This month, we are highlighting two outstanding employees: Bandar AlKabbani, Data Intern, and Sophanarith Sok, Data Entry Specialist! We’ll talk about what drew them to joining the Brainbase family, what keeps them motivated to disrupt an outdated industry and their favorite after-work activities! Check it out below!

Give a brief history of your previous experience and what made you decide to be a part of Brainbase.

Bandar: From a hospital to an e-commerce company, I have had the opportunity to intern at a variety of places. I wanted to be a part of Brainbase because I felt that it would be the optimal place for me to grow and hone my professional skills.

Sok: I was knee-deep into coding and building out front-end applications. It was something I dedicated my life to until I realized the money didn’t make me happy and the burnout wasn’t something I enjoyed. I decided to take step back from programming, but still be part of a technologically innovative atmosphere where I am still surrounded by people a lot smarter than I am. This way, I still get the best of both worlds of work-life balance and get hands-on experience on new software. Brainbase turned out to be the perfect place to be because it is flexible and provides the excitement of working within modern tools.

Any upcoming projects you’re excited about?

Bandar: We have upcoming products in our pipeline that we’re excited to roll out. They’ll allow us to reach new audiences and further help licensing professionals within the industry.

Sok: Our team is working on upcoming projects that I’m very excited to launch. I’m curious to see what types of tasks may land on my plate and how Brainbase will continuously evolve through them. I would imagine it would be a pleasurable experience to navigate through our new products and troubleshoot things for customers.

How do you think Brainbase is changing the licensing industry?

Bandar: I believe we are changing the licensing industry by providing products that are more comprehensive, simple and modern as opposed to the competition.

Sok: It’s mind-boggling how such a large industry that produces billions of dollars in revenue still uses outdated software to manage their numbers. Brainbase is going to make it easier for everyone involved in the industry from managers, data analysts and even data entry specialists. From the intuitive user interface to the core features that is included within the app, Brainbase is going to make the lives of many business people incredibly easier.

What motivates you?

Bandar: I am motivated by the exploration of data and how the data can be used in the creation of useful products.  

Sok: Imagining my own potential and who I can be within 3-5 years if I keep putting one step in front of the other and visualizing what sort of life I could live if I am able to improve 1% every day. I also wonder how much I may impact people and change the world if I become the best version of myself.

How do you measure success (with Brainbase or yourself)?

Bandar: I measure my success at Brainbase not only by completing my assigned tasks, but also through aiding my peers in any way I can. I believe that by achieving our team’s goals and by extension Brainbase’s goals, then I can be successful.

Sok: If I was better today than I was yesterday, I’m on the right track. If I find myself striving to go above and beyond rather than just completing the bare minimum, I know I’m performing successfully.

Where do you want the company to be at in 3 years?

Bandar: In 3 years, I could see Brainbase securing more funding and growing into the leading IP management company.

Sok: I would like to see Brainbase thriving as an established corporation making billions of dollars in revenue in 3 years and, at the same time, never forgetting where they started – as a humble startup in a small building in Venice Beach. I would also love to see the continuation of taking a stand on the good side of humanity and never caving into corporate pressures from outside influences.

What makes you passionate about Brainbase?

Bandar: What makes me passionate about Brainbase is the way we are using machine learning technology and artificial intelligence to automate and modernize the licensing industry.

Sok: Brainbase has retained my interest by continuing to improve upon itself and grow as an application. It is amazing to see how the technology as evolved and become more intuitive and easier to use as time goes on. One of the benefits of working for Brainbase is that I don’t have to deal with using an ugly outdated software from 1998. I would imagine most Data Entry Specialists are using software built on legacy code and outdated design. I recognize that I am incredibly lucky to be working within an app utilizing state of the art code and design language thanks to our team. From an internal employee perspective, Brainbase has made my job easier and I am confident to say that it would make all our customers lives easier as well. Brainbase is truly a pleasant gift to the software licensing industry.

What does a typical workday look like for you?

Bandar: My typical workday starts at 8:45 AM where I go through my list of responsibilities for the day. Naturally, I regularly connect with my peers via Zoom meetings in the mornings in order to go over responsibilities and tasks. Occasionally, I meet with the data and infrastructure team (who are based in our Estonian office) in the evenings!

Sok: The first thing I do is check my email and slack messages to see if anything urgent needs to be attended to. This could be importing large amounts of data into a template or adjusting contract terms in a client account, or this can be something completely obscure like diving into a folder and crawling through hundreds of contracts and collecting a list of data points to be used somewhere.  I also assist with responding to incoming customer chat messages within Intercom which consists of a lot of different questions from customers which would lead to me troubleshooting issues and most likely diving into even more folders and emails. Basically, my workday consists of a bunch of spreadsheets, folders, troubleshooting, emails and the occasional peak into my slack messages.

Favorite go-to restaurant in LA (or anywhere you’re from )?

Bandar: My favorite restaurant in LA is located in the Little Tokyo area of Downtown Los Angeles. It is a small udon restaurant called Marugame Monzo. I recommend their Mentai Squid Udon!

Sok: A lot of people that move to LA aren’t aware that Glendale is a hidden gem for amazing restaurants. Sushi is one of my favorite types of foods, and Octopus Japanese Restaurant located in Glendale is amazing. Unfortunately, they are temporarily closed.

Do you have any after-work hobbies/activities?

Bandar: After work, my favorite hobbies include video games, hiking, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. 

Sok: Pre-pandemic, I would usually head straight to the gym and get my daily workout after I left the office. Now, I head straight to the fridge. Jokes aside, I enjoy playing guitar and electronic music production on my spare time.

Any favorite office/work-interaction memories?

Bandar: Due to COVID-19, sadly my work interactions have been limited to Zoom interactions, but I have had the pleasure of meeting many of my diverse peers! I look forward to making more memorable memories within Brainbase in the future. 

Sok: Brainbase headquarters is located in Venice Beach, which means there are all types of walks of life on the boardwalk. This makes for very interesting experiences. One time I went out for lunch and saw a guy holding a giant snake around his neck. It was very big. Unless you work at a zoo, I would bet most people don’t see giant snakes during work.