In this blog series, we interview a member of the clypd team every month. Find out what drives us, what makes us tick, and what we do outside of the clypd office. In this month’s clypd Profile, we talk to Travers Franckle, Senior Software Engineer.

Can you describe your job and an average day working at clypd?

I am a software engineer on the user interface (UI) team, where we build the website that customers use to interact with our systems.  We work to build interactions and visualizations that enable users to get their tasks done quickly and navigate and leverage the mountains of data that come from our platform and data science teams.

My day usually starts with coffee and a snack from the kitchen, followed by catching up with the rest of the team during our daily stand-up. From there, my day varies, but I am typically coding away in our stack (mainly Rails, Slim, Sass, JS, and React), reviewing a pull request, or planning for the future.

Lunch with coworkers at our big tables is a nice break and a good time to grab people for a game of foosball. Our team is very collaborative, so quick gatherings to discuss design (code and visual) are commonplace throughout the day. Afternoons are great for extended chunks of coding time. I’m always working to decrease the friction to work within our codebase so we can focus on providing a great user experience.

What excites you most about working at clypd?

For me, it’s all about the people and the sense of a shared mission. Our backgrounds are all diverse, but there is a common thread of genuine interest and excitement in technology that drives us to create the best product we can.

Access to great beer is also not too shabby.

You’ve worked in a range of industries in the past – can you talk a little bit about that and what makes working in a startup different?

The industries have been varied (telecommunications, insurance, e-commerce, healthcare), but there is a common thread of being part of a smaller and more cohesive group. If the company itself was not small, then I was in a more autonomous group that afforded the type of technical and personal setups that I enjoy.

These smaller groups within larger organizations often tout themselves as internal “startups”, but I’ve found it’s impossible for them to replicate the environment of a startup without actually being one. There is a stronger sense of personal investment and shared experience that comes with being at one that I haven’t encountered elsewhere. There always seems to be an extra bit of excitement as we set off into uncharted waters together.

Growing up, what was your favorite TV show?

A VHS tape was always ready to record “The Simpsons,” since it aired during family dinner.

What do you like most about the Boston area?

The high concentration of universities and technology companies in the Boston area makes for a great learning environment. If there is a topic you are interested in, odds are there is an active group of like-minded individuals that you can tap into.

It’s also pretty cool to get off of the T (Boston’s subway system) inside the Old State House and find yourself in the midst of a historical re-enactment.

What’s the best vacation you’ve ever been on?

My wife studied abroad and conducted field-work in Tanzania. It was amazing to be able to go back and experience that beautiful country with her. The birds there are out of control!  I was expecting (and of course awed by) the large predators I had always heard about. The locals were amazingly friendly, but the variety and sheer number of birds really stood out to me.

What can you usually be found doing on the weekends?

If the weather is nice, I’m usually strapping our kayaks to the car and heading out to get some quality time out on the Charles River, Concord River, or parts further.

You have a really awesome dog, Henry. What’s the goofiest thing he’s ever done?

Everything that dog does is goofy. He has been known to stand on his hind legs in order to get a better look at his favorite ornaments on the Christmas tree.  Also, he is Batdog:

Tell us something that not many people know about you.

I was bitten by an octopus as a child.

Interested in joining the clypd team? Check out our Careers page!