Join us in welcoming Nate Celeste to the third round of Kipsu's Entrepreneurship Leadership Rotational Program, the Gamma Cohort! Prior to Kipsu, Nate majored in Computer Science at Case Western University in Ohio, as well as minoring in Film Studies and Political Science. Nate has been expanding his skills with building connected (loT) devices. One of his recent projects was an LED lamp that can be controlled using an app/web platform, and now is working on adding Alexa/Google Home/Homekit support. He also enjoys attending concerts, soccer games, and exploring Minneapolis. We're excited to have him join the Kipsu team and asked Nate to share his experience with Kipsu so far.
What drew you to Kipsu in contrast to other companies?
Well, a large part of it was the structure of the Entrepreneurship Leadership Rotational Program here, but on top of that, the culture that has been cultivated here at Kipsu seemed second to none. Every Kipsuvian is totally on board with the core values and it really shows.
What were some things you noticed about the Kipsu team during your first week?
Everyone is so willing to help out it's almost too easy to ask for help! No matter what level of problem I'm struggling with, somebody is willing to jump in and help me out. It's fantastic.
What challenges are you looking forward to tackling in your work at Kipsu?
I'm really excited to get on a non-engineering rotation. I've spent the last 4 years immersed in developing, and now I'm excited to see how the other departments of tech companies help further the goals of Kipsu (and technology companies in general).
What is your favorite Kipsu core value?
Never Be Satisfied. In school it becomes so easy to compare projects to a rubric. Once it's at that satisfactory level, you just stop, even if you know the assignment could be better. I think it can be pretty harmful to think that way, so I'm excited to keep pushing the boundaries of projects.
If you could meet any person for a chat over a shared dinner, who would you pick and why?
Definitely Ezra Koenig, the lead singer and guitarist for Vampire Weekend. He's accomplished so much musically/lyrically, I'd love to get a chance to talk about some of his music with him. It would be awesome to really dig into some of what he gets at with Vampire Weekend.
What made you choose to apply for the Entrepreneurship Leadership Rotation Program?
I think it's almost impossible to be sure of your career path immediately after graduation. I'd spent some summers working as a software engineer, but I wanted an experience that would give me a taste of some other career paths in Tech. The ELRP program here at Kipsu was the perfect fit because it allows and encourages that exploration. No other rotation at tech companies that I found would have encouraged me to explore careers outside of engineering the way the ELRP program at Kipsu does.
