A Glipse Into a Product Owner's Life

Making human connections is part of the Pangea.ai brand DNA; the soul of our brand being our tech partners. We are very proud to have Despark as part of our community, whose unique individuals inspire and empower the rest of our teams.

Time to meet the Product Owner at Despark, Yoana!

Why did you join Despark, and what has kept you here?

Funny story, actually. I was taking a short break from working when a company approached me about an opportunity. They wanted to know what was important to me in a job, to which my immediate answer was that I wanted to do something that has an impact, something that matters. "You mean, like changing the world?", they asked and we all laughed. I wish! 

Truth is, I had always been working for corporations and while I do believe that many of the products did have made a positive impact, I would not go as far to say they were changing the world. "Sure, it would be great to have the opportunity to change the world for the better, but I am being realistic and I don't really expect that to come from a job", I told that company. 

The very next day, Despark contacted me. "We only do projects we believe in, we build products which have meaningful impact and resonate with our values", Stoyan (the CEO) told me. At this very moment I knew Despark was the place for me, and everything I've seen since I joined only confirmed that. 

Bulgaria is not a big country, yet there is so much to explore, it never ceases to amaze me. 

What are 3 words to describe Despark?

Some of the top words that come to mind that would describe ‘Despark’ the best; purpose, professionalism, and fun!

What advice do you have for prospective Despark candidates?

Be brave and just apply! Don't doubt yourself of cut yourself short, no worrying about being good enough or not. 

Afterwards, once you get to meet us, just be open and honest about what you can and cannot (yet) do, and also what you enjoy doing, what makes you tick. Good luck and hopefully see you around :) 

How do you spend your time outside of the office?

Outdoors, mostly :) I am a big fan of traveling, being in nature and oftentimes 'into the wild', exploring new (or long abandoned) places, hiking, biking or camping. Swimming in the ocean, looking at the night sky, getting lost - all that makes me feel really alive. 

Then again, I also love being curled up on the couch with a good book and a good tune on, balance in all things, I suppose. 

Japan is certainly one of the weirdest, most magical places I've ever visited. Would love to go back! 

Describe what you were like at age 10.

Curious. One particular story is often being mentioned, how one day approached my mother with a deeply thoughtful expression and asked her "Mom, why do I eat sand?" 

Needless to say, she had no answer to give (and to this day, neither do I!). 

If you were to write a self-help book, what would the topic be?

'Life and how to survive it' is by far the best book title for any book at all and especially a self-help one, unfortunately it's already taken. 

On the bright side, it is a brilliant, wonderful, insanely helpful book and I recommend it to anyone. 

Get to know Yoana and the rest of the Despark team!

We’re delighted that Yoana decided to join Despark – it’s been great having them on board! If you have any questions or want to get to know Yoana or one of their colleagues from the Despark team, we can put you in touch. Don’t hesitate to reach out!