”I had the chance to work in a company that is transforming the mobility industry with its innovative teledriving approach. My experience at Vay was an opportunity to help shape the future of mobility and make a real contribution.”
Over the past 6 months, I’ve been part of Vay’s team as a Communications Intern. During my internship, I developed strategies to build global thought leadership in the mobility industry, raise awareness, create a community and trust, leverage our media content and worked on many other external communication projects.
I first heard about Vay at the START Summit conference that I co-organized. Thomas von der Ohe, CEO and co-founder of Vay, introduced the teledriving technology as an alternative to car-ownership on stage. I was astonished by Vay’s futuristic and visionary service. Timing was right: Anja Rechtsteiner, the Head of Communication, was looking for an intern to kick off the new department.
During my internship, I learned how to understand our potential customers and to develop effective communication strategies accordingly. I worked on several projects such as building a community, developing referral marketing strategies, preparing media visits and interviews and building the social media communication strategy. I constantly stayed up-to-date on the latest news in the mobility industry, did lots of research on the industry and collected data on what Vay is solving for the transportation sector. I was amazed by the speed in which the startup is growing and how fast we would move from one project to the next.
My key learning is how important the culture is within a company. I learned that a great culture is not only about organising team events, but is mainly shaped by the impact that employees have on the company and how they interact with each other. What makes the team special is that people are always open to help and share their knowledge, regardless of one’s position. Therefore I learned a lot about our technology, business strategy and the development of our service. The team is transparent and openly informs about the milestones, obstacles and situation of the company. Thanks to the open communication and great feedback culture, I had the chance to learn about many different areas beyond my department.
It was very valuable for me to see how business, tech and creative talents are working together towards solving transportation in metropolitan areas. Vay has a whole ecosystem, from software-, electrical-, mechanical-engineering, design, finance to communications, it offers the opportunity to work with many different departments and inspiring colleagues.
What I found unique about Vay is its collaborative workspace where you learn from experienced people who worked in exciting companies like Uber, Amazon, Tesla, Google, Audi, BMW or BCG, and some have even founded companies. This unique environment of open-mindedness and knowledge sharing was valuable for my growth and development, both professionally and personally. Being part of an innovative fast-growing company with a big vision for the future is an exciting environment to learn and grow.