Program Reviews

Start Me Up was an amazing experience and I learned far more than I thought I would. Bali is a beautiful place and the program exposes you to a whole new way of working in a completely different environment. I got to work with a Dutch fintech startup and improved my skills in data analysis and web development and even got the opportunity to learn UX design from scratch. Additionally, the workshops we had on how to have ideas and start our own businesses were incredibly motivating and inspiring and I've left the program with many ideas and projects that I want to pursue further. Finally, the support from Clare, Adisty and the rest of their team was amazing and consistent throughout the program. The whole month flew by so quickly, I ended up being very sad to leave.

I stayed in Bali for a month, doing an internship with an online programming platform that teaches Vue.js.

Getting to work in co-working spaces like Dojo and Hubud was an eye-opener into how many people are combining travel with work, running the majority of their business remotely, and freelancing while surfing on the side.

It gave me more options for how I wanted my career to pan out, and how different things could actually be.

I got to better understand the strengths of collaboration, joining forces with people of different backgrounds, and learn more about web development along the way.

In the future when I start my own business, I will definitely visit Bali at least once a year for the sense of community, focus, and network, not to mention the spiritual/ conscious aspects of the place.

Without Start Me Up's support and guidance throughout the program, it would have been harder for me to get accustomed to the culture and lifestyle difference.

Thank you Start Me Up!

I wanted to wait till my excitement and awe wore away before I wrote a review and I'm proud to say I still reminisce about my time in Bali.

I started talking in Clare in March with hopes of coming by Bali in the summer. I finally took the leap late August and it was perhaps one of the best decisions of my life! I had the choice of taking part of a project in Sustainable Social Impact or Blockchain and Cryptotechnology and I decided to merge them both. In just four short weeks I went from simply being an English teacher from Spain to recieving an invitation to take part in the second ever international forum for Blockchain at the UN's World Investment Forum in Geneva. However; I feel my biggest accomplishment to date is the huge network of support I've built through learning how to navigate an international coworking hub.

From the minute I landed on the tiny island I bonded with the people in my cohort, my mentor and had a chance to get to know Clare herself. From climbing mountains to long treks in rain or shine, there's so much of Bali that this program allows you to explore. But even the lush backdrop of this exotic locale could not compare to abundance of knowledge I acquired through simply listening and engaging both locals and expats around Canggu. Some of which I've reconvened with in other parts of the world!

Ultimately Clare does her best to ensure that everyone is satisfied with the support given to them during their program, but I especially advise interested students, young professionals or those aimlessly wandering like myself to understand that YOUR experience is YOURS for the making. I'm glad I took the time to tire myself out every day with excursions or workshops. Take avantage of this opportunity to completely reinvent yourself or try something new and scary.

I know I did. Many times. And I was made better for it.

Thank you so much to the StartMeUp crew!

I joined the program because wanted to dive into the world of entrepreneurship and startups while being able to travel at the same time. The social enterprise I worked with is creating a new initiative to promote sustainable tourism while protecting communities in Bali.
Being in a co-working space means you get to network with people doing all kinds of different things. I really enjoy hearing what other people are working on and the different skills they have.
I attended talks and workshops on everything from UX to lead generation, which is helpful for future careers or if I ever decide to start my own company.
Interning out here has changed the way I look at work because it has given me an opportunity to experience what it’s like to work remotely whilst living abroad. Not seeing your boss every day means you have to take a lot of initiative, which is refreshing because I feel sometimes you’re spoonfed in an internship environment.
All in all, interning in Bali with Start Me Up has opened my eyes to not only a range of skills and occupations, but also a new lifestyle - the digital nomad.
Interning by the beach - what more could you want?

I’d just graduated from university and had an offer for a graduate program at the supermarket chain Lidl.

A lot of my friends were moving to London but I wasn’t sure I wanted to go down that route.
I was looking for something different then I stumbled upon Start Me Up’s internship program in Bali.

It was one of the best decisions I'd made. During my internship I worked with a company in Auckland that helps western businesses launch in China.

Their team is all over the world. They have people in New Zealand, Australia, Bali and Uganda and we all collaborated across timezones.

I was devising strategies to help them with business development by diagnostically assessing potential leads to generate custom approaches and proposals to turn leads into clients.

Before I came here I’d heard about remote work, since I’ve been here I’ve realised that so many people are able to work remotely. There are many different avenues - from marketeers and consultants, to people selling courses and startup founders.

It’s a great place to get an insight into lots of different ways of working. If you’re in a company you’re restricted to that one company’s culture. Out here, you’re exposed to a community of people who are forward thinking. This inspires you to think for yourself and about your potential to startup your very own business.

It’s a completely alternative way to look at work, and has opened my eyes to the possibilities your career can take.

Don't feel anxious about taking the leap, as the support you receive from StartMeUp goes above and beyond, softens the blows and gives you a very positive transition into a new community, way of working.

Thanks to this internship I have not only been inspired, but also supported to setup my very own Online Coaching Brand, something I would've never thought possible before.

I joined Start Me Up Careers for the 2 months internship program in Bali where I worked remotely for a company in the UK.

I decided to join the program because I wanted to experience the digital nomad life and to gain work experience at the same time, to see if it was possible to create a balance between work, personal life, and travel.

