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Geena Barberio has a go-to descriptor for her marketing role at a startup: “There are days that thereʼs a New York newsroom feel – youʼre in that adrenaline rush, itʼs crazy, itʼs fun. There are a lot of late nights, and the workdays are never the same.”

Barberio is director of marketing for Idelic, a Pittsburgh-based company that created a software suite designed to help truckers improve efficiency by tracking and managing drive data. She jumped on board as one of the companyʼs first four employees – it now has more than 90 – and supervises a team which drives revenue by creating brand awareness and developing strategic messaging.

Geena recently was selected as one of the Pittsburgh Business Times “30 Under 30” for 2022. The awards, presented in partnership with Leadership Pittsburgh, Inc., honor leaders under age 30 in Pittsburghʼs business and nonprofit communities.

Her success in the business world is only one aspect of her accomplishments. Barberio graduated in 2016 with bachelorʼs degrees in both Music and Business Marketing, studying opera and piano and performing with the universityʼs Choir and Opera Workshop. She returned to the Hill in 2019 and earned an MBA with a specialization in Entrepreneurial Studies.

It was only natural that Barberio chose to attend ��������Ƶ; she had taken piano lessons at the university since middle school.

“I was getting to know the faculty and already felt such a strong connection. Itʼs that home away from home – being a part of something,” she said.

Opera and commerce may be an unusual mix, but Barberio had a plan.

“In music, you can be in performance, a music therapist or an educator. I didnʼt want to do any of those, so I combined business with a music curriculum,” she said.

“Iʼve always been a creative person, but I have the business side too. I come from a line of entrepreneurs and have always thought Iʼd own a business one day.”

The university now offers a major in Commercial Music, which connects those two areas.

Her goal after graduating was to work as a marketing generalist. The position she found set her up well for a future role at a startup.

“I was fortunate enough to get my first job at the Institution of Engineering and Technology in Mt. Pleasant. They had no marketing person – I had a chance to build a marketing department from scratch,” she said.

When Idelic offered the opportunity to do more with a startup, Barberio was ready.

“��������Ƶ teaches you how to think about things, how to problem solve, and the strategy behind it,” she said. “Itʼs about understanding who you are marketing to, what channels to use, and what resources you have. All these different pieces come into play.”

While she enjoys the pace, daily challenge, and people at Idelic, Barberio sees embracing entrepreneurship as her long-term goal.

“I would like to own my own business, whether thatʼs a startup or not,” Barberio said. “Iʼd like to do something that will impact my community, make a positive impact and be successful as an entrepreneur. And Iʼll keep making an impact in the jobs I have.”

While the COVID-19 pandemic dropped the curtain on her public performances, music remains an integral part of her life. She still plays piano and sings every day, calling it her “between-meeting stress reliever,” and does freelance marketing for a music company in Texas.

“A lot of musicians donʼt know how to market themselves,” Barberio noted. “Being a marketer and a musician, Iʼd love to make an impact on that.”

To her surprise, she discovered many musicians in her workplace.

“Musicians tend to be good in and involved in startups. Thereʼs a commitment in music that works well there,” she said. “As a musician, thereʼs always more you could be doing – the same with a startup.”