Three Reasons Why I Joined Yugabyte APJ

Hello Everyone! I am Lakshmi, a tech product marketing intern for the Yugabyte Asia Pacific Japan (APJ) team. It has been my first month working at Yugabyte and I am thankful for the opportunity. Beyond my internship, I am a final year student at the NUS Business School in Singapore, specializing in Business Analytics.

A bit about me

Prior to joining Yugabyte APJ, I had always been interested in the world of startups. However, it was not just about the “glamour” of being your own boss. On a personal level, I wanted to make a bigger impact on the community around me and find satisfaction in accomplishing seemingly impossible challenges.

My journey into the startup world took off as I immersed myself in my love for technology. I also enjoy creating new things and helping the people around me. I was first exposed to entrepreneurship when I was selected to be part of the Asian Innovation and Entrepreneurship program in 2019, organized by three schools: National University of Singapore, Tsinghua University, and Indian School of Business. There were 20 of us from each school. We collaborated across Asia to learn what really goes into the making of a startup, from creating a minimum viable product to market research and financials.

I also embarked on the NUS Overseas Colleges program in Singapore, a prestigious work-study program. With this program, students are attached from six months to a year at a startup while working on various entrepreneurship modules at a partner university. Working at a coding school with children aged 7-18 further helped develop my passion for technology as I felt invested in their growth as future programmers. Receiving the opportunity to stay in the entrepreneurial residence of NUS also meant an immersive experience with other like-minded students.

After my stints at startups ranging from education to construction, I worked with Government Investment Corporation (GIC) as a corporate communications intern. While there, I shaped plans for corporate social work as well as analyzing small data for the department. I appreciated being able to also experience a structured environment as I brought the processes and methodologies I learnt with me to Yugabyte.

So Why Yugabyte APJ?

Sometimes, it is really about being in the right place at the right time. The meaning of the company name really struck me when I first went for my interviews. The prefix of Yugabyte – “Yuga” – talks about data that lives forever. A beautiful sign of life is growth, and in my case specifically, the exponential growth of the company over the years! Here are three key reasons that inspired me to grow along with the company:

1. The Yugabyte APJ team

I currently work closely with most of the Yugabyte APJ team. In my role, I handle general marketing activities, work with partners, and help craft more technical material. This company is also very diverse. I love hearing from and working with my colleagues in countries such as the United States and Ireland. Each member brings their unique skill set and perspective to the table. Our weekly group meetings are super fun, too!

2. The Yugabyte product

YugabyteDB is completely open source under the Apache 2.0 license. This means that the source code is open and available to anyone, making it possible to understand exactly how the software works and what it does. Organizations can be sure that no undesired, hidden functions are built in or that the software secretly taps data. In addition, the open source code makes it possible for anyone to adapt programs flexibly to their own needs.

If you’re looking to try out Yugabyte products, check out our cloud platform or our university courses! We also have a slack group of Yugabyte enthusiasts in the community, which I joined prior to my interview process to learn more about the product and how it would be the best choice depending on the use-case.

3. The Yugabyte startup experience

The APJ team is rapidly expanding at this time. With the DSS Asia Summit in a few weeks and new partners joining our team, I enjoy the freedom to innovate while taking on the challenge to reach my goals. The fast-paced environment means it is key to be adaptable and find new information that helps me find my way as I help out with the strategic direction for marketing.

There is always something new every week. I also love how we put on multiple hats and think out of the box to solve each one of them. Our team is also enthusiastic, driven, and passionate about our company vision and product.

Conclusion

This may be almost the end of my blog post, but it is just the beginning of a new series! There will be more blog posts on the way regarding what I’m learning as I navigate my way through my internship. Thank you for reading and stay tuned for the next post!

Until then, this is Lakshmi, signing off from Yugabyte APJ. 😊