What Being a Data Scientist at a Startup Really Looks Like

What I learned about growth, visibility, and chaos over the past five years

After an incredible five years, I left Brex in August. Time really flies. I joined Brex when it was three years old, and I can still vividly remember my first day. At the same time, those five years felt much longer. This is all due to the extensive knowledge I’ve gained along the way, from joining a young data team and learning the full data cycle, to collaborating with Operations, GTM, and Product, and eventually transitioning into management. This accelerated growth is one of the biggest benefits of joining a startup as a data scientist.

“Shall I join a startup or a more established company?” I hear this question from my network all the time. In this article, I will share the data scientist’s life at a startup based on my own experience. Hopefully, this will help you navigate through your own career path.

A quick note: “startup” is a broad term that covers many types of companies. For context, Brex is a US-based fintech startup that provides corporate cards, banking services, and expense management software for business customers. I joined Brex after three years of full-time experience in product data science. At the time, Brex was a three-year-old Series C startup with 500+ employees. Therefore, my experience may differ from what you’d experience at an earlier-stage company.