Kountable, San Francisco, CA
I am a rising junior majoring in economics and after taking part in the Field Work in a Bay Area Start-up Winter Study travel course, I knew that I wanted to work in a start-up because of the cross-functional nature of the work involved as well as key exposure to the innovative and dynamic culture ingrained in such a space. However, I also knew that if I was not passionate about the work I was taking on, I would not grow in any capacity.
I sought out Kountable because the company mission aligned with my values. Through working with SME’s (small and medium sized enterprises) in Africa, Kountable is helping resellers in marginalized, underserved communities scale their businesses through the facilitation of trade deals, thus bringing money into emerging markets and boosting the local economy. I highly valued Kountable’s focus on developing countries because I come from a less fortunate background than most, and the only reason I was afforded the opportunities I’ve been given in life is because of the help I received along the way—whether it was from my parents, family, friends, teachers, professors, QuestBridge, or Williams. The opportunities Kountable is giving SME’s will inevitably spur further investment into these countries as these businesses grow, attracting institutional investors seeking to be on the forefront of the development occurring within these burgeoning communities. This will help bring much needed capital to traditionally marginalized communities which have been swept to the side by investors, businesses, and corporations around the globe for far too long.
I spearheaded several major projects this summer, working alongside the finance, compliance, trade-generation, engineering, and administrative teams in the process. I was tasked with completing the first substantial sourcing and procurement initiative that Kountable has ever undertaken. Jamie, a fellow intern, and I were asked to source 24 construction items for a residential development company, Workers Affordable Properties, who are seeking to build 10,000 affordable homes for workers in Kigali, Rwanda. This project is currently ongoing, but throughout the summer, Jamie and I worked on sourcing all of the requested items; as a result of the research we conducted, we were able to successfully locate all of the requested items, receive bids, and establish guidelines and procedures which workers at Kountable can utilize upon the advent of more sourcing projects. We co-authored a “Sourcing Process Guide,” a 26-page working document, which will give Kountable a concrete, institutional memory of the process we implemented as well as methods that workers can implement in the future to more effectively tackle future sourcing initiatives as Kountable scales its procurement arm.
Moreover, I worked on helping pilot a partnership between Kountable and UNOPS (United Nations Office of Project Services), to give Kountable access to the UNGM (United Nations Global Marketplace). I conducted extensive research on the partner registration process to help Kountable materialize this partnership; this collaboration is crucial because it will give Kountable direct access suppliers registered within the UNGM, expand their sourcing opportunities, and, ultimately, assist in facilitating deals more efficiently and frequently for SME’s in the future.
I also did a deep dive into Koubel, the company’s back-end data system, and Periscope, a data storage and analytics platform, to identify why there are discrepancies between the data in these two identities. Other noteable projects included conducting industry research on the political, legal, economic, and social landscape in Africa and Asia; working with finance and compliance to ensure that they are prepared for the upcoming audit; creating internal standards, guidelines, and a behavioral rating system which members at Kountable can utilize for the evaluation of documentation sent in by SME’s; and many projects in between!
My internship lasted from June 17th to August 16th—the quickest nine weeks of my life. This summer was enriching not only because of this company and the amazing work I bore witness to, but because of the people who sat beside me toiling to achieve that mission every day. And, whether it was through a simple ten minute conversation in the break room, lunch, or our regular outings after work, each person had a lifetime of different experiences, learnings, failures, and advice that they were more than willing to impart to me. Through hearing their stories, I gained some much needed perspective that I lacked prior to this internship.
I have come to realize that although I am a well-rounded student, being well-rounded means that I am not particularly exceptional at anything specific—I intend to work on that. I also need to work on communicating with and listening to others instead of constantly trying to dominate the conversation with dialogue that lacks real substance. And, finally, while I thought I was tech-savvy coming into this internship, I was poorly mistaken! I have sufficient technical knowledge, but I am not highly proficient in any particular software or computer programs. This constant reflection and self-introspection is key to gaining insight into yourself, your goals, and for ultimately keeping yourself accountable to ensure those things are addressed. When I return to Williams, I will work on becoming a better ‘me’ through pinpointing and developing my weaknesses, honing my strengths, and by finally pursuing what I like. This internship has transformed the way I think about who I am and what I want out of life, and I love looking back and reading my journal because of that.
I came into this summer with the expectation that I would simply learn a new trade and some new skills through my participation in this internship, but it turned out to be so much more than that. These three months have been a time of tremendous personal, mental, emotional, and intellectual growth for me. And, what better city to have done this in than San Francisco—an amazing city chock full of diversity, culture, and successful people doing what they love. For all of this, I extend my deepest gratitude to Alex Shah ’92, whose generosity has impacted my life in such a positive and meaningful way.