“Start small but start your blockchain journey today!”

- La Pyae Thit, Product Marketing Lead at SettleMint.

What drew you to work at SettleMint, and how did you get started?

In my final year of college, I organized a conference called Champions of Blockchain where I invited leaders from the blockchain industry to speak to students. SettleMint was one of the companies I invited to the supply chain panel and what drew me to work at SettleMint was seeing all the different touch points that blockchain solutions offered across industries, including trade, financial services, sustainability, and beyond.  At that time, I was particularly interested in learning how blockchain technologies may transform global industries and give rise to innovative economic models. I saw that SettleMint was there to provide the sector with comprehensive answers, so it was the perfect place to start my blockchain journey.

What has been your most rewarding experience while working here?

Really, it's hard to choose just one. I've had a wonderful learning experience and have been given several interesting assignments over the past year and a half. Anything from market positioning to deep competitive analysis is particularly interesting. The learning experience since I joined the marketing team and was given responsibility for heading up our product marketing initiatives has been enriching, to say the least. For instance, we had the flagship 2022 release of the on-premises blockchain deployment offering that the company was building towards. When I was tasked with launching our go-to-market strategy for this, it gave me an immense opportunity to grow. It developed my ability to coordinate with different departments and deliver the right messaging when we go to market. Additionally, I had a fantastic opportunity to develop my leadership abilities because I was planning and carrying out a major campaign for the company.

How has your role evolved since you started working here? 

My role has changed considerably. During my first year at SettleMint, I worked in the commercial team at the European hub, where we developed business relationships and alliances in the UK and the rest of Europe. Working for a startup involves operating within a flat organizational structure and this meant there were numerous commercial initiatives inside the European team. I got the opportunity to work on partner alliances, in addition to working directly with end customers. During this period, I realized there was a part of SettleMint that I could contribute more to, which had to do with honing our global go-to-market strategy and positioning the SettleMint platform within the larger blockchain landscape. I realized that marketing was the tool I could use to make the most impact, which is why I'm now leading SettleMint's product marketing endeavors and why I'm incredibly thrilled to be sharing the SettleMint story with the world every day.

What have you learned while working here, and how has it helped you in your career?

It would take a long time to describe everything I've learned over the past 18 months but the most important things are:

• We get to collaborate with teams in APAC, Europe, and the Middle East because our culture prioritizes remote work. I really enjoy learning about various cultures and how the blockchain market functions in these different regions. 
• On the subject of different viewpoints, I also get the opportunity to collaborate cross-functionally with many different departments, including engineering, customer success, the commercial team, and product marketing. This allows me to learn from all my SettleMint coworkers, who are specialists in these fields. Additionally, I've got the chance to learn about the specifics of the enterprise blockchain sector, as well as the broader blockchain development landscape.
• I would also say I have gradually learned how to adopt a leader’s mentality. A lot of this learning has come from our CEO, Matthew. I’ve never met a leader who is able to maintain such composure, compassion, and optimism in the face of adversity that would have knocked anyone else down. To say I have been inspired by Matthew would be an understatement. I will work towards embodying the characteristics of an ideal leader with him as a benchmark for the rest of my life. I'm slowly learning how to incorporate that mindset, both professionally and personally, and I've already seen myself grow immensely in this direction.

What advice would you give to someone who is considering a job at SettleMint or in this industry?

First off, there has never been a better time to work in blockchain and, more specifically, at SettleMint. Just a few months ago, we closed a €16 million series A financing round and we are growing rapidly across all of our territories. If you want to do something, you will find that SettleMint allows you to learn a lot by simply getting on and carrying it out. There is a "do first, improve later" mentality in which we are strongly urged to take ownership and assume responsibility. Having this amount of confidence in your abilities, traits, and competence is quite uncommon in a workplace. I think that kind of mindset and culture is amazing. So, if you want to take on a new initiative yourself, SettleMint welcomes you to do so.  In terms of getting started with blockchain in general, I would say start small but definitely do start today. Be patient with yourself about the speed at which you learn too because blockchain is still at a very early stage of its development as a transformational technology.