Pool table. Dart board. Sound system. Beer fridge. Who wouldn’t want to intern at the StartupCity Des Moines offices? (Let’s overlook the long hours, crappy pay, and demanding bosses). After the first-ever Startup Job Crawl hosted by Silicon Prairie News last November, our members were happy to have a great number of amazing intern candidates. As we add new interns, we’ll introduce them here.

Austin HoffmanName: Austin Hoffman, 24
Interning for: Tikly
School: University of Iowa (graduated)
Major: Political Science
Recent job-related tweet: “Friday evening @startupcitydsm. Still work to be done and ideas to hash out.” (@AusHoffman)

1. How did you learn about Tikly and what made you want to intern there?
I was moving back to Des Moines and wanted to be involved in the startup scene, I researched local startups and found StartupCity Des Moines, which led me to Tikly.

2. What appeals to you about interning for a startup rather than a big corporation?
Tikly appeals to me over a big corporation because it is more agile, my input is valued and meaningful, and I can quickly impact change. I don’t have to go through 10 departments and 100 people to figure something out or make something happen; the CEO and CTO are sitting right behind me. And it involves music!

3. What kind of projects are you working on in your internship?
I am working on marketing and business development projects, as well as a top-secret Tikly project that is going to be awesome.

4. How long is your internship?
My internship lasts until May, my hours are normal startup hours: be here to get stuff done, don’t leave until you are done.

5. What is your career goal?
To learn a lot throughout life and start my own business.

6. What’s your favorite experience at the StartupCity offices so far?
Enjoying the daily environment of Tikly and StartupCity Des Moines because things are constantly evolving, everyone is always learning, and there is always a cool project or activity going on.

7. Who is your business role model and why?
Jay-Z because he hustled his way to the top.

8. What is your favorite song to intern by?
“The Dream” by Thee Oh Sees.

What Austin’s boss says about him:
“CTO Brian Hemesath and I have been blown away by Austin’s dedication to Tikly. It’s very clear that he understands where we are headed, and he is excited to be a part of the story. We definitely hope to keep working with him beyond his internship, and did I mention he’s only been with us for a week?” Emma Peterson, Tikly CEO