Tobi Devito is the Co-Founder and Head of Services at Ruca, a full-service global design cooperative. Since August 2020, she has managed Ruca’s service operations, including service strategies, delivery teams, process optimizations, and client relationships. She previously served as Product Strategist at Ruca and shaped the strategic direction of projects, defined goals, and made strategic adjustments to optimize outcomes.
Additionally, Tobi founded My Bird Digital in February 2018 where she provided product and digital consulting services specializing in enterprise platforms and solutions. Earlier in her career, Tobi was the Director of Product Management at VSA Partners, Inc. (2015-2018), where she led solution innovation, product management, and agile teams, breaking down silos between branding, marketing, product, and advertising. Tobi began her career in non-profits, including roles at Planned Parenthood and amFAR. Tobi holds a Masters in Public Administration from NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. She is based in New York.
Q: Tobi, you’ve had a diverse career path – from nonprofit fundraising to performance marketing to digital and product design, and now co-founding Ruca. Can you share what aspects of your earlier career shaped your approach to building a creative business?
I’ve always been drawn to meaningful work. Early in my career, nonprofit fundraising taught me how impactful it is to solve real problems, but I often felt like I was working for organizations rather than with them, which was unfulfilling.
I switched to performance marketing in 2005 because I was ready for a challenge and wanted to step outside my comfort zone. It pushed me to embrace the kind of career growth that comes with being results-driven and agile but also taught me about the pressure of traditional corporate environments.
When I became a mom, I ran smack into the limitations of the “work hard, work late” agency culture and the lack of support that primary caregivers receive within traditional agencies. It was a major turning point for me not just as a mom, but as a leader. I knew there had to be a better way.
After 10 years, I left performance marketing for a role at a brand and design agency, where I met Chris Zeunstrom and Nolan Cabeje, my future co-founders. Together, we envisioned creating a place where talented people wouldn’t have to choose between doing great work and living their lives. That idea – building a culture of autonomy, flexibility, and shared values – is the foundation of Ruca.
Q: Ruca was created as a design cooperative that operates outside of the traditional agency model. What were some of the key challenges you saw in traditional agencies that inspired you and your co-founders to create a new model, and how has Ruca evolved since its beginning?
Traditional agencies can be burdened with hierarchies, egos, and unrealistic expectations that can often stifle creativity. When I was working in agencies before founding Ruca, I saw firsthand how these systems led to burnout and dissatisfaction, especially for women and caregivers. The typical agency model didn’t offer the flexibility or autonomy that I believe talented creatives need to thrive. It also didn’t offer room for true collaboration, where everyone has a voice in shaping the work.
Ruca was born out of the desire to do things differently. We set out to create a sustainable, empowering model without the overhead, office politics, or constraints of traditional agencies. Since launching, we’ve grown into a global cooperative of 150+ creatives across 16 countries. At the heart of our success is trust and autonomy. We’ve been able to take on exciting, impactful projects while still keeping the values that make us unique – flexibility, creative ownership, and collaboration. Our philosophy of being “built to build” applies to both client work and our internal model. This adaptability has allowed us to thrive in a complex, competitive landscape.
Q: Remote work has been central to Ruca’s success, even before the pandemic. What are some unexpected benefits and challenges of having a global team, and how does it impact your work with clients?
One of the biggest benefits of a global team is the diversity of perspectives we bring to the table. Our designers, engineers, and strategists are spread across multiple continents, which means we get to work with the best talent without geographical limitations. This has made us more innovative and adaptable, as we can approach problems from angles that may not have been possible in a traditional office setting.
On the flip side, managing a global team presents challenges in terms of time zones and communication. But we’ve figured out ways to work asynchronously, using tools like Slack, Figma, and Google Workspace to collaborate in real-time, even if we’re not all in the same room. For clients, it means they get access to a world-class team that is constantly thinking outside the box. It’s a win-win because we can deliver high-quality, diverse solutions without the overhead that many traditional agencies have to deal with.
Q: How does Ruca’s model balance supporting clients with its commitment to launching and funding its own ventures, like Yorba?
At Ruca, we bring a product mindset to everything we focus on solving real problems with scalable, innovative solutions. That same mindset applies when we invest and launch our own ventures, most recently Yorba, our secure account management platform that helps people declutter their online lives. We see opportunities where others might not and work to build something with lasting value, whether it’s for a client or one of our own projects.
The beauty of our model is that it’s flexible. We can shift between serving clients and investing in startups, which creates a symbiotic relationship between the two. Often, the ventures we invest in can benefit from the same creative thinking that we bring to client work, and vice versa. This dual focus helps us stay sharp and connected to the latest trends, ensuring that we are always pushing boundaries and driving innovation.
Q: How does Ruca’s structure and emphasis on ‘doers’ rather than ‘reviewers’ foster creativity and drive impactful work? How do you maintain a collaborative and creative environment, especially when team members are located across different countries?
We’ve built a network of creatives who are inspired by the actual making of great work, not the management or critique of others’ work. There’s no hierarchy or bloat.
We don’t staff projects based on billability targets or whoever might be “on the bench”. We build small, specialized teams of folks who are best skilled for the project. Being a remote team means we have to be intentional about how we collaborate. It’s not always easy to keep everyone on the same page when working across time zones, but we’ve created processes that ensure everyone’s ideas are heard and respected. Our flexible style of collaboration drives our efficiency.
Q: Given your experience working with startups, what advice would you offer founders in the creative space who are navigating their own product-market fit?
I have two pieces of advice.
First, innovation isn’t always about creating something entirely new. Sometimes, it’s simply about making what already exists better. With Yorba, for example, we didn’t invent the concept of online privacy or personal account management; instead, we saw a fragmented ecosystem that left users with too many tools, too little control, and growing security concerns. Yorba’s impact comes from streamlining the existing processes into a cohesive, user-friendly experience, letting people reclaim their digital lives with less hassle. We are also collaborating with industry leaders to launch a digital wallet that integrates with existing AI systems to give people the power to consent to data sharing and keep customer data safe.
Second, don’t wait for product-market fit. Go out and find it. Startups have to be scrappy. So, it behooves you to test for product-market fit early and often. There’s a temptation only to release the “perfect” product that exactly mirrors your initial product vision. This can lead to heavy investment in something users don’t want and will not use. Start small, test often, and iterate based on feedback. If you’re unwilling to evolve your product features (and sometimes purpose), you might end up with a product of your dreams… that no one uses.
Q: How can founders build teams that are both sustainable and innovative?
When building a sustainable team, I look for people who are humble, kind, and a lot smarter than me—my Co-Founders here at Ruca, Chris Nolan, and Dimitri Syrkin-Nikolau are perfect examples.
Humble. Egos are limiting, to all involved. Boastful individuals don’t leave room for being wrong, which we all know is more often than not, the fastest path to right.
Kind. Life is short. Don’t work with a**holes if you don’t have to, no matter how talented they might be. I’ve worked with some insanely talented people in my career. And, some of them have been so cruel, demeaning, and glib that I couldn’t create anything valuable with them.
Smarter than me. This feels like a no-brainer. I prefer to surround myself with people I can learn from. Regardless of experience, expertise, or skill, if I think I have something to learn from working with them, chances are the rest of the team does too.
