“Never Doubt Yourself”: #Women-In-Tech Interview with Yashu Kapila, CEO of BugRaptors

Tell us about yourself!

I am a native of Firozpur, Punjab, also known as the city of martyrs. I completed my bachelor's Degree from JDIMT and later pursued my Master’s in Computer Application from the Regional Institute of Management and Technology.  Also, I worked in several companies with job roles of Quality Consultant, QA lead, Senior Quality Manager, Vice president, and then finally, now a CEO. Also, from the earliest day of my college, I was a tech enthusiast and there is no doubt in saying that my passion for this acted as a catalyst to the idea of creating BugRaptors.

Why did you choose this field in the first place?

As mentioned, I was a tech fanatic since my college days. In 2006, while working as a Quality consultant, I realized that I had a keen interest in exploring and working on ongoing and future advancements in the Quality Assurance domain.

Following by, I made sure to build my proficiency in the Automated testing domain after gaining expertise in manual testing. I learned about performance testing, API testing using custom tools, Automated test data generation, UI testing, Test Scripts migration to name a few.

Apart from such technicalities, I was supercilious in communication and always took interest in managing the business relationship with clients. All these things uplifted me for having an idea of starting my own business in the software testing niche.

What tech are you most excited/passionate about right now and why?

Since automation is the most trending of all the QA industry trends, it excites me the most. Also, with the growth in technological advancement, automation processes and strategies are also advancing. We have already started to bring AI and ML technologies into the picture.  Apart from the excitement part, I also ensure that my team is working to adapt the newly evolved technologies that could help redefine the concepts of Software Testing and Quality Assurance.

What tech are you most worried about right now and why?

The thing that bothers me is the point of going along with the pace of technological advancements. Every day there is something new evolved. To survive and stay afloat in the competitive market, it is important for the company and team to be well aware. Ensuring the adaption of strategies that match the dynamic requirements is a must.

Providing the best user experience is also a crucial thing that needs to be accomplished and maintained. In order to disseminate the best, one gets hyperactive. However, it is also important to secure that while being hyperactive, the best results are being proclaimed to the target audience.

What are your hobbies and interests outside of tech?

Since I am a mother of two, I love to spend the maximum of my leisure time with my kids. Besides, I am always keen on keeping my time productive by reading books. I believe books bring us all the wisdom and exposure that helps in having an optimistic approach towards our lives. Also, I love introspecting myself, as it helps me in knowing my weaknesses and strengths on which further, I can work on. For the well-being of my mental health, always include meditation and yoga in my To-do list.

Let's talk about breaking the glass ceiling. What were the biggest challenges you faced as a woman in tech, and how did you deal with them?

Being a woman CEO in tech was initially challenging, pertaining to a male-dominated environment. Although the time is changing, there is still a preconceived notion that women can’t do better in the tech sector.

But as they say, only those who can turn lemon into lemonade are meant to survive. So, I believed in the notion of turning obstacles into opportunities. Not to forget, that women have a naturally strong instinct and a greater level of emotional intelligence enables them to make the best decision even in most stressful situations.

Any interesting misogynistic story/situation you faced/handled, and you want to share with the HackerNoon Fam?

There is no such situation, I have faced as of now. With the changing time, the perceptions and ideologies of people are also changing. Most importantly, education and ethics have come a long way in eradicating all the social bugs that may lead to misogyny. Women have become more independent than ever. They leave no stone unturned to create a mark in any form of the industry they work in.

Also, today many companies promote accountability, equality, and kindness in an effort to end misogyny-like situations. Companies today are making their best efforts to empower young women in tech-related jobs. Even, we at BugRaptors support women's entrepreneurship. We have even reserved 60% of occupancy here for women employees.

What was the biggest setback/failure that you faced, and how did you manage it?

Amid the outbreak of covid-19, which shook the entire globe things were a little challenging. We couldn’t anticipate anything at that time. Even, with a sudden lockdown situation got so much at stake, like shifting to a remote workplace, communication gap, flexible working hours to name a few. However, with the collaborative efforts of the team, rapid changes to organizational policies and early adaptation to a hybrid work model helped us shine through.

What's your biggest achievement that you're really proud of?

My biggest achievement of all time is customer satisfaction. This is what really makes me happy! To ensure that the best service is disseminated to the clients, our team worked on various aspects.

Our team has helped several organizations to cut off all the code errors and made sure that the software they are going to use for their operations is implemented to offer zero-defect leakage.

We come across clients who want to have the quickest launch of the software into their operations and were in the expectations from us to complete the test procedures in the fastest way possible. During that time our biggest achievement was that we managed to get the right balance between manual and automation testing. In this way, we offered more than 35% of saving in time for the launch. I think that moment was a moment of achievement not only for me but for the entire team.

In your opinion, why do we see this huge gender gap in the tech industry, and how can we reduce it?

There is a history of gender inequality in the workforce, and the tech industry is no exception. I think the gender gap is because of the landscape society has created. Women hold a belief that tech is male-dominated industry and therefore they avoid entering this industry.

The preconceived notion in society, which makes women feel demotivated rather than empowering them, is also yet another reason why women don’t enter the tech industry.

Who is your tech idol? Why?

Since my childhood, I was a more kind of self-driven individual. I always wanted to stand apart from the crowd. Though looking at the journey of people like Indra Nooyi (Former Chief Executive Officer of Pepsi Co.) was extremely inspiring for me. Also, kudos to all the women entrepreneurs that have come over their struggles to achieve their passion and dreams. Today, it is great to see all the women playing a vital role in the growth of the economy and the way, they have made a big impact and got success in almost every sector.

Do you have any advice for aspiring girls who want to join the field?

There are a huge misconception people have about girls being part of the technical field. To all the budding entrepreneurs, my message is to never doubt yourself. Have faith in whatever you do. Never lose hope even if you fail multiple times. You never know the outcome of your efforts unless you do it. So go after it unless you achieve it.

Learn from your mistakes and the mistakes made by others. Stay focused and positive. When you are trying to build your passion into a business, it can be easy to lose track of your time management and get sucked into your business every time. Think about your family and friends. Maintain a healthy work-life balance.

I wish them all the very best in their future endeavors.