Cassidy Williams

Software Engineer & Developer Evangelist at Clarifai

New York City, New York

@cassidoo | LinkedIn Profile

When I was at Venmo, I was a software engineer and a developer evangelist. I worked on a few teams on the engineering side, from the money team to the core team and finally the web team. I helped build new features, worked with existing ones, and helped on a project for our fraud, compliance and support teams to keep track of user activity. On the developer evangelism side, I built the program from the ground up by organizing sponsorship of hackathons, speaking at events, writing blog post, and helping people in the tech community. By the end of this past hackathon season, Venmo was the #1 payments API used at hackathons in the country!

How would you describe the NYC start-up scene? What do you think are the key differences between NYC as compared to Silicon Valley or London from a start-up perspective?

What I love about the NYC startup scene is that it’s focused on solving real problems. That’s not to say that companies in Silicon Valley and London companies are not doing this. But in NYC, there’s a diversity of thought in that startups aren’t focused on tech just to be focused on tech. They come from diverse backgrounds like music or fashion or advertising or finance, and that’s really interesting.

You were featured as part of the Big Dream Movement documentary. How was this experience? Do you believe these type of films and activities are critical to addressing the gender diversity issue in tech?

Being involved with Big Dream was a wonderful experience. I love helping others be the best that they can be – even if it’s just showing them who I am on screen. I do think that these sorts of efforts are important. To this day, I get messages from women and young ladies who asking for advice and telling me that they’re trying something new as a result. I love that.

You are about to begin a new career stage with a new startup. What experiences do you believe have prepared you for this and what scares you the most about taking this step?

I just started work this week at Clarifai, a machine learning and image recognition startup. I’m going to be doing software engineering and developer evangelism for them – similar to what I did at Venmo, but building a completely different type of technology with a different focus. I’m so happy I get to use the skills I’ve built on some new and exciting tech.

You’re a very outgoing and active speaker. What message do you normal focus on when speaking to other younger women who are interested in a career in FinTech?

In general, I focus on either cool tech ideas/concepts or on the importance of diversity and inclusion. But when I’m speaking to younger groups, I focus purely on possibility and opportunity. When kids hear that they can change lives and do what they love, they really absorb the information and run with it.

How important has your family support system been with respect to your personal career success?

Unbelievably important. I know for a fact that I would not be where I am today if it weren’t for the support of my family. I talk to my parents everyday. They give me insightful advice and keep me grounded. My sister is also in tech, and it’s been so fun working with her on different projects and ideas. I love being close with my family – it’s invaluable to me.

Whom has had the most influence with respect to your own career?

Kelly Hoey, Jennifer Arguello and Rane Johnson-Stempson. These women are my mentors and friends. Whenever I need career advice, I turn to them. I’ve known each of them for a little over two years, and it’s been amazing getting to know them and having their support.

What do you see as the 3 leading future trends for FinTech?

I hate to be that cliché, but LoMoSo! Local, mobile and social is where FinTech is going – and it has to if it wants to be moving as fast as other tech companies out there.