A company opening a new location in Los Angeles is nothing new, and tech companies finding new offices in this innovation-fueled market is also fairly ordinary. However, for technology company Globant, a brand-new flagship office in Los Angeles found a unique home: inside of a basketball arena.
The company’s new office is located entirely within the recently opened Intuit Dome in Inglewood, exemplifying its technology partnership with home team the Los Angeles Clippers.
“Such an iconic venue creates an opportunity for innovation,” said Nicolás Ávila, Globant chief technology officer of North America. “We’re going to have a space where we can work directly with the Clippers, but also bring in other organizations that want to see how the technology works.”
The Los Angeles office was celebrated with a grand opening during the same week that the Clippers made their public debut on their home floor during the NBA preseason. Around 50 Globant employees will regularly work from the new space. The company has about 1,000 employees based in the United States and counts more than 30,000 employees worldwide in 33 countries.
The office has the same look and feel as many of the company’s global offices, with a few extra amenities added in given its location at Intuit Dome, like a basketball hoop and court design on the floor. There’s a commissary and bar area called “Globar,” where the company’s employees, nicknamed “Globers,” can gather.
The partnership with the Los Angeles Clippers supports team owner Steve Ballmer’s vision for a fan-friendly, technology-enabled stadium. Intuit Dome has some of the most advanced technology of any professional sports stadium. Fans can enter the arena and purchase food and merchandise using facial recognition technology – that means shorter and faster lines. Some of the new features and promotions include activities in which the entire crowd can participate from their seats.
Globant’s AI technology helps power many of these technological elements. It was a major challenge to create some of these things that have never been utilized in an arena at this scale. Globant welcomed the opportunity to work on the new stadium, but executives pointed out that there are new stadiums under construction around the world and Intuit Dome was at the forefront of innovating the fan experience, which allows it to showcase its technology to the millions of people expected to pass through the arena from around the world in the coming years.
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1. Nicolás Ávila, Chief Technology Officer for North America, Globant 2. Nicolás Kaplun, Chief Business Officer for North America, Globant 3. Guibert Englebienne, Co-Founder, President of Globant X, President of Globant Latam 4. Martín Umaran, Co-Founder and Chairman of EMEA, Globant 5. Patricia Pomies, Global Chief Operating Officer, Globant
It’s this artificial intelligence technology that Martin Migoya, the company’s co-founder and chief executive, described as having the ability to impact every business and person on the planet in the coming years, in his opening remarks to several hundred tech and media executives at the company’s annual “Converge” conference that was held on the arena floor.
The arena is geared towards all types of live entertainment and has attracted interest from many global events. It has already hosted large-scale concert dates by Bruno Mars, Usher and Billy Joel.
“The Intuit Dome is a very good example of how AI technology can be utilized across industries for all of our clients,” said Nicolas Kaplun, Globant chief business officer for North America.
Since its founding in 2003, Globant has expanded rapidly to serve tech, media, life sciences, finance and other industries with digitally-native products that leverage AI. The company reported more than $2 billion in revenue in 2023, up by 18% from 2022. The partnership with the Clippers is the latest of several sports partnerships, which also include global soccer federation FIFA, F1 Racing and Major League Rugby. With these partnerships, Globant’s technology provides analytical data for the organizations’ business and operations needs.
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1. Globant’s Nicolás Ávila tours the new Intuit Dome office with other “Globers.” 2. Globant’s Nicolás Ávila and George Hanna, Chief Technology and Digital Officer of the LA Clippers and Intuit Dome, discussed their technology-powered vision for the arena.
The company is also at the forefront of implementing AI technology into the tech, media and marketing world, and has longstanding partnerships with clients including Google, Electronic Arts, Disney, and many more. Globant recognizes that the technological applications for sports and entertainment can be extended to hospitals, airports and other venues.
The Globant Converge 2024 was broadcast online on November 21. See the recap here.
-David Nusbaum