Meet Marta Briede: Building Products, Cultivating Culture

If you’ve ever used eAgronom’s tools, chances are you’ve seen the results of Marta Briede’s work - even if you didn’t know it. As one of the earliest team members, Marta has grown alongside the company for over 8 years, wearing many hats along the way: from customer support to product manager. But there’s more to Marta than product roadmaps and feature specs. A biologist by education, a choir singer by heart, and a house-builder by necessity, she brings depth, balance, and a deep care for both people and nature into everything she does.

We sat down with Marta to talk about her journey at eAgronom, what product management looks like behind the scenes, and why she believes agriculture needs to become more human - not just more digital.

What brought you to eAgronom?

I joined over eight years ago as customer support for the Latvian market - though we had no customers yet! My first months were spent creating the foundation: translating the platform, researching market needs, and even helping the sales team. I also organised farmer seminars, which taught me early on how important direct contact with our users would be for everything we built.

Over the years, I moved into user research and worked closely with developers, which naturally evolved into product management. That path gave me a deep understanding of both our customers and our product.

What does your day-to-day as a product manager look like?

No two days are the same. I might start my morning refining the copy for an error message and end the day discussing long-term product vision. I work with designers, developers, and other teams to identify the right problems to solve and then translate those into clear, actionable features.

One constant in my day is switching between big-picture thinking and small details - making sure each change still supports our overall strategy. It’s a juggling act, but one I’ve grown to enjoy.

What excites you most about working in agtech?

Agriculture sits at the crossroads of nature and human activity. My background in biology gives me a personal connection to that balance.

I want to be part of a movement that makes human agriculture more human - more thoughtful, more responsible, and more in harmony with nature. Agtech gives us the chance to create tools that save farmers time, improve their decisions, and support the environment at the same time.

Tell us about your choir life.

I sing in a Latvian choir in Estonia called Ziemeļu Balsis, and it’s more than a hobby - it’s a community. I’m also deeply involved in the organisational side, and it’s surprising how much work it takes to keep a choir motivated and sounding good.

The last few years have been especially meaningful. Our choir became the first to participate in all three Baltic Song Festivals - Latvian, Estonian, and Lithuanian. Singing reminds me every day that when people come together with a shared purpose, beautiful things happen.

How would your teammates describe you?

From feedback I’ve received, they’d say I’m calm under pressure, direct in communication, and able to bring clarity to complex topics. One teammate once called me “a good umbrella” because I shield the team from distractions so they can focus.

There’s also the “1-minute rule of Marta” - a light-hearted habit born from my dislike of lateness. If someone’s late to a meeting, we wait only one minute before starting. It’s about respecting everyone’s time - and somehow, it stuck.

What’s your approach to balancing tech requirements with what farmers need?

To me, it’s not about choosing one over the other - it’s about finding the overlap where both can succeed. Farmers need tools that are simple and intuitive; developers need clean, sustainable solutions. I involve both sides early, listening to farmers to understand their real-world context and working with developers to ensure what we build is technically sound and user-friendly. Asking questions like “What’s the simplest version that solves the problem?” helps us avoid creating something too fragile or too complex.

A moment that confirmed you’re in the right role?

Visiting farmers and seeing them use a tool we built to make their day easier - those are the moments that stick with me. One farmer once told me, “eAgronom just saved me days of work.” That’s the kind of feedback you can’t put a price on.

How do you stay close to users?

I make a point to meet farmers regularly, whether in person or virtually. I don’t wait for someone else to arrange these meetings - I reach out myself. Now that I’ve moved back to Latvia, it’s simply great to be closer to our Latvian farmers again.

Outside of work and choir, how do you recharge or spend your free time?

Lately, most of my free time goes into building a house together with my husband and our 3-year-old daughter. It’s physically hard, often messy, but also incredibly satisfying. When I’m not doing that, I enjoy quiet things: cooking, reading, and long walks. I’ve learned to appreciate slow time - especially now that life is so full.

Any advice for someone joining eAgronom?

Always ask for feedback - and don’t wait for someone else to bring it up. In my team, we’ve built a process of giving each other regular, structured feedback, and it’s one of the fastest ways I know to grow, build trust, and work better together. Those open, sometimes slightly awkward conversations often lead to the best improvements - both in the product and in how we collaborate.