Dev Ittycheria

Because of science, we can have a transformative effect on society. My exposure to science came in different ways. One, my father was an engineer and then he ultimately became a rocket scientist, so that was fascinating to see and observe. My parents were posted in Nigeria and there wasn't that much to do, so they bought me this video game called Pong and I was fascinated. Beyond the pleasure provided, I was really interested in how it all worked. I started my first company when I was 31 and my life has profoundly changed since then. I think entrepreneurship allows you to have an amazing impact in society, allows you to create jobs, allows you to transform people's lives, allows you to help customers solve important problems, and allows you to lay the foundation for other people to build upon what you've done. And to me, the backbone of that is all about STEM and having that training, identifying problems, and then finding better ways or better solutions to solve those problems. I was fortunate to have mentors and a family that was very, very focused on STEM, but I know that's not the case for a lot of people. The earlier you start people in STEM, I think the better outcomes you have. What NYSCI does is allow young people to connect how STEM has an important role in their lives and other people's lives. NYSCI is honoring David Achiria with the Creative Entrepreneurship Award because Dave is someone who has exemplified in many years of his career the kind of creativity and persistence and problem solving that is at the heart of entrepreneurship, particularly in the tech sector. I believe learning how to code is almost as important as learning how to read, write, and do math. You want to harvest a natural curiosity, understand why the world works the way it is, and as the world gets more technical and technological, STEM plays a huge role. Because of science, I can be curious. Science is not like a simple field of study, but a variety of concepts that are always evolving, and NYSCI, I think, really understands that idea when designing its exhibits. After meeting Dave, I realized that I do not have to take my education on a fast track. He started his first company in his early 30s, and that really gave me hope I'll succeed. For a business like MongoDB, it all starts with people. And for us to hire great people, we need to have access to a lot of talent. Having basic fundamental technical skills are prerequisite to almost do any job, not only today, but in the future. NYSCI is enabling young people to use science, technology, engineering, and math to make themselves very competitive. I obviously both feel privileged and humbled. I have an amazing team, and I think the award being given to me is really a reflection of how profoundly MongoDB is changing not just New York, but the world. And so it's important for us to continue to nurture that talent. It's important for us to have great schools that offer great STEM curriculum. NYSCI plays a huge role in making that happen, and I would love to see New York continue to blossom as one of the tech capitals in the world.