working in a start up

When I was in university, I wanted to try something new, so I decided to look for an internship during my three-month break. I went for interviews and searched online for opportunities, but it was harder than I expected to find something that really fit.

Around that time, I was already quite deep into credit cards, miles, and all sorts of “credit card hacks”. I was in a few Telegram groups where people discussed miles strategies and optimisation, and that was how I first came across HeyMax. They had just started back then, and I joined their Telegram group out of curiosity.

On a whim, I decided to message the founder, Joe, to ask if they were looking for an intern. We met the following week, had a casual chat, and I was told I could start the very next day.

That was how I ended up working at a startup.

Working in a startup at such an early stage was very different from anything I had done before. Decisions were often made on the go, and a lot of things were built through trial, error, and constant iteration.

One of the most fulfilling parts was being directly involved in feature development. Knowing that what I built was actively being used by real users made the work feel meaningful. Every iteration, every piece of feedback, and every long coding session felt more purposeful because the impact was immediate.

I also took ownership of hosting and managing a bug bash. Data accuracy and user experience were critical, so a large part of my time went into identifying, triaging, and prioritising issues. In total, I worked through over 200 reported bugs and personally resolved more than half of them. It was intense, but it gave me a much deeper understanding of the product and the importance of system stability.

Beyond maintenance work, I also spent time thinking about product improvements. One area I worked on was the rewards system. I built a structured reward list that clearly outlined different rewards and their criteria. This became part of the user flow when searching for merchants, helping users better understand what actions were needed to earn specific rewards.

I also explored ways the product could generate more revenue. One of the initiatives I worked on was adding affiliation banner promotions. These banners not only improved the visual layout but also helped surface additional sign-up rewards to users in a clearer and more strategic way.

Being in a tech startup that focused on helping users earn miles and travel was also my first time experiencing what it was like to work overseas. And honestly, it wasn’t as glamorous as it might sound. When you’re working overseas, you’re still working so there isn’t much time to actually enjoy the place.

Still, I’m glad I got to experience it.

Looking back, this experience gave me a firsthand look at how products evolve in real environments where shipping, fixing, and improving never really stop. It shaped how I think about ownership, impact, and building things that actually get used!