# The Engineering Engine: First-Party Data and the Kevel Acquisition with Paulo Cunha

## The Engineering Engine: First-Party Data and the Kevel Acquisition with Paulo Cunha

101X30

00:0041:45

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2. #### The Engineering Engine: First-Party Data and the Kevel Acquisition with Paulo Cunha

42 min

April 22, 2026Kevel[Full Transcript](https://share.transistor.fm/s/797834ad/transcript "View Episode Transcript")

James Avery sits down with [Paulo Cunha](https://www.linkedin.com/in/pcunha/), Kevel’s VP of Product, to explore the historical convergence of data infrastructure and ad tech. Drawing from his journey as the founder of Shift Forward (later Velocity), Paulo recounts the early days of building foundational first-party data tools in Europe and how his team’s expertise in real-time segmentation and forecasting became the backbone of Kevel’s audience product. The conversation dives into the strategic nuances of the European market, the "API-first" mandate, and why the cultural alignment between their two engineering-heavy organizations led to an incredibly successful post-acquisition integration. Paulo also provides a unique lens on GDPR as a competitive advantage and how global retailers can leverage rapid, first-party data activation to outpace traditional marketing cycles and drive higher yield.