It All Makes Cents Now: A Career Inspired by Monopoly 

Born and raised in Venezuela, JC knew who he was from a very young age. While accompanying his mom on errands, JC couldn’t resist the bank stop; “The one place I loved going the most was the bank because I admired the teller and I wanted to be a teller. I loved watching the tellers count the money when you make the deposit, and just how they were so fast and efficient their counting process was, it made me think that’s the coolest thing in the world”. Recalling back, he even brought this energy home with him.

“I would go home and play with my little brother and I would pretend I was a teller and I would give him the Monopoly money. I mean, I spent hours doing these silly things… I also pretended to loan credit cards in Monopoly.”

This fascination in his youth led to his professional path in finance and accounting.

“Learning, Researching and Communicating”

After graduating from University, JC interned at an American Oil Company where he translated financial reports from Spanish to English. In doing so, he gained a deep understanding of the intricacies of financial reporting. Playing this intermediator role provided a thorough understanding of the concepts at play; translation into another language requires a higher level of comprehension and detail for effective communication. JC became known for his approach to learning, researching, and communicating financial reports. Spending time in different roles within this company gave JC insight into who he wanted to become. 

Reflecting on later work at a renewable energy company, JC remarks “being in an environment [like this] was so beautiful because they were not just looking for profits, they were looking for the ethical aspect of creating a source of energy for the greater good of the world”. Being at a company that he could genuinely support made work easy since finding solutions to their financial issues made a real-world impact. This experience sparked recognition of his passion for working in alliance with his values.

Joining Ambi Robotics

As the Director of Accounting at Ambi Robotics, JC’s work streamlines Ambi’s focus to what’s important: process-enriching creativity. His focus is ensuring compliance with US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) by creating detailed technical accounting reports, and keeping Ambi’s infrastructure strong to support company growth via sound and strong financial controls. 

The Value of Empathy: Fostering An Environment of Collaboration and Problem-Solving

A culture of empathy and collaboration initially drew JC to Ambi. Reflecting on his interview, JC noticed, “a common denominator, which was that everyone is so good at listening, and was very curious about my experience and what I had to say.” This remains a key part of the Ambi experience. 

“Empathy is the most important ingredient to foster a collaborative work environment.”

Within the rigid rules of accounting, teamwork and maintaining a positive mindset are integral to his management style. He finds that balancing excellence and compliance with a positive environment allows the team to see between and beyond the numbers. 

Collaboration is essential at Ambi to tie together the diverse teams within our company. JC and the accounting team collaborate to do deductive work and problem-solve far beyond finances. One of JC’s most memorable experiences thus far has been helping solve inventory issues, with Bryan, our inventory specialist. When reminiscing,  “everyone in the team was jumping and throwing their ideas and saying, ‘You know, I think I should do this, we think we can do this, and, look, I can do this shipping today”’ Going into these meetings and witnessing that is so rewarding. It just makes you want to contribute more ideas.”

When we work together, we can handle more.

Looking Forward

“Being a part of broadening the impact of our solutions is inspiring for me.”

Our solutions do more than just sort through packages, it’s recognizing the potential of people. To model JC’s approach is to realize that technology and innovation are meant to create efficiencies in the right places for the right reasons. Bringing together the right team, allows us to make the right technology.