I’m a strategist who loves to build projects from scratch.

When I was 16, I joined the cofounding team of Portugal’s first Hip Hop online magazine which would become a cornerstone of the culture.

I worked in the corporate world for two multinationals where I launched new products and re-structured an entire marketing department. At 22, I quit one of those jobs to venture into e-commerce, selling anime merch. I also did a 3-month pop-up store in a major mall. I had 5 employees and we sold German music boxes. Weird, I know.

I did some freelance consulting.  I worked for 3 years at a small events company where we built a beach in the countryside, in record time and with few resources. I was the marketing manager but did a little of everything to bootstrap this project. Our opening summer we received over 300,000 guests in a small town of 20,000 residents.

A Lisbon native, I spent two years in Dubai as the entrepreneur-in-residence at an investment group. There was no job opening but the CEO hired me anyway. I had no official title and loved every minute of it.

I’ve traveled a lot, including for 4 months in Asia where I picked up a few hotels as clients, leading me to start ruumu. I can focus better working on my laptop at a busy cafe than in a quiet office (people watching ftw). I’m obsessed with learning so I love reading, but learning from people is best.

I’m currently based in New York City where I moved to build something scalable so I could impact more people. Find out more about what I’m working on below.

Dribblin

Most of us grow up playing a sport that we genuinely love until life happens and we eventually quit playing. With a busy schedule, it’s hard to find other players within our circles who are able to meet regularly for a game.

For me it was soccer. I had a good decade playing semi-pro, at school or simply for fun, until an injury finally put me out. Ten years later, I still miss those days but it’s hard to pick it up again.

I set out to solve this problem by creating Dribblin, a platform that connects players and allows users to book sports venues online. I’ve finished the MVP and it’s ready to launch in NYC but I’m looking for a new technical cofounder. If you see yourself being a part of it, drop me a line at rute@dribblin.com.

Music Mole

Music Mole is a discovery platform introducing you to new music handpicked by true Hip Hop heads. By connecting your Spotify, our algorithm makes recommendations based on your taste. Hip Hop has a culture of digging and heads are constantly in search of fresh underground artists. We bring that Knowledge to you.

We’re launching our MVP soon and I’d love to email you a link to test our platform. You can sign-up here and as a thank you, I’ll send you a few links to music you’ll like.

MISC

This past year I’ve been freelancing as a marketing consultant which has afforded me the time and flexibility to do my side projects while working for some amazing clients.

• I’m handling digital strategy for MUST – Fermenting Ideas, a summit gathering the world’s top experts in Wine.
• I’m working with tech startups on product roadmaps, pricing strategy, go to market plans and pitch decks.
• I created ruumu, a digital service for hotels to establish lifestyle brands and target Millennials.
• I’m helping an aerospace-engineer-turned-performance-coach reposition her brand and revamp her website (link soon).
• When I left Portugal, youth unemployment was at an all-time high. I wanted to help out, so I started writing Licenciado. E agora? (Graduated. Now what?), a blog about career development for young professionals. It got a bit of attention and I ended up coaching people 1-on-1, helping them transition careers, write new resumes and job hunt. I had to end this project so I could devote time to my startup, but I’m writing a book based off the blog.

Thanks for reading and feel free to get in touch: rute@rutebrito.com