February 2023 Magazine - Remote Tech

THE UNDISCOVERED TALENT THAT COMPANIES HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR! FEBRUARY 2023

ISSUE #2

REMOTE TECH BREAKING THE PATTERN - A LIFELONG JOURNEY

Building Culture

Thailand Tech Talent Pipeline PAGE 11

Must-Have Etiquettes for a Remote Team PAGE 5

Featured Emerging Talent PAGE 14

Diaspora In Tech, The Bridge Builders

S E G

PAGE 8

20

A P +

e t o N s ' r o t Edi

Thank you for the overwhelming response to the first issue of Remote Tech Magazine!

It's been an exciting start of 2023 and we have had another packed month So many people have reached out to me interested to learn more about this new venture, with Remote Tech Teams, so in this issue, I want to give you the inside scoop on how we are approaching everything and the lessons learned to date.

There's been soooo much going on that we have been firing on all cylinders. But it's always worthwhile to take a step back and reflect on the wins and challenges But one thing that I have realized, is that we are an interpersonal economy and I am putting this in practice to foster trust, confidence, motivation and a community for the remote tech teams that we are building.

And the best thing is the increased interest from startup founders, tech leaders and tech recruiters who want to tap into this top notch talent pool.

That's how bridges are built!

The adventure continues!

Alida Rwabalinda Founder, Innov8POD & Remote Tech Teams

Remote Tech | 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS 02 EDITOR'S NOTE

05 BUILDING A REMOTE TECH TEAM CULTURE IN 2023 5 must-have etiquettes

08 DIASPORA IN TECH The Bridge Builders

11 THAILAND TECH TALENT PIPELINE A case study for global companies entering local markets

15 PRODUCT OWNER: JOSELYNE NIYOMUTONI Defining user problems methodically

17 FULLSTACK DEVELOPER: ERNEST KWIZERA Walking in the shoes of the user

18 WEB DEVELOPER: CRISPIN NIYOMWUNGERI Understanding what you are coding

19 THE WINS

20 CHALLENGES

Remote Tech | 3

FEBRUARY 2023

Culture Fit

Setting a New Standard with Remote Tech Teams Remote Tech | 4

FEBRUARY 2023

Building A Remote Tech Team Culture in 2023!

5 Etiquettes to Nurture a Highly Collaborative and Effective Team 1. Know the individual team members Your delivery squad will be made up of up to 6 team members. Schedule an intro session, use ice breaker games, to build a warm team dynamic from the very start. This upfront effort will be valuable when the intense work kicks in and the team backs you up with speed and efficiency.

2. Provide the baseline tools for success Remote collaboration can require fairly different needs, depending on the individual's location.

It's important to proactively confirm with the team that each individual has reliable internet access, a laptop (or VDI) and other critical collaboration tools that your team uses on the regular.

Ignoring this can significantly impact the team productivity and delay them from adding value to your project.

3. Establish a 2-week onboarding plan Creating an exceptional onboarding experience should not just be left for your internal employees. Remember, the remote team is an extension of your internal team.

If you follow a two-week sprint, dedicate the first sprint to providing context on what has been done to date, key project decisions made, intro to key stakeholders, and demo of existing capabilities.

The effort you put into employee onboarding pays incredible dividends with higher retention and creating a great team culture.

Remote Tech | 5

FEBRUARY 2023

Building 4. Have an internal point of contact An internal point of contact for the delivery manager to check in with and get appraised on time sensitive decisions will allow the remote team to be nimble and aligned to the sprint objectives and overall product roadmap.

5. Understand the cultural context of your remote team Managing cross-cultural remote teams requires the intentional understanding and acknowledging of local practices (for example, food, religion and social cues).

Finding ways to embrace those norms into your agile ceremonies and program planning creates a sense of one team.

5 Etiquettes to Nurture a Highly Collaborative and Effective Team

All in all, be conscious of the small things that can elevate your company, create loyalty and high team velocity.

All of this leads to successful project delivery.

A Remote Tech Team Culture Remote Tech | 6

FEBRUARY 2023

Expand Your Worldview

Remote Tech | 7

FEBRUARY 2023

DIASPORA IN TECH THE BRIDGE BUILDERS

Remote Tech | 8

FEBRUARY 2023

DIASPORA IN TECH Welcome to DIASPORA IN TECH Partner Program!

It has been a humbling experience to provide upskilling opportunity to underserved and undiscovered tech talent in Africa and Asia, and prep them for the world of working with startups and established companies to deliver impactful software products.

Each talent gets vetted through an 8-week career discovery incubator program. This is a role-based cohort where the team learn by doing, to gain practical hands-on experience, develop a global mindset and become ready to take on the challenge of pursuing a tech career.

On the other hand, companies are looking for high caliber remote tech teams that can become an extension of the internal teams to create and deliver software products.

At Innov8POD, our goal is empower the remote teams by supporting their onboarding and continuous coaching so that they can exceed the expectations set for them.

This is why I have created the exclusive DIASPORA IN TECH network to partner with rockstars who want a challenge while also expanding your experience as delivery managers for the teams that we build and operationalize.

WHO IS THE PERFECT DIASPORA IN TECH PARTNER? Anyone who considers themselves to be in Diaspora and has worked in the role of a Product Manager, Technical Solution Engineer, or Delivery Manager; with at least 5 years of working experience and leading delivery teams.

Go to innov8pod.com and join the Diaspora in Tech network. We look forward to partnering with you!

Remote Tech | 9

FEBRUARY 2023

No Need For Comparison!

Tech Talent in Africa and Asia can take on the world Remote Tech | 10

FEBRUARY 2023

Thailand Tech Talent Pipeline In High Demand Thailand tech scene is buzzing in 2023.

