Alas the long, tired hours of school are a thing of the past.
If only there were something meaningful to fill this void, the first week of the annual BASIS Senior Research Project perhaps.
Although this week is snow more (too soon?), I just wanted to take the time to reflect on the start of my internship at BlocPower.
*The curtain rises. The protagonist is ready. The stage is set.*
So on Monday after recovering from a rather intense Super Bowl, I began my stay in the Big Apple by becoming accustomed to start up applications like Slack and Pivotaltracker. After this, I tested a suite of user interfaces for BlocPower including its new rollout BP Marketplace as well as BP Analyze and BP Audit. Now I realize testing is rather vague, so in this case I mean quality assurance in that I made sure the projects and buildings that BlocPower input into their system are easy to manage and store.
In addition to being involved in the technical operations of the company, I also had the privilege to be involved with a number of team meetings. I listened in on conference calls about crowdfunding and attracting investors, read up on goals of BlocPower’s new project BuildHealth (an initiative to incentivize building owners to lower their energy costs while cleaning the air for their tenants with high risks for asthma), and took note of important metrics (i.e. the number of building projects confirmed rather than the traffic BlocPower receives on their web applications) that we should keep in mind in the future.
I think what I found particularly interesting was a conversation from a stand up meeting today about how projects like BuildHealth should be marketed to building owners. People working in close conjunction to building owners and contractors interestingly pointed out that for some of them, allowing BlocPower to come in and build retrofits is not necessarily driven by a desire to clean the air for their tenants but rather from a want to save money and conserve energy to a greater degree. So because of this, the question becomes, how does one market to these diversified owners in order to allow BlocPower to consult and ultimately work with them. Is it through social media? And if so, what types of information is included? Pictures of children that appeal to pathos, or straightforward financial policies that outline how much money can be saved where?
I have very much enjoyed being a part of the company’s day-to-day operations and hope to continue finding intriguing technological tidbits as well as nuanced questions to keep in mind as I continue my project.
Also here's a photo of some snow I found (even though it's literally everywhere) and me not handling it very well.
Hey Kayvon,
ReplyDeleteIt is great to see you are enjoying New York. It is a huge transition to go from suburban Arizona to the city NYC. A question I have for you is what are the stand up meetings and conference calls like? Also, what is it like to be working with these startups on the daily basis, is this a subject you will want to pursue in your later lifetime? I am still very exited to watch your project unfold.
Thanks, Harrison Miao
Hey Harrison! Great questions. So the stand up meetings are really interactive because I'll be able to listen to marketing ideas from people in business development as well as efficient system suggestions from engineers, so the experience really is different in that I am able to see how different departments correlate and work with one another. While we are on the subject, working with a startup is the kind of experience that is invaluable because there is no goal or vision that is 100% solidified so as an intern this is exciting because I know whatever suggestions or thoughts I might have has a chance to be considered, or in other words, all insightful ideas are welcome. To answer the latter part of your question, yes, I would most definitely like to pursue working for a startup because there is something very inventive about working with experts in their fields who are ready to build nuanced ideas from the ground up. Thanks again for your insight and I hope that answered your questions!
DeleteKayvon! It's good to hear you are enjoying your stay in New York and finding your place in the meetings. Your passion and commitment are clear so keep up the enthusiasm and good, innovative questions. As you are used to the dry heat of Arizona I hope you don't freeze to death. Stay warm and stay gif-ey!
ReplyDeleteHey Dani! My being used to the dry heat certainly is not helping but the weather is "warming" up so at least there is that to look forward to. In terms of work, I hope to balance meetings and QA testing with research (as you have integrated already into your project) so that I can make more meaningful connections between my site and my central project question. Enjoy the moderate weather and look forward to finding more gifs to share.
DeleteHi Kayvon
ReplyDeleteSounds like things are going well over there. I am glad you are keeping busy. Have you started working on your project at all, the actual project at itself, or have you mostly just been getting acclimated? Just curious.
Things are not the same around since you left. It is almost as if your departure has left myriad tempestous clouds in its wake, the majority of which have not failed to cause us all undue stress and anxiety.
Hey Mr. C! I appreciate your input. So week 1 I was becoming accustomed to my work environment and I have used this week 2 to figure out the basic metrics of my project (i.e. how I am measuring the affect of retrofits on science education). Sorry to hear things are not the same :) and look forward to continuing my work with you, my esteemed advisor.
