an idea of doing a shared workspace once a month. Working near folks with the same understanding and vision is invigorating! 

The time getting to meet everyone and just have conversations was absolutely invaluable. I'm glad this company has such amazing and welcoming people.

[Getting to meet people in person] was the biggest takeaway for me from the retreat. Onboarding and working remotely have made it difficult to connect with folks on a more personal level. Seeing people in person and being able to collaborate and work with them has made it easier to connect with them. 

How we looked!

Customer Success Team 

Engineering Team

Sales team

Operations Team