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Getting to Know Iryna Betancourt

What initially drew you to katch?
When I first came across katch, I immediately identified with the importance of the company’s mission — to help users gain control over their days, have more time for what they want and need to do, and to improve their mental health.
I wanted to work for katch because I wanted to help people, like myself, become owners of their time, and to do what’s most important to them.

What do you do at katch?
I am a Mobile Engineer. Specifically, I work on the frontend iOS side of the application alongside other engineers.

How does katch’s mission speak to you?
Burnout is one of the most discussed topics right now because an enormous amount of people are struggling with managing their day-to-day schedules. And despite the amount of tools available to us to help with our calendars, there aren’t many that actually help to fix this problem.
Now, every time I see an article on this topic, I feel hopeful because I’m working on a product that can have a great impact on so many people. Plus, we have a wonderful, supportive, growing team, and I am extremely grateful to be a part of it.


Why do you think katch will change the world for the better?
With the overload of existing information, everyone needs a solution like katch to help them regain their peace of mind.

How do you explain katch to your friends and family?
To those who don’t know yet what katch is, I explain it as a tool that helps the user be in control of their time. The user, and not others who have access to their calendar, determines what’s best for them to prioritize throughout the day.
The app helps productivity, but most importantly, it improves mental wellness among users as they can streamline their day. I think it helps them to feel accomplished.
The more I use the app, the more fascinated I am by the amount of free time it rewards me in my workday, but, early on, I realized that it has a broad spectrum of use — way past the sphere of regular business meetings.

It helps me arrange time to talk with a friend who is on a tight schedule as well as connect with family members for a chat. And the best thing about it is that everyone communicates at their ultimate convenience! My friends are as busy as I am, so they understand the benefits of being able to connect on the spot vs trying to schedule a time to chat.
Plus, there’s a time difference for me and my friends and family. I currently live in Naples, Florida, but my family is globally located in multiple time zones. So katch helps us connect no matter where we are at or the difference in time zone!

What motivates you to wake up and go to katch everyday?
What I like most about working at katch is that every day is different; one day can be super busy with product development while another day takes a smoother pace with research and discovery, but it’s always, always fun to be developing something as positive as katch is.


What has been your favorite project so far?
I truly love every part of the application and we’re always trying to look for ways we can improve it, but from my most recent tasks, it’s been very rewarding to work on the preparation for the submission of the application for preorder in the App Store.
It was an intense week, but the result was so worth it.

What would you say to try to convince someone to use the katch app?
I would say that people wouldn’t believe how much time they’re able to save every day by introducing this new flexible way of communicating into their day. Just try it!

What’s your favorite quote?
It’s from the animated movie “Finding Nemo”. In the context of not knowing the outcome while still working toward my goal, even through the harder times, it’s important to “just keep swimming”. This quote reminds me to just keep doing the best I can at the moment and to not give up.
Also, I really like the quote: “Be brave. Don’t be afraid to suck at something new.”

What’s something most people don’t know about you?
I am a linguist and speak five languages: Belarusian and Russian are my natives, I am fluent in Spanish, English, and intermediate in German (haven’t had much practice since the university)

What’s your astrological sign?
Virgo.

What was the last book you read and what’s your review of that book?
I am currently reading “The Pragmatic Programmer’’, suggested to me by our CTO, Tomás (Pérez), and I’m enjoying it immensely!

Interested in continuing the conversation? Reach out to me at Iryna@gokatch.com.
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