DeleteHi again Kayvon! Sounds like your first week is off to a great start! I have a couple questions. What exactly are the start up applications that you are working with? Also what is the purpose of the user interfaces? I'm not too familiar with this terminology, so what do they do for the company? I'm interested to learn more about it.
ReplyDeleteHope you are enjoying your time in New York!
So the start up applications I am working with are ones that allow building owners to claim buildings as their own so that BlocPower can give them estimates on how they can reduce their energy consumption. The purpose of the user interfaces is simply what I just described because we are currently rolling out a suite of applications to improve our business development and outreach. Thanks for the comments and look forward to receiving your input soon!
DeleteWhat's up Kayvon. I am interested in BuildHealth and how you would market it to people, but how would the BuildHealth project work, and how would you reach out to many building owners? I hope you overcome your snow issues!
ReplyDeleteHey Oscar! BuildHealth gives building owners in the Bronx and southern Queens area a chance to reduce poor air quality by installing new boiler and heating systems. The marketing team is currently working on how to develop outreach for that but I will be sure to keep you updated as that develops. Thanks and I am becoming more comfortable with the cold every day!
DeleteHello! I think that's cool that they use fiscal incentives to persuade them to improve the conditions of buildings. Very smart! I was wondering why it is more important to measure the number of building projects BlocPower has confirmed rather than the traffic they receive on their web applications. Also, nice memes.
ReplyDeleteHey Jackson! So traffic on a website means relatively nothing if no clients are gained, and for that reason focusing on the actual clientele base ensures that those projects are being taken care of so to speak. Thanks for that awesome question and I look forward to receiving your input soon.
DeleteHi Kayvon! In your introductory post, I read that you hope to also work to create some rooftop gardens on some buildings in New York. With the current snowfall in the area, does BlocPower have any alternative ideas for creating sustainable environments in New York? Good luck with the snow!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHey Marvin! So BlocPower is currently working on a BuildHealth initiative which seeks to help tenants in noxious building areas but other than that no alternative ideas are out there. The focus has mainly been on creating the retrofits and not so much on different ideas as it relates to different climates like snow. Thanks and I look forward to your input in the future.
DeleteHi Kayvon!
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to hear you've managed to adapt and survive in New York. It sounds like you are involved in some interesting interactions within the company. What do you think is the most effective strategy to market BuildHealth? I hope the rest of your stay is just as enjoyable!
Hey Kirill! So the most effective strategy to market BuildHealth would be just to underline the financial gains to be made in the long term (because engineering projects allow consumer waste to decrease dramatically). Thanks for the question!
DeleteHey Kayvon! You really seemed to have enjoyed your first official week on site. I'm glad to know that you are becoming familiar with all parts of the company from technical to marketing, this will definitely help you in your research. I hope your experiences keep pushing you to develop these ponderous questions. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteThanks Frida! I too think the technical aspects are aiding my research, especially as I learn more through meetings and BlocPower's wiki page. Thanks for the input and look forward to reading your comments in the coming weeks.
DeleteI hope you like New York, Kayvon. I'm sure that using social media would be an effective means of marketing for the company due to its low cost and high visibility. I hope you get used to the snow since there's a lot more coming!
ReplyDeleteHey Ahmad! I have been loving New York and today actually we talked about how launching media campaigns through LinkedIn and Facebook can target workplace professionals at a relatively low cost. Thanks for the marketing advice and I too hope I will get used to this weather!
DeleteHey Kayv,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Zand.
I found your blog to be quite interesting and fresh. I think your cause/mission is very admirable and rewarding, something I believe others recognize as well. With this in mind, what has been your biggest challenge with BlocPower and your biggest achievement? Thank you for considering my question, it really sounds like you're having alot of fun. Keep up the great work!
Hey Kayvon,
ReplyDeleteI am very interested in the marketing of your project. Of the list of marketing strategies you provided, which do you feel would be the most effective to use, and what will be the challenges of marketing to such a diverse market?
Best of luck with your project, and have fun with the snow!
Hey Michael! I think targeting churches and property managers through including information about loans and financial gains is the way to go (especially through email campaigns). The challenges are that some are more interested in religion so finding a way to integrate this with an appeal to pathos (i.e. pictures of children or appeals to religious ideas) is an idea to consider. Thanks for your input and I will definitely have fun (although the snow is melting).
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