This time we sat down with Cachet’s Legal Counsel, Patrik. He’s been with Cachet for over a year now. We wanted to know what he’s been working on and how it’s been for him so far.
To kick things off, I heard your path to Estonia wasn’t exactly a straight line, you lived in different countries before?
Yes, true.
Being born in Taiwan, moving to Singapore, then Malaysia and from there to the UAE from a young age, I can say I have moved around quite a bit.
It all happened when I was younger, mostly I grew up in the UAE and after that moved to Estonia for my studies.
How did you end up choosing Estonia specifically?
First of all my parents are Finnish so I’m not that far away culturally.
I guess my decision was also influenced by the fact that my brother was living in Estonia, so I started to look into universities here.
Eventually found one that I liked the most, applied and got in. Later as my interest in the Estonian startup industry grew, I shifted my focus towards Tech Law and I’ve been here since. I’m actually surprised to say that I have been living here for 10 years now!
10 years is a long time. Why did you choose to study law? And what were your university years like?
Since high school, I have taken an interest in business. I went on to study economics and business management and was wondering what the next level could be.
I was also influenced by my dad, who studied law in order to develop his skillset despite being an engineer.
So, I did my bachelors in International & European Law at TalTech, and continued my masters in the same university studying Law & Technology.
Besides the studies, I also started working in startups, taking on various roles and learning a lot.
I see you have a lot of experience working in startups. What draws you to that kind of environment?
My whole background involves working in startups. I’m drawn to the environment and people who are working there.
The most important thing for me is to be able to work on multiple projects and feel challenged in what I’m doing. Usually, the scope of work you get is broad, and the hands-on experiences I get are very valuable.
Working in many different startups, I have seen so many different scaling stage challenges. It’s a place where I feel like I work the best because the variety of challenges keeps the work engaging. I have even given seminars, more than I can count on, to help start-ups get their legal functions thriving.
Having spent more than three years at a startup accelerator and venture capital, I was given a special opportunity to learn about different aspects of building and scaling startups from an investor's perspective. The next logical step for me was to get deeply involved in one company instead of advising many.
Cachet has given me that opportunity, with driven and knowledgeable founders and a team that supports each other at every step.
In what way are the projects different today?
I was in a highly regulated industry before as well but not working in insurance. So there has been a lot of learning during this year.
Through the review and drafting of agreements I have had to learn the ins and outs of insurance. From the terms, to the best practices and standard operating approaches. The direct exposure and support I get really have elevated my understanding rapidly.
Also, I have been given the chance to widen my skills to also include compliance related topics. Meaning I help with different audits, policies and compliance with different applicable regulations. This focus on learning is a big thing for me. I never wanted a job where I stand still or get placed in a box competency wise.
You have been at Cachet for a year now. What has been your highlight?
I like the company's culture, the people, and there's always something going on. The founders and my own department bring a level of experience that I have been able to lean on from the start. Their guidance has pushed me to adapt quickly, particularly to the challenge of moving at the speed technology demands while operating inside a regulated market.
There’s things I’m working on that I wouldn’t describe in detail but one of the highlights work wise has been integrating and developing new tools to our system.
Additionally, I enjoy the team events that are happening every quarter. The last one, when we went go-karting, was a lot of fun.
Besides that, I recently participated in the Tipust Topini run. It’s a relay run through Estonia, where you cover 351km with a team.
I can’t also not mention the office dogs. It seems like almost everyone in the office has a dog, so sometimes there’s a new dog in the office every day.
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Cachet is growing and hiring for legal roles!
See open roles here.
