Earlier this year, I passed out of college. I had a couple of job options lined up, but nothing would give me what I wanted: A challenging yet nurturing environment where I could truly learn. I finally found it... at Kayako.
It's a funny name, Kayako (pronounced
Now, when I said Kayako was a startup, I'm not referring to one of those teams of two or three entrepreneurs hard set on changing the world. I'm talking about dreamers who've already made their mark in this world and taking their next step. Kayako has a 145-strong workforce distributed across 3 different continents. And yet, the way it operates, it feels like everyone is in the same room. With Slack, Phone Line Extensions and a wide assortment of other tools, everyone is not only a few seconds away but also, I know what everyone is up to. The harmony is a little surprising. It's an established start-up, if that makes sense. (Read more about how they scaled startup values here).
Allow me to describe to you my experience with Kayako.
I had three interviews: one with Ruhi (HR) over the phone, one with Varun Shoor (CEO) at Starbucks and one with Himanshu Likhyani (Lead Android Developer) at the Kayako Office. There was one thing that each interview had in common. None of them felt like an interview. We just talked, a lot like when a friend introduces you to another friend who shares your passion. It was fun and inspiring (Read about Varun’s journey here). About a week later, I received an offer which I happily accepted.
Few days before joining, I received a large envelop in my mail. It's the first of a series of welcoming gifts I'm going to receive. But what really struck me was the thought and creativity put into it. Along with a book on Android App Development, I also received a special card from Ruhi. What makes this truly remarkable is that by cutting the card into small pieces, dipping it in water and then planting it, I would soon see wild flowers grow from it. It's a nice feeling watching the growth of a seed as you build yourself within the company. After one week on the job, I already see a little green making its way towards the light.
On the first day of the job, I received the latest and most powerful Macbook Pro, a Thunderbolt monitor, Wireless Keyboard, Wireless Mouse, Sennheiser headphones and a Camelbak sippy bottle (I found this one a bit weird). Besides the essentials, I also got some high quality swag: Android-shaped speakers, a notebook, a pen, a t-shirt, a key-chain, stickers, fridge magnets and a backpack to put it all in.
The canteen is amazing as well. There's a coffee machine, a fruits section, a breakfast section, a fridge overloaded with all kinds of beverages, a drawer overflowing with all kinds of snacks, a full-course meal followed by a fine selection of deserts. Did I mention everything is free from the bananas in the corner to the Ice Cream in the fridge. A few days back, we even celebrated a co-worker's birthday with cake.
Kayako has a nice homely feel to it. If you come early to work, you'll notice most of the members are still sleepy, sipping their flavoured coffee, reading the news or sharing a few stories with each other. If you wait till the very end of the day, you'll notice how everyone's restless and deeply involved in their work. There's people moving here and there with laptops, loud discussions and the occasional laughter from some corner of the room. Sometimes, really late at night, you'll find the gaurd playing games on the Play Station 4. There's something oddly comforting about your security officer playing Grand Theft Auto.
There's also a bookshelf in the office. It's referred to as 'The Library'. But don't let its small size dissuade you. It holds hand picked books requested by former and current kayako members. We're talking about a selection of books that actually made a difference in the way we work. A collection that's casually grown by every member in the office.
There's one more thing worth mentioning. It's a Kayako Value I could strongly relate to: "We're customers too!". Back in college, I developed a bunking calculator which could tell you how many classes you needed to attend or had the freedom to miss to maintain an ideal attendance percentage. It does a lot more than just that, but the point is, what truly made it successful (crossed over 40, 000 installations and has over 3 million views every month) was that I was a user of my own product. And unless you personally use what you're making, you lose sight of what's important.
I'm going to end this post with a tweet I shared a while back:
Equipped with the best Tools in the market. Pampered with the finest Cuisine. Surrounded by the most inspiring People. Love it here @Kayako!
— Neil Mathew (@metalwihen) August 19, 2015
very very interesting, dear! congrats!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting.congrats Neil
ReplyDeleteAmazing and that's why start ups are great ! Pamper you a lot :)
ReplyDeleteCongrats, sir!
ReplyDelete