Similarweb’s Big Data Developer Also Kicks Serious Butt at MMA Tournaments

At Similarweb we’re a family, and we mean that with the utmost sincerity. The wonderful people that make up our company – 180 strong and growing – are all experts in their respective fields. And it’s their talent that enables us to make a truly great product used by thousands of people across the globe.

We want to celebrate our ‘Similarwebbers,’ by supporting and helping them in any way we can. Recently we decided to honor our “family members” by devoting a special section in the blog devoted exclusively to them, and to their experiences at Similarweb. We’re calling it Life at Similarweb, and we’re debuting it today. On our first post for this section, we talked about one of our employees whose unique passion inspired our support.

Kfir Eittan joined Similarweb in April as a big data developer. And while he loves designing and writing the code to extract useful insights from raw web traffic, he is equally devoted to his other love, MMA – or Mixed Martial Arts.

Kfir has been doing MMA for 20 years. He has a blackbelt in Brazillian Jujitsu (read: don’t mess with Kfir!). He was trained by famed 3^rd degree blackbelt Haim Gonzali, who in turn was coached by the legendary Renzo Gracie. Since the Gracie family basically invented jujitsu, you could say this makes Kfir kind of a big deal. Case in point: He won the Israeli title a few months prior to joining the company.

When Kfir started at Similarweb, he posted a few pictures of his fights on our Facebook at Work page. Intrigued, Similarweb CEO Or Offer asked Kfir about it. When Kfir responded that his next fight was an important tournament in Finland, Or immediately asked if Kfir needed a sponsor.

Taken aback, Kfir asked, “but why would you want to sponsor me?” Those who know Kfir know that despite his strong exterior, he’s a pretty humble, soft-spoken guy. Or answered, “Here at Similarweb we like to help our employees excel in every way possible – especially if it’s something they’re passionate about.”

So that’s how Similarweb became Kfir’s official sponsor, covering his expenses for the trip to Finland. In return, Kfir got to sport some pretty wicked branded Similarweb gear, including a flag which he waved proudly at the tournament.

Kfir won his first battle, beating out his opponent who had won the 2^nd place during the previous year’s competition. Kfir was also the first Israeli to ever win the European championship.

Ultimately, Kfir lost his second fight at the very last minute to an opponent who was a master of leglocks – a controversial and dangerous move that is feared in the MMA community. This is because with leglocks you might not be aware of the injury until it’s too late – even if you tap out or forfeit.

The leglock was so severe that Kfir could hardly walk for a month. Asked if he had any regrets, Kfir grinned. “Absolutely not. I love the sport and I’m very proud of my achievements. My remaining team members won 1^st and 2^nd place in the masters division [for their age group] and the guy who beat me won 2^nd place in the championship, so I feel that I had a worthy opponent. Most of all, Kfir says he’s really glad he could represent Similarweb. “It made me feel really great, knowing how much the company supports me. I’ve never worked for a company that truly believes in its employees the way Similarweb does. I hope to bring home more wins in the future!”

by Similarweb