Out of Office is a new GeekWire series spotlighting the passions and hobbies that members of the Seattle-area tech community pursue outside of work.
Name: Luca Cazzanti.
Day job: Vice president of data and AI at Curinos, the New York-based maker of financial data and analytics products.
Out-of-office passion: Coaching youth soccer and managing AI-equipped cameras for teams.
Cazzanti didn’t grow up playing organized soccer in Italy — but he played every chance he got with the boys and girls he was friends with.
“The culture there is that everywhere you go, there’s a soccer ball,” he said. “You get crumpled up paper with some tape, you kick it around. It was just everywhere.”
When he moved to the U.S. because of his father’s job, Cazzanti played varsity soccer in high school in Minnesota. When he moved to Seattle, he started playing again with adults in the Greater Seattle Soccer League.”
“We’re not that good,” he admitted. “Our soccer game is an excuse to go out for beers afterwards.”
A University of Washington PhD and tech veteran who has had stints at Amplero, Zillow and Zulily, Cazzanti is a former Geek of the Week who wanted to put his data science background to work in soccer analytics. He started taking online classes but soon decided coaching would help him learn more about the game.
“It’s both a science and an art, and I wanted to learn it better,” he said.
He coached his boys when they were little, then took a job coaching sixth graders at Ballard’s Whitman Middle School. Now he coaches the freshman girls at Ingraham High School in North Seattle. He’s also on the board of directors and is secretary for Emerald City FC, a youth select club where he also does a little coaching.
But his tech and data chops are most utilized as the person who manages the eight Veo AI-powered cameras the club uses to film games across multiple teams and age groups. He handles camera assignments and inquiries from coaches, players and their families who are all interested in seeing footage.
After a game video is uploaded, the Veo computes statistics automatically. Possession time, offense and defense, and scoring is all tracked. An individual player can be tracked by their number and the video automatically skips ahead to all action where that player is involved.
“It helps teams start to make sense about their style of play,” Cazzanti said. “And it’s particularly helpful for older players who become a little bit more serious. You can save highlights of yourself and start to put together clips if you’re serious about playing in college and want to have a highlight reel.”
And it helps the data and analytics guy further contribute to the teams and sport he loves.
Most rewarding aspect of this pursuit: Cazzanti works from home most days of the week, and during the fall soccer season he’s at the high school every night of the week. He enjoys being in contact with young people and feeding off their energy.
“It’s something that you have to do in person. It really exercises that muscle, if you will,” he said. “It’s fun being in the community. You get to know the players, you get to know their families, you’re involved.”
In addition, putting together a team is like a puzzle, figuring out how each player fills a role where they feel comfortable and have a chance to succeed. Cazzanti can play to a player’s strengths, but he also enjoys challenging them to try something different.
“If you see them improve throughout the season, that’s the best thing,” he said. “Something you tried in practice shows up in the game, you’re like, ‘Oh, wow, I can tell she’s trying that.’ That’s awesome. That’s the most rewarding part.”
The lessons he brings back to work: Cazzanti brings a coach’s mindset to solving everyday problems in his job, much like he would move players around the soccer field to highlight their strengths.
“The ability to do that also feeds into the soccer, so it’s a two-way street.”
Read more Out of Office profiles.
Do you have an out-of-office hobby or interesting side hustle that you’re passionate about that would make for a fun profile on GeekWire? Drop us a line: [email protected].
