Interning at Mimir, an #EdTech Startup
My personal intersection with Mimir began last winter (during my junior year) when a friend from Purdue Student Government connected me with Prahasith Veluvolu, the company’s CEO and cofounder. Prah posted details to his personal Facebook page that the sales team at Mimir was looking for representatives to grow the business. After exchanging a few messages with him to learn more, I submitted my internship application online.
Beyond my excitement for a role in an expanding tech startup, I was initially confused as to what the company’s core product (Mimir Classroom) truly did or why it made sense for the headquarters to be at University Church across from Purdue’s campus. Nonetheless, I did take note of the company culture that was wittily conveyed on the application site. I quickly became intrigued by the idea of agile learning, a relaxed office environment and self-driven success.
As a business student, I had very little experience in the tech industry and thus felt I faced a huge learning curve when joining the team at Mimir. I suspect that other #edtech companies project the same feelings on prospective employees too because their niche rarely draws applicants with completely identical specialities.
For me, the endless learning in this internship creates an environment that is challenging in the most satisfying way. After accepting the internship offer from Prah, I prioritized studying Mimir Classroom. Attempting to understand the technical functionality has allowed me to have intentional and meaningful conversations during my sales outreach.
Beyond the challenging subject matter, is the culture; which is inarguably one of my favorite parts of Mimir. I work with 16 other people who share similar interests, work ethic and humor.
Most of my coworkers wear jeans and a t-shirt to the office, jam out to music at their desk, and laugh at memes over lunch. But they get real work done too. This relaxed working environment simply makes me more comfortable in my job and a flattened hierarchical structure gives interns and cofounders alike a chance to have natural interactions.
Overall, my short time with the team at Mimir has taught me an incredible amount about start-up culture, educational technology, and business development; but most importantly, it has shown me what type of company I want to work for and the type of people I want to work with when I begin my career.
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