Demystifying Working at a Start-up

written by Shreyaa

If I was asked to consider working at a start-up a few years back, I would have been reluctant to say yes. ??Majority of us would have been intent on securing a stable 9 to 5 job that would have not only offered a fair salary but embellished our CVs with prestigious organization names. However, after working in an academic setting, then a global corporate entity, and finally at a start-up, I have gathered some insight into how different the operations in these places are, and what work culture I resonated with the most. A part of our unwillingness to join a start-up is the fear of uncertainty. Hopefully, sharing my experience of working at a start-up could shed some light on the overall work culture here.?I also believe that it's one of the most holistic work experiences one could come across. There are three learning critical points that I could personally take away after working at KoshKey.

Firstly, one needs to have belief in the purpose of the company. Until one can truly feel that the vision of the company is worth pursuing, one cannot help lay bricks for an expanding citadel. If one cares about building the future through the mission of the start-up, it will no longer just be 'a job' but a calling, an intellectual need to help transform society for the better. With KoshKey’s aim to develop therapies that can combat antimicrobial resistance, I could not help but feel the gravitas of the situation and realize that I was contributing to a part of something that could be revolutionary.

Secondly, a person gains complete independence and learns to be collaborative at the same time. While collaboration and being independent may seem like two paradoxical ideas, they are vital for the execution of work, especially in a start-up. At KoshKey, being solely responsible for certain aspects of the project helped me not only in critically analyzing my strengths and weaknesses but also in gaining knowledge about the field. A successful start-up highly values listening to everyone's opinions and building a community where there is no hierarchy. At KoshKey, I have the freedom to express my thoughts, communicate, and be part of decisions that could influence the trajectory of the company.

Thirdly, one gets first-hand insight into worldly education that no other work setting can offer. From pitching ideas to investors, learning business jargons, understanding how to hire potential candidates (and not just skilled individuals), to having philosophical discussions of personality development, KoshKey has helped broaden my mind to other fascinating areas besides science.

To conclude, I remember one particular physics lecture from high school; the subject of the lecture was the universe, a nebulous topic completely unrelated to the course at hand. The teacher started her lecture talking about quarks, went on to neutrons, then to atoms, molecules, all the way to planets, stars, galaxies, and superclusters till I was inundated with wonder. Standing agape at the edge of a cliff looking over a boundless expanse with no horizon, I had never felt so small. In my effort to live a bigger life, I want to do my part as a junior scientist at KoshKey to complete that picture of the universe with the inverse cosmos every human carries trillions of, the cell; and like the co-founder of the company who came up with the most thoughtful name KoshKey, which means the key to a cell, I too want to be a part of unleashing the infinite potential encompassed in the cell. Regardless of where my career takes me, I hope to pass on that torch of wonder that KoshKey helped instil in me, in any way I can.?

Footnote: We are amazed and proud by the imagination and writing skill of our team members, which spans from atoms to cells to the universe. The articles are part of KoshKey's fortnight write-up regimen by team members.