How Our Intrax Internship Laid the Foundation for Our Personal and Professional Success

For students considering an internship abroad, the considerations that go into the decision are varied. Some students are trying to set themselves apart in a competitive job market and gain work experience. Other students are unsure about their career path and would like to experience first-hand what day-to-day life in that role would be like. And others are looking to gather skills or experiences from their internship that might enhance their personal journey or professional development.

While considering an internship, Jose María Denia and Diego Gutiérrez grappled with all these considerations and more. Their experience as interns for Intrax in San Francisco not only answered all these questions but ended up paving the way for their personal and professional success. We spoke to Jose and Diego about what they learned from their internship and how they were able to translate these lessons into the co-founding of their company, Nubika. Hitesh Adesara, VP of Engineering & Operations for Intrax, shared how Nubika has continued to support the short and long terms goals of Intrax.

Educational and Professional Development Interests Prior to Internship

What did you study in university?

Diego: I studied telecommunications and information technology engineering at Polytechnic University of Cartagena. I also obtained a master’s degree in project management. I had a strong interest in building things.

Jose: I also studied telecommunications and information technology engineering at Polytechnic University of Cartagena with Diego. I was focusing on telecommunication hardware and signals and never thought I could be a developer.

How did you first learn about Intrax Global Internships?

Diego: After I completed my university studies, I was working in Madrid and I needed a change. In 2011, I decided to move to the United States for 2-3 months, with the goal of working for a company where I could improve my English language skills. I found Intrax on the internet, liked the approach, applied and was offered an in-house position by the Chief Technology Officer at the time.

Jose: During the economic downturn in 2012, I called Diego. He was in San Francisco at the time and told me more about the developer track he was on. I expressed interest in joining him and he connected me to Intrax.

Experience as an Intrax intern in San Francisco

Diego: I started my internship at Intrax in November 2011. The first month of my internship was focused on English training. I worked with both the IT team in SF and Singapore, focusing on the Salesforce programming for Ayusa. I ended up working on the global integration for Salesforce. My internship lasted 13 months.

Jose: I started my internship in March 2013 and lasted 18 months. At first, I started training with Diego on the Salesforce programming for Ayusa. After a few months, I segued to AuPairCare and worked on that for the remainder of my internship.

Takeaways as an Intrax intern in San Francisco

Courage

Diego: We would not have been able to start Nubika without Intrax. When we first moved back to Spain, we were able to use our internship experience to obtain our first clients in Spain. A few years later, our experience with Intrax armed us with the courage and knowledge to start Nubika, a consulting company with a broad portfolio on cloud solutions, such as Salesforce and its ecosystem, Amazon AWS, Mulesoft or Web & Mobile Development.

Hitesh: Diego and Jose have an enterprising/entrepreneurial spirit. They were able to learn Salesforce technology and translate that into a viable, successful opportunity in Spain.

Broaden your perspective

Jose: We learned so many things as interns at Intrax. More than the technical knowledge we learned, we broadened our perspective on work-life balance and company culture. Our mentors at Intrax encouraged independence and freedom. We were measured not by how we work or how many hours we worked, but by tangible results. Our mentors empowered us with freedom and arming us with the tools to succeed and that translated into a superior work product.

Later, when we started Nubika, it was important to us to cultivate the same culture we experienced as interns at Intrax at our own company.

Nubika has adopted the 1/1/1 model as part of our business culture.

• 1% of Time: During the course of the year, Nubika employees spend 1% of their time during volunteer work.
• 1% Product: Nubika donates 1% of their annual profits to non-profit organizations.
• 1% Profit: Nubika uses 1% of their total annual profits to help organizations committed to making the world a better place.

Experience what the world has to offer

Jose: My internship with Intrax changed my life dramatically. Not only did we have amazing bosses at Intrax, but I loved living in San Francisco. And most importantly, I met my wife while interning at Intrax.

Grow your network

Jose: I developed very close relationships with many of the people at Intrax. I am still in contact with many of these people, even the Singapore team.

Hitesh: After Diego and Jose went back to establish Nubika, they continued to do work for Intrax. We knew them and they knew us and it was a successful working relationship. Today, we continue to utilize Nubika for consulting assignments, and they are a reliable partner for Intrax.

The Future of Nubika and Intrax’s Relationship

Hitesh: Nubika’s services will continue to have long term benefits for Intrax. Nubika continues to learn mobile tech and Salesforce technology and this will be crucial to Intrax as we continue to expand Salesforce and our mobile capabilities. Intrax’s relationship with Nubika has been particularly meaningful this year. They have been capable, flexible partners to Intrax during the pandemic.

What is Nubika up to currently?

Diego: Even during this super complex time, considering the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company is growing strongly. With our 2 offices, Nubika is able to cover the entire national territory, and we are planning on opening new locations. The team is also growing… we are now more than 30 people and our expansion plan is basically double that number in 2 years…. Its an exciting time for companies working on Digital Transformation and Cloud Solutions environment.

Also, every year Salesforce celebrates its Partners Awards, an event in which they reward commitment, effort and business growth. On October 20, during the 1st Edition of Salesforce Live: Spain, Nubika received the “Key Partner in the Ecosystem” recognition from Salesforce 2020.

This year will always be very important for Nubika, since almost 5 years ago, when we started this journey, we could not imagine that Salesforce would give us this recognition. But, we have realized that with effort, perseverance and dedication, things are achievable, because for us that is the way to success. And the journey is just getting started!

Learn more about Nubika here.

Learn more about Intrax Global Internships programs here.