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Veriff’s CRO on why identity is the internet’s key challenge

In a stellar career, Javier Ortega Estrada has already overseen 10x revenue growth at Dropbox and helped take event platform Hopin from startup to scale in just two short years. He offers tips on pursuing a successful tech career – and explains why he knew his next challenge was at Veriff…

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Chris Hooper
Director of Brand at Veriff.com
May 4, 2023
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Veriff
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On Veriff’s mission
On Veriff’s culture
Choosing your next tech role

Listen to full conversation with Javier now!

Asked about the secret to his successful career in tech, Veriff’s Chief Revenue Officer Javier Ortega Estrada answers with a characteristic smile and a little wry humour.

“I think there’s something about me that likes building things,” he says, “and potentially likes pain a little bit.”

We’re more interested in his ability to help businesses grow than his pain threshold. But what attracted him to Veriff, and what advice does he have to offer others seeking a rewarding career in the tech industry?

On Veriff’s mission

One of the first things that stood out to Javier about Veriff was the timeliness and relevance of the company’s proposition.

“There are a lot of conversations going on in different industries about how to protect users,” he comments. “We’re seeing more and more companies coming online with their services. And from marketplaces to the gig economy, you need to really understand who you’re doing business with.”

He believes the internet represents a huge advance for society that offers the potential for a more level playing field for all, but that it has also brought with it a lot of problems. In his view, anonymity is perhaps the biggest of these issues.

“Anonymity’s nice for some things but it actually encourages bad actors to take advantage of the system,” he points out. “We’ve seen fraud numbers multiplying year on year, and when you look at the figures, they’re staggering.

Javier strongly identified with Veriff’s mission to build trust in the digital world and felt it a challenge worthy of his energy, skills and experience.

“I think that making the internet a safer place is something that needs to be taken more seriously,” he comments. “If you’re a company that is in the business of providing trust, or giving access to content, or giving people a platform to express their opinions, I think that identity plays a very pivotal role.”

On Veriff’s culture

Having been impressed by our proposition, Javier’s next step was to look a little deeper into Veriff’s internal culture. What he saw didn’t disappoint him.

When I looked at the team Veriff has in place and the values of the company, I knew this was somewhere I could work with top-caliber people and I could have a lot of fun,” he comments.

At the same time, he felt that the relationship would be mutually beneficial. 

“I felt my experience was very relevant for the company, and I thought I would be able to bring us to the next stage of growth. When I look at identity, I think the total addressable market is expanding every day. So that’s what made me get on the phone to understand more about Veriff.”

Choosing your next tech role

Asked how he made the decision to join Veriff, Javier cites three key questions he always asks himself that are relevant to anyone who wants to pursue a rewarding career in tech:

  • Do I believe in the company’s mission? If you’re going to stay motivated, the business needs to be addressing a real problem – and offering a real solution. Think about whether it’s a temporary trend or a long-term issue, and what the total addressable market is likely to be. 
  • Do I like the people and the culture? Almost as important as the problem you’re going to be solving is who you’re going to be working with to solve it. Do they share your values, and are they aligned and working in the same direction to achieve a common goal? 
  • What can I bring to the table? If you’re convinced the company is right for you, think about how to convince your potential employer that you’re right for the company. Plan your pitch – not just in terms of skills and experience, but also enthusiasm, drive and commitment. 

To find out more about how you could become part of the push to bring accountability to the online world, visit our Careers pages.

Veriff Voices

You can hear more from Javier about the importance of Veriff’s mission, his role as CRO and more in our latest podcast episode.

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