“Own the whole product” is one of the company values at NeuroFlow. Perhaps the employee who exemplifies that value the most is the one and only Sam DeLuccia. As NeuroFlow’s first full-time employee, Sam has worn all the hats (and all the throwback swag) that NeuroFlow could offer.
From sales to customer success to engineering, Sam has carved a unique path towards his current role as Product Owner, and is the proud owner of a first-row seat to all the exciting updates and developments at NeuroFlow over the years. We stole Sam for a few minutes to get his thoughts on our new office, our company culture, and much more; check out our interview below with Sam!
Q: Did you always know you wanted to work at a tech company coming out of grad school?
A: Working in tech has always been something I was very interested in. My graduate degree was in bioengineering (BE) with a certificate in engineering entrepreneurship, and BE offered a lot of opportunities to explore the health tech space. I also was specializing in neural engineering on the more technical side and was drawn to mental healthcare, so NeuroFlow was a particularly appealing opportunity when I met Chris and Adam at Penn in 2016!
Product Owner Sam DeLuccia at our former offices
Q: You’ve helped with recruiting for nearly every department. What would you say are the most important character traits for potential NeuroFlow applicants?
A: The company continues to grow, but there are a few characteristics that are always consistent with the team: mission-driven, smart and critical thinking, willing to be flexible and adapt to new situations, and super collaborative. When your customers are supporting patients’ mental health, it’s important to move fast to ensure we’re doing our best to support them, and those traits really lend to that endeavor.
“To me, ‘own the whole product’ is all about driving the success of the company and collaborating with our team to make stuff happen!” – Sam DeLuccia
Q: You’ve been at NeuroFlow through every one of our offices, what can you tell us about the new one at The Bourse?
A: Very true! We’ve been all over Philadelphia, starting in a room in Wharton business school shared with a bunch of other tiny startups, all the way to our current office in Old City. The Bourse is sweet – it’s a historical building directly adjacent to Independence Mall (where the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall sit). It’s home to a fantastic boutique food court on the first floor with some unique choices.
Q: Your path at NeuroFlow has been far from ordinary; how has the company supported your growth and career goals?
A: As an early employee in a startup, you’re required to wear a ton of hats (in some cases, all of them) to keep things moving forward. So I’ve had responsibilities in just about every business function, including sales, marketing, customer success, product management, QA, engineering, and data science. As you grow, you start to fill those hats with new hires, and you become more specialized with the people you hire.
One thing about NeuroFlow as a company is that you’ll always be heard: lead with a proposal and outline a plan, and it’ll always be at least discussed. It shows how we like to lead with a “yes mentality”. So as we’ve grown in a fast-paced environment, I’ve had to check in with what my proposals/plans are for my personal interests and success. That’s carried me to my current role as Product Owner. Especially after getting experience in each of the different business functions, it became clear to me that I really enjoyed the problem-solving, collaborative nature of product, and the company helped me make that transition throughout my time here by staying flexible and supporting me with career-oriented proposals.
Q: You’ve lived in a ton of different parts of the city of Philadelphia, what do you enjoy about where you’re at now in Passyunk?
A: I love Philadelphia! It’s a city with a diverse population, it’s historically grounded while continuously becoming more and more progressive and up-and-coming.
I’m currently living in my fifth Philly neighborhood, in the Passyunk area of South Philadelphia. Passyunk Ave is always lit up at night and has fantastic outdoor activities. The area has some of the best food in the city, whether you’re into small, fancy BYO’s or cheesesteaks (Pat’s and Geno’s are at the north end of Passyunk area, and are famous as dueling cheesesteak joints). Because it’s historically Italian, the Italian Market and lots of great restaurants are all within a tight radius.
Interested in joining Sam and others on the NeuroFlow team? Check out our career opportunities!
