Let’s step into the world of Karishma, a kind, curious, and deeply logical thinker at RocketShip HQ. She joined without a background in UA but leaned into the learning curve and quickly built her footing in a space that values quality and growth. From streamlining processes to solving tricky problems, she brings clarity, structure, and quiet consistency to everything she works on.
Outside of work, her curiosity shows up differently. She is always exploring new cuisines, chasing street food spots, or trying experiences she once avoided, and sometimes retrying them just to get it right. Whether she is crocheting, cooking, or learning a new language, she approaches life the same way she approaches work, with patience, curiosity, and a willingness to figure things out along the way.
The work at Rocketship HQ
What are three 3 words that you would use to describe yourself?
Kind, curious, logical
What drew you to RcketShip HQ originally? How has the company changed since?
When I joined RocketShip HQ originally, I didn’t know anything about UA. Shamanth reassured me, saying that I would learn as I tackled daily tasks. And I did! I love that this is a place to grow in multiple directions, and be surrounded by truly talented people.
What do you like about your job?
I like that quality is so important.
What has been your proudest moment at RocketShip HQ?
When I was the content manager for the Mobile UA Show, I made a lot of decisions to streamline the production process. It helped me cut down the work significantly, and hopefully helped future producers hit the ground running.
What is a typical workday like for you?
Guilty of checking my email, Slack, messages, and other sundry notifications as soon as I wake up. I mentally plot priorities while getting ready, so when I am at my workstation, I feel like I have a headstart. I work in short bursts of focus, although there are times when I have been puzzling over a sticky problem, and found the hours slip by unnoticed. I try ending my day by 7:30 pm, so that I have time to spend with my family.
CAREER JOURNEY
What was a key inflection/turning point in your career?
When I joined a tech company as a content writer. Although I have an educational background in tech, I chose to start at the bottom of the media industry. Joining a tech company (which has since become a unicorn) was a happy marriage between work and education for the first time.
Tell us about a mentor or a person who has inspired or influenced you significantly.
It is a little trite to say, but the biggest influence of my professional life has been my mother. A small diminutive, sari-clad lady, she was a powerhouse wherever she worked. She had (and continues to have) boundless curiosity to learn, while sticking to unflinching ethics. She taught me very early on that work is worship, and I follow in her (tiny) footsteps.
What are some of the key lessons you’ve learned over the course of your career?
Progress over perfection. No one has all the answers; but together we can reach 95%. It is ok to flub, fumble, and make a royal fool of yourself in public. Builds character.
BEYOND WORK
Tell us about your favorite travel & food spots or experiences (feel free to include more than 1).
I am not a physical experience type of person, and of course this is exactly what I have set out to conquer. A few years ago, I tried kayaking and snorkeling for the first time in La Jolla, San Diego. It was a spectacular failure. Last year, I was determined to try again, and I went snorkeling in Muscat, and it was the most surreal, magical experience of my life.
Other than that, I live to eat, so I try a lot of new cuisines whenever I can. Street food tours are my favourite thing to do in any place I visit.
What do you do for fun?
I used to read a lot; now I doomscroll. I also crochet, travel, cook, bake, and learn languages.
What are the top 3 items on your bucket list?
PADI certification. Northern Lights. Learning to ski.
What is a fun fact about yourself that not many people might know?
I never exaggerate, but I am very irreverent.
I am blessed (?) to have encounters with people, which many find utterly hilarious. For example, I was flying to the US from India one fine day, and the journey was 2 flights and a 10 hour layover in Abu Dhabi. I landed in Washington DC, jetlagged, smelly, and unsure which way was up. I staggered through the terminal from the plane, and somehow reached baggage claim without immigration, security, or customs. Suffice it to say, I was horrified that I had somehow managed to enter illegally, while there was a shiny new visa in my passport.
I found the most official looking person I could to plead that I did not know how I did this, as I was simply following the signage. Amidst peals of laughter, the man told me that Etihad has pre-immigration checks in Abu Dhabi, and I had finished with the whole shebang there. Since exactly zero people had told me this, I was blissfully unaware that the person I thought was UAE police was actually Homeland Security.
Connect with Karishma Sundaram on LinkedIn
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