We have seen the demand for tech talent increase sharply due to the high growth within

tech,

e-commerce

and

digital

startups. A lot of MNCs with local operations in Thailand are laser focused on digital transformation.

This presents an increased demand in talent who are bilingual (English and Thai), with local market expertise and tech project implementation experience. This combo is tough to find in market that are not mature with working in agile, so companies are forced to hire and train on the job. This slows things and once the talent is starting to produce quality output, they leave for 'greener' pasture.

That's why we are launching a Thailand cohort of our popular 8-week incubator, to find and vet 50 tech talent and place them on these multi-year tech initiatives. Our track record has produced talent with higher retention rates.

While this is great news for tech talent, it can pose a challenge for companies that are hiring and the overall sustainability of the market.

At Innov8POD, we help companies to compliment their internal teams by partnering with one of our vetted remote tech teams. We take care of the team operation so that we take away all the hassle and you can focus on delivering on your tech priorities. We are setting up new standard for how companies and remote tech teams collaborate, and we want you to take advantage of it.

We are introducing you to vetted tech talent that you may have never met and we will serve and celebrate individuals and teams’ high quality work and collaborative and global mindset.

If you are a startup founder, a tech leader, or tech recruiter looking for a remote tech team to compliment your internal team, reach out for more details.

It is not easy for companies to find the tech talent they need, and start ups are competing for the same.

Remote Tech | 11

FEBRUARY 2023

PR O M O :

T H A I T ECH E CH IN H IG H D E M A N D T H IS Y EA E AR !

The next Incubator cohort will be in Thailand. March 20th - May 12th Are you a: developer product owner product analyst QA engineer Are you looking to: explore your career path in tech gain hands-on experience in tech product management build your portfolio join a remote tech team

RSVP Now!

Remote Tech | 12

FEBRUARY 2023

STAY INSPIRED! Remote Tech | 13

FEBRUARY 2023

INCUBATOR PROGRAM SUCCESS STORIES

Remote Tech | 14

FEBRUARY 2023

EMERGING TALENT Joselyne Niyomutoni PRODUCT OWNER What is your background and specialization?

I’m a computer science bachelor’s degree holder and I specialized In IIT(Industrial Information Technology).

What were you doing before joining Innov8POD incubator program?

I was volunteering as an IT Support in Rwanda Revenue Authority in a program called EBM Receipt to every customer What learnings did you acquire in the incubator program and how did you apply it to your current job?

I leaned a lot from incubator program like, Agile methodology, time management, leader ship skills, communication skills, and I learned to use collaborative tools like slack, zoom.

I'm using all the skills in my current job, as I'm currently working as a product lead, I use those collaborative tools to communicate with my team mates, Time management help me to complete work on time and we use agile way of working.

Remote Tech | 15

FEBRUARY 2023

Remote Tech Talent is...

Varied Skilled Enthusiastic Diverse Courageous Go-Getter

Remote Tech | 16

FEBRUARY 2023

EMERGING TALENT Ernest Kwizera FULL STACK DEVELOPER

What are your background and specialization?

I have a background in computer science, especially software engineering and I am specialized in full-stack web and mobile application development What were you doing before joining the Innov8POD incubator program?: Before joining the Innov8POD incubator program I was a university student and also I was part of a start-up software development team where I was a full-stack web developer

What advice will you give to people who want to pursue their career in tech?: The advice I can give to people who want to pursue a career in tech is that it is not easy to be successful in the tech industry but with hard work, persistence, focus, and having the right people (such as the Innov8POD incubator program) guiding and shaping you, surely you will become more successful in the tech industry

Remote Tech | 17

FEBRUARY 2023

EMERGING TALENT Crispin Niyomwungeri PRODUCT OWNER

What are your background and specialization?

I finished my bachelor's degree in computer science option of software engineering in INES last year. I have experience in developing web and software What were you doing before joining the Innov8POD incubator program?

I was in my last year at university.

What learnings did you acquire in the incubator program and how did you apply them to your current job?

1.Work Well Within a Group 2. Motivate Yourself to Complete Projects 3. Manage and Prioritize Tasks What advice will you give to people who want to pursue A career in tech?

Just for the first time they have to steek on one thing and focus on it and learn more about it.

After knowing well continue learning other things and technology. Also, to know that all resources are nearby them.

Remote Tech | 18

FEBRUARY 2023

THE WINS Business visa approval - I officially put in my notice at my corporate job in Singapore, in Oct 2021, and immediately started applying for a business work visa. After four long weeks of back and forth, I got approved!

Founding Team - I hired my first virtual assistant and web developer, and we quickly prepared for the first cohort of the incubator Ex-employer to First client - I retained a consulting product manager engagement on a parttime basis, which gives me insider advantage for add-on services Partnership with INES university (Rwanda) - I secured sponsorship for two cohorts of the incubator First Remote Tech Team - 5 graduates of the incubator formed the first remote tech team which was matched with a startup in Singapore

Remote Tech | 19

FEBRUARY 2023

CHALLENGES Finding an A-Team takes baby steps - I have come to appreciate the fact that each phase of my startup will require different team caliber, and it is perfectly okay to start with a junior team and level up organically The journey to product-market fit is nerve wrecking- For someone who was mostly used to working behind the scenes, I have had to wear multiple hats to pitch, propose, follow-up, adjust and iterate week after week consistently; and still expect No's A bicontinental startup requires a co-founder to gain traction - and I am still exploring this option Getting 8 hrs of sleep when adrenaline is high requires tough discipline - I now have a routine of taking a siesta to recharge

Remote Tech | 20

FEBRUARY 2023

The Journey Continues...

Self Discovery

Remote Tech | 21