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Some are CEOs of their own companies while others work for major players like cybersecurity firm Darktrace and fintech startup Revolut. Research released earlier this year confirmed that European tech founders are overwhelminglyWith this in mind, we spoke to eight tech trailblazers – all from working-class backgrounds – about how they broke into this bourgeois bubble.
Then I saw a job ad for a comms role at Rocket, the German tech VC firm, and I worked really hard to make myself stand out in the application. I wrote and printed out an entire interactive deck full of ideas for their PR strategy, and then sent it to them in a parcel.Have you ever felt alienated due to your background?
My dad was Sri Lankan and my mum white British so, you know, being a mixed-race kid in Somerset in the late 80s could be tough. Almost everyone was white and had both of their parents around.I think I started finding my groove in my teenage years. Being good at sport definitely helped me fit in. Getting into the school football team allowed me to establish myself.
Mum so wanted to make sure I had a father figure while I was growing up that she accepted treatment from men that was, in essence, abusive. I would find her crying every day, and even heard her being physically abused.That must have had a big impact on your education? If you've had a difficult upbringing, you will probably be more resilient, empathetic and open to change. Any employer would be lucky to hire you – so just go for it.What was life like when you were young?
I was very careless with money, as you might expect a young footballer to be, and found myself in a lot of debt. Because of that, I always make sure I am the best-briefed person in the room. I play out every scenario before I go into a meeting, because I need to make sure people know I'm not messing around.One hundred per cent., an organisation that takes people from backgrounds like ours, and helps them develop in-work skills: office etiquette, punctuality, dress code and so on. From there, we help them get work experience opportunities.
However, thanks to some good management, I persevered and soon became one of the top-performing tech recruiters there, winning every company award and a place on all the winners' trips. I finally felt I had found my calling in life. That's right. I've only just started being able to talk about it but I basically had a cancer scare in 2012. I came through OK but it really gave me a wake-up call.
I had just over six months, from June – before uni started –until January to find the full term's fee. I just about managed it, but I carried on with the business on the side and it got easier every year.Imposter syndrome is a big thing for me. I try to have as much self-confidence as possible. Of course, being of an Indian background meant that getting an education was considered incredibly important. My sister and I went to ordinary comprehensive schools.I was pathologically focused on my studies in my teenage years. I had to be. It could be a bit rough and it was tough to get work done at school...Nothing too crazy ever happened but it wasn't, so to speak, an"academically nourishing" environment. I did most of my studying when I got home at the end of the day.
Yes, I was surrounded by a lot of people who might have had more privileged upbringings than me – but I found it an enriching experience talking to them about their lives.
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