Greentown Labs has 35 summer interns this year. Each week, we’ll bring you new stories from some of our interns about their startup experience. 

My first week at Greentown Labs was a whirlwind. There were so many new faces, facts, tasks, protocols and passwords crammed into my first full week that the time simply flew by! I honestly did not know what to expect from working with startups—the first question I asked at my interview was, “What’s an incubator? How is that different from a startup?”

Based on my interview, I knew that my position would involve maintaining and analyzing external communication channels, content creation, planning events and establishing protocols and operations. I was happily surprised to also find myself tagging along on Greentown tours to learn about the history, its evolution and then conversing casually with member company CEOs about their technologies in the prototyping space. I did not expect to have so many opportunities to network right away, but within the first two weeks I had planned one event and attended two!

The most surprising of all was how well the Greentown team coordinates and balances the needs of all of its member companies. With 45+ member companies that employ over 170 individuals, there’s a lot to manage each and every day.

For example, there are six conference rooms at Greentown Labs available to all member companies, many of which have multiple meetings a day and also require the space for private phone calls and ordering.  I was expecting intense competition for conference room access based on how many people work here, however, I was amazed during my first week to observe our member companies’ diverse and demanding schedules never conflict over space in such a way. Plus, with the flexibility of our space, collaborative environment, and designated lab area, there’s plenty of space for all of these people under one roof.

Working with these startups so far has been energizing, motivating, dynamic and somewhat unpredictable—in a good way. I am constantly learning new things about environmental science, clean technology, entrepreneurship, business management, accelerator programs and regional networks. I have the opportunity to take on more responsibilities and expand my role at Greentown each time I come into work because these companies are confronted with unique challenges every day that Greentown must help them navigate. It’s been an immensely enjoyable experience so far to be able to learn and have fun while taking pride in the work I get to do.

Want to follow my journey @GreentownLabs for the remainder of the summer? Look for my #OnlyAtGreentown tweets and my next blog post in two weeks!