From Gymnast to Mentor: Building the Next Generation of Tech Talent

Why Mentorship Matters in Tech

Before building products or managing teams, I trained as a gymnast. I practiced three hours a day, six days a week, for five years. That experience taught me the power of mentorship early in life.

Coaches pushed me to be better. Teachers opened doors. Leaders helped me navigate tough choices.

Today, I carry that mindset into my professional life, especially when mentoring future tech talent.

Mentoring High School Interns Through the Ladder Program

Over the last few months, I’ve had the privilege of mentoring a group of highly motivated high school graduates through the Ladder Internship Program. This program connects students with real-world startup experiences.

These interns are not just learning to code. They are learning how to think critically, prioritize, and solve real business problems.

Mentors from the Ladder Internship Program, including Tomas David Ye of Perseuss, sharing their experience working with high school interns on real-world tech challenges.

Teaching Amazon Leadership Principles to Future Engineers

With my background at Amazon, I strongly believe in core leadership principles like:

• Customer Obsession: Build with the user in mind from day one.

• Bias for Action: Make decisions quickly and learn faster.

• Insist on the Highest Standards: Even when no one is watching.
  

I’ve passed these values on to my interns, along with technical mentorship. They are now working on a real feature we plan to implement in a live production environment.

Preparing for Demo Day With Real Impact

As Demo Day approaches, I’m not just excited about what they’ve built. I’m proud of how much they’ve grown.

They’ve gone from learners to builders. From coders to problem solvers.

Our interns didn’t just learn. They built. Join us online for Intern Demo Day and see how the next generation is transforming cartonization for real warehouses.

Registration link: https://lu.ma/qdpzawym Why Mentorship in Tech Should Start Early

Investing in early talent, especially high school students, has a compounding effect. It helps close skill gaps, inspires future founders, and strengthens the tech ecosystem.

If you are a founder, manager, or engineer, consider mentoring. It doesn’t just shape their path. It sharpens yours as well.

About the Author

Tomas David Ye is the Founder and CEO of Perseuss, a supply chain technology startup helping fulfillment teams reduce shipping costs through smarter cartonization. An Amazon alum and former competitive gymnast, Tomas brings discipline, precision, and a deep empathy for operators into everything he builds.

When he’s not shipping software, he’s mentoring the next generation of engineers through programs like Ladder Internships, passing on lessons learned from startups, systems, and the mat.