The experience was great because I found exactly what I was looking for and it helped me to start my career straight after my graduation. The team is very supportive and they help you to get comfortable and to get used to the new culture.

The best benefits of the internship were to be surrounded by inspirational and open-minded people with different skills and to have the opportunity to develop your personal goals, enjoying amazing views in a tropical weather.

I highly recommend this unique experience to anyone who loves travel but wants to be productive at the same time and explore the entrepreneur life.

My internship through Start Me Up was incredible. The program coordinator was hospitable, friendly, and in tune with what we wanted to experience in the startup culture. I felt I was pushed out of my comfort zone and that defined my strengths as well as my weaknesses. Working with a startup forced me to think in a different way and opened my mind to new directions of conducting business.
The startup world is crazy in the best sense possible. Start Me Up did an amazing job pairing me with Travello (solo travel app). I really connected with the crew and founders but I also learned invaluable assets I can use for my future.
The founders and my supervisor understood my goals to learn more about coding, website design and programming, marketing, social media managing, and public relations. My internship focused on running a campaign for Travello so I witnessed the ins-and-outs of how to market, push, redirect, and analyze a campaign.
My typical day working for Travello was leaving an apartment skyscraper with my fellow housemates and heading to Travello’s home office. In the mornings the crew would discuss the daily goal and after lunch, I’d head to the workspace with other startup companies. My case was unique in that I got both an office and coworking space experience. After the workday ended I headed to an event in the evening which varied nightly: events included a pitch-off series, sessions on marketing techniques, AI, computer programming, medical research and technology, and so many more. The nightlife after the events was fun to observe as the city came to life.
Overall, this internship wasn’t your typical deal where you work for hours without supervision or goals to increase your skills. It was so much more in that not only were my desires to learn specific things catered to by my startup, but the relationships I built will last a lifetime.
It was more than getting information to throw on my resume. It was an opportunity to build myself as a person, create lasting relationships, and gain life experience that will take me toward the right career path.
If I had to go back and make the decision between internships again, I would choose the exact experience I did back in January upon hearing my acceptance to participate in Start Me Up’s program. After all the laughs, beach days, hikes, food tasting, live music, dancing, one of the best things is that in Queensland is you’re never far from nature. There are miles of beaches and incredible wildlife around every corner. As any visitor to Australia will attest, the highlight of a trip down under is getting up close to koalas and kangaroos and getting photographic evidence to prove it!

Overall this was a positive and enjoyable experience. I was put in an apartment building where students going to nearby colleges lived and i was placed with three other amazing women who were part of the same program, who I grew to care deeply about and are still friends despite being countries apart. The company I was paired with was amazing. It comprised of genuine, determined people who wanted me to succeed just as much as they wanted their company to succeed. Start-me-up itself was admittedly unorganized just because they are a startup themselves and so some of the excursions and other minor things were not easy to navigate but it didn't take away too much from the rest of the trip being wonderful. Brisbane was a corporate paradise, a fun mix between the typical business city and a modern metropolis full of young ideas. There were coffee shops on every corner and enough things to do that we never got bored. I would recommend this program to my peers.

During my time in Bali I worked on a project developing an app that helps collaboration in co-working spaces. For the first part of the project, I was responsible for the design and UX of the app, so going from the idea to exactly what we want the app to look like.

The experience was absolutely incredible and I would definitely recommend it. For me, it was more than just an internship, it was the opportunity to do something different. I’m really into traveling and this program allowed me to do that and further myself as an individual career-wise. This internship has definitely changed the way I look at work. I never really realised that the world of remote work from anywhere in the world was possible let alone existed and it was incredible to have some insight into how it works.

I learn a lot on this internship, not just about UX and designing, startups and anything any workshops covered but about a totally new lifestyle. Working the hours you want, taking a yoga class in the middle of the day or going for a walk along the beach as a lunch break.

If doing something unexpected and out of the ordinary is what you're after then I could not recommend this enough.

I spent one month in Bali on Start Me Up’s startup internship program.

Working for a Start-Up allowed me to get involved within all aspects of the business. I began completing competitor analysis and market research for an Australian E-commerce business and as the internship progressed I was able to research digital marketing channels, plan social media and design landing pages using UX tool, Sketch.

I started the internship with little practical experience, so many of my tasks involved quite a learning curve! One of the main focuses of my internship was social media, so I learnt how to conduct competitor analysis, plan social media posts and research into digital marketing channels- all new to me. I was also Tasked with designing landing pages and emails, so I learnt design thinking techniques such as wireframing and how to use UX tools such as Sketch.

I also learnt highly transferable skills such as time management and self-motivation – which I found to be essential when working remotely.

I worked from a number of co-working spaces in Bali, most frequently the nearby Dojo in Canguu. It had its own café, swimming pool and a lively beach just 5 minutes walk away. There are always events and workshops to attend, as Dojo encourage skill sharing – a great way to meet other members and learn about new projects.

The Startup scene in Bali is so fresh and exciting. I met such a wide variety of people from freelance photographers and artists to coders and FinTech specialists. It just goes to show how diverse digital nomads can be.

Working with Start Me Up has been a memorable and rewarding experience. I’ll miss working overlooking rice paddies alongside amazing people, it really has been an opportunity I wouldn’t have found anywhere else! If you’re stuck trying to decide between work and travel - you don’t have to!