Nathan Otchere, WH ’26, Spring, TX
This summer, I had the privilege of interning as a Business Development Intern at Configure8, an innovative internal developer portal startup. Under the guidance of Jay Crystal, I engaged in a role that was both challenging and rewarding, managing the inbound and outbound pipeline of the sales process of a startup doing incredible things in their space. This experience provided me with practical insights into the business development landscape, and navigating competitive landscapes as an early-stage startup, and bridging the gap between business and technology development.
At the start of my internship, I was tasked with overseeing the sales pipeline, which involved managing client interactions and coordinating efforts to secure deals. This role required great attention to detail and the ability to adapt quickly to shifting deadlines and timelines. Through these responsibilities, I gained firsthand experience in the dynamics of professional settings and developed a robust understanding of sales processes. Successfully contributing to the acquisition of deals with multiple Fortune 500 companies was particularly gratifying and underscored the impact of effective business development strategies.
One of the key lessons I learned during my internship was the nature to adapting to unfamiliar industries. Contextually, internal develop portals are aimed at connecting the different clients and participants in the software development process to improve developer productivity and efficiency. Understanding the technical aspect of the company in a way in which I could promote it to clients with much greater industry knowledge was something that I initially struggled with but became much better at over the course of the summer. In general, the approach I took to improve my knowledge of the software developer experience industry is one that I’ll reflect on as I expand my knowledge of other industries in the future.
As an aspiring entrepreneur, this summer has most helped me understand ideation when it comes to start-ups. I better now understand how to identify potential end markets, and find opportunities for technological advancement and penetration in spaces that might initially show little relevance to tech. Moreover, immersing myself in the field of Developer Enhancement Productivity was both exciting and educational. Working in a sector characterized by rapid growth and innovation allowed me to witness and contribute to cutting-edge developments that configure8 was working on.
In conclusion, my summer internship at Configure8 has been a transformative experience that has greatly enriched my professional and personal growth. The opportunity to manage significant projects, adapt to a dynamic work environment, and integrate business and technical perspectives has been invaluable. I’ll forever hope to apply these summers lessons as I continue on my entrepreneurship journey.
This is part of a series of posts by recipients of the 2024 Career Services Summer Funding Grant. We’ve asked funding recipients to reflect on their summer experiences and talk about the industries in which they spent their summer. You can read the entire series here
