Rojin Yarahmadi and Nikolaos Benopoulos - Co Founders, Polybox
Did you always envision a career in the world of Technology?
We always thought that one way or another our expertise and genuine love for technology would lead us to a path related to tech. We never planned for it; it just came naturally as part of the journey. We are lucky enough to be born in an era where all the great technologies that shape our day-to-day activities were starting to form as we were growing up. That gave us an understanding from early on of how much technology would impact everything moving forward. So that led us to always be tech-oriented in everything we were working on or studying at school or university.
What tips would you give to someone looking to work in the industry?
Start with the things that you are genuinely curious about and then build your knowledge base from there. If you want, for example, to know how calculators work, then try to learn how to program/build one yourself. The key is to always be curious and start small. That way, one can always have fun while learning.
Another important thing is to research all tech roles one can have in their career and then combine it with their interests and what is most needed out there in the real world. This deep search will lead to interesting insights into what someone can do within the tech industry. You will also be surprised by the things one can study in one discipline and then combine with a tech-oriented education.
Lastly, we would also emphasize the fact that anyone who is working within the tech/business world should always stay informed of all the updates and changes that happen in their space. It is a very fast-paced environment and it is very easy to fall behind.
Tell us about the most exciting project you’re currently working on?
Right now we are building a new platform for marketers to have all their reports for their clients in one place. We are building a powerful AI model that can answer any question a marketer can have by simply asking the reports directly. So instead of having to go through piles of data to extract useful information for clients now marketers will be able to just ask questions and have their reports ready to be used.
Tell us about your team?
We are a small team of four. Essentially, it’s the two co-founders Rojin Yarahmadi, Nikolaos Benopoulos and our two developers Owen Thomson and Michael Bailey who have recently joined after graduating from Durham University.
What are your long-term plans for the business?
Expand as much as we can and become a known brand within the UK. After that, well, our world is a big place and we would love to get the opportunity to expand to other markets and help marketers all over the world if possible. We are also very excited to see what other needs the marketing industry has and try to see if we can create nice solutions for those as well.
What’s your favourite piece of technology?
AI and automation will always comes first for both of us! But If you ask Nik, he would tell you tablets, GoPro cameras, and VR/AR headsets. As for Rojin, she likes DSLRs and wearable tech such as smartwatches.
Do you have any heroes or mentors?
I don’t know about heroes, but thankfully we have met a few very nice people who later on became our mentors from our time at Newcastle University, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Ignite Accelerator program and more. Also, he had the privilege to have some of our investors as mentors and that is very valuable of us. We are very new to the whole startup game and it is nice that we have a few people that we can trust and seek their advice every time we have a situation that needs to be solved. Also, we have coaches that help us hone our skills in areas where we haven’t had prior experience. I highly recommend that everyone hire coaches to up their game in anything that they do. We have found that having a mentor/coach is the fastest way to learn while you are building your business.
When not working, how do you like to relax?
Chill walks by the sea, preferably with some nice coffee from our favourite place. Also, going to the movies is another thing we like to do whether it is in the theatre or at home. We try to fit in a gym routine from time to time, but that has been done with varying degrees of success.
What’s your fondest career memory?
Every time we hear we made somebody’s work life less miserable and more productive is a happy day for us. We like to build tech in a way that can serve humans as much as possible and when we achieve that it feels nice.
What’s the best piece of business advice you’ve received?
Be mindful of sales cycles. This can either make or break your business. And it is so right as advice and something that is not talked about enough.
www.polybox.app