Creativity comes in many forms. For Kristoffer, it started with music and evolved into a career in tech. Today, he leads engineering teams at Funnel, helping others build, collaborate, and grow. In this post, he shares how his journey unfolded, what his day-to-day looks like, and what continues to inspire him about working at Funnel.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into software development?

I kind of stumbled into software development. When I was younger, I was really into music, and I studied classical guitar in high school. That was the path I thought I would follow for a while. But at some point, I realized that making a living as a classical guitarist might be a bit tricky. There are not exactly a lot of full-time classical guitarists out there. After high school, I knew I liked computers. I had built my own PCs and spent a lot of time figuring out how the hardware worked, but I had not really explored the software side yet.

I decided to apply to KTH, the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, without a very clear idea of what program to choose. Computer science seemed like a good starting point. Once I got into it, I realized it really clicked with me. It was the perfect blend of creativity and structure. You could build something completely new out of nothing, just like composing music. That feeling hooked me, and I knew this was something I could actually see myself doing long-term.

Since then, I have been around various companies working in software development in different roles. Today, I am an Engineering Manager at Funnel, where I lead two teams and support and grow our engineering organization. Looking back, it has been quite a journey, but every step along the way helped shape where I am today.

You worked as a consultant for many years before joining Funnel as a full-time employee. What motivated that move?

Consulting was great for a lot of reasons. I got to work with a lot of different companies, everything from media houses to fintech to big tech, and I learned a lot. I had to traverse a lot of different programming languages, frontend frameworks and infrastructure setups, as well as all the different flavours of agile development and cross team collaboration that each company had.

But after a few years, I started feeling like I wanted something new, something I could really sink my teeth into. Right after the pandemic, I joined a small startup, thinking it would be exciting to help build something new. And it was, until we ran out of money. By then I already had a connection with Funnel. I had worked with them briefly during my consulting days and had really good memories of the culture and the people. So when I was looking for my next step, I reached out to see if there might be an opportunity. And there was. The timing lined up really well, and it felt like the right move.

What does a typical day look like for you as an Engineering Manager at Funnel?

I usually start the day with a coffee and a quick check of emails and Slack messages to get a feel for what is happening across the teams. There is usually at least one standup with one of my teams in the morning. Then I might have project check-ins, retrospectives, or one-on-ones, as well as technical discussions and collaborative sessions with the team (and sometimes a customer) to figure out what to build and why.. It really varies, but the focus is always on making sure that things are moving forward and that people have what they need.

Right now, we’re also recruiting a lot, so my week regularly includes interviews, discussing candidates and next steps. It is a lot of context switching, but I enjoy it, especially when it is about helping build strong, balanced teams. I am not as hands-on with code anymore, but I try to stay close to the work by reviewing code, drive design and technical discussions. It is important for me to understand what challenges the teams are facing so I can support them properly.

What kinds of challenges is your team working on these days, and how does Rust fit into the picture?

One of my teams is working a lot with Rust right now. We are building query and transformation capabilities on top of a data lake, using technologies like Apache Arrow, Parquet, and DataFusion, and Rust is a big part of that. A few years back, Funnel started exploring Rust with the Data In Platform team, and the experience was really positive. When we split my original team into two, it made sense for the new Platform part to continue that journey with Rust, especially given the way the big data space is evolving. Read more about “Building Funnel’s Data Platform for Marketing Analytics” where our CTO, Jonas shares his insights. 

There is a clear movement toward Rust when it comes to building high-performance, reliable systems. We are trying to stay ahead of that curve, and it is exciting, but it is also a challenge. The Rust community in Stockholm is still relatively small, especially for the very specific distributed systems expertise we are looking for. So finding the right people takes time, but it is definitely worth it.

You’ve seen a range of tech organizations in Stockholm. How does Funnel’s setup compare?

I think Funnel does a lot of things right. Structurally, we are set up the way a modern tech company should be. We have cross-functional teams, good representation from product managers, designers, and developers, and a solid mix of junior and senior talent. 

What really stands out to me is the emphasis on collaboration and communication. It is not just about getting your own work done. It is about solving problems together, across teams and across disciplines. There is a real push here to make sure people are talking to each other, not just sitting with headphones on doing individual tasks.

We also have a lot of cross-team initiatives, and people are genuinely encouraged to get involved in bigger conversations. It creates a sense that you are building something together, not just doing your own little piece in isolation.

What’s one thing you wish more people knew about working in development at Funnel?

Something that really impressed me, and that might not be obvious from the outside, is how close to the customer you are, even as a developer. We are not just building features in a vacuum. We get real feedback through customer interviews, talk about real customer needs, and focus on solving real problems. That connection to the end user is strong, and it gives a lot of meaning to the work we do.

On top of that, there is a really friendly, open atmosphere among colleagues. People are quick to offer help, quick to jump in if someone is stuck. It is a very collaborative environment where you are encouraged to grow, ask questions, and learn from each other. It is one of the reasons why I think Funnel is such a good place to build a career. You are supported, you are challenged, and you are part of a team that genuinely wants everyone to succeed.

We are currently hiring to our dev team. Check out our open positions!