Working at Freenome: Sometimes it’s a picnic!
Sometimes, when you’re up to your neck in multi-analyte data, trying to identify patterns that could help you cure cancer, you just need a little help from your friends. At Freenome, we’re fortunate to find those friends hard at work by our side, and from time to time we make a special excursion just to celebrate that fact.
The annual Freenome company picnic last Friday was just such an occasion, as we gathered both our work family and our family-families together to enjoy a fog-free, golden summer afternoon in Westborough Park, South SF.
Around 3PM Freenomers begin trickling in with families, toddlers and pets (a.k.a. Freenome Mascots and Mascotas), and a smorgasbord of favorite potluck dishes in tow.
Special shout out to Freenome’s office manager and Chief Happiness Officer, Jenn Harrison, for organizing, and to Ben Sutherland, software engineer plenipotentiary and Freenome Grill Master Extraordinaire, for laying out a sumptuous BBQ to satisfy and delight those of all dietary persuasions.
It proved to be the perfect Freenome recruiting event for junior computational researchers and aspiring commercial specialists. Before you judge, this is important work in a highly competitive space!
All in all, it was a day to relax and reflect on where we were just one year ago. From a core team of 25 biologists, machine learners, clinicians, engineers, and operations staff we’re now at 77 strong and growing fast. (One of the many, many lessons learned? Taking the team photo BEFORE the medal ceremony!) Facing the challenges of marrying two of the most important fields of our time can be equal parts inspiring, challenging, and sometimes, just plain frustrating. But realizing that the people you need to succeed are all around you? That, my friends, is a picnic. And we’re already cooking up ideas for next year. Hope to see you there.