--- title: "Balloon Team Spotlight: Jamie Bate, Senior Software Engineer" description: Get to know Jamie Bates, Senior Software Engineer at Balloon! image: https://blog.getballoon.com/hubfs/40651DA0-4CF4-4A50-8824-5B0D7DA5AACA-1.jpg --- [Balloon\_Logo\_Dark](https://getballoon.com/) - [Product](https://getballoon.com/product) - [Templates](https://getballoon.com/templates) - Resources - [The Insight Blog](https://blog.getballoon.com) - [Customer Stories](https://blog.getballoon.com//tag/case-studies) - [Pricing](https://getballoon.com/pricing) - Log In - [Log In](https://balloon.app/login) - [Book A Demo](https://meetings.hubspot.com/balloon/demo) - [Product](https://getballoon.com/product) - [Templates](https://getballoon.com/templates) - Resources - [The Insight Blog](https://blog.getballoon.com) - [Customer Stories](https://blog.getballoon.com//tag/case-studies) - [Pricing](https://getballoon.com/pricing) - Log In ![](https://blog.getballoon.com/hubfs/40651DA0-4CF4-4A50-8824-5B0D7DA5AACA-1.jpg) # Balloon Team Spotlight: Jamie Bate, Senior Software Engineer Written by [The Balloon Team](https://blog.getballoon.com/author/the-balloon-team) January 22, 2021 **What is your role at Balloon?** Software engineer but always happy to do what ever is needed at the time. **What’s your background?** I currently live in a small town in New Zealand called Nelson with my family. Originally I studied Geology at University, but soon realised I would be bored so rapidly transitioned to work in tech. I have worked for a selection of great companies in New Zealand and then in 2013 I “virtually” moved to San Francisco to work on a passion project with a startup in the area of Type One Diabetes. Since then, I have enjoyed working with small, passionate, and focused startups and the range of work and challenges that comes with it. **Why did you want to join Balloon?** Great founders with grit, Amanda as CEO, mission-driven  **Why is Balloon’s mission important to you?** Because great ideas and thoughtful insights come from many places. Giving people a positive way to air them and then build on those ideas is important.  **Describe something outside of work that you’re passionate about.** Getting outside. As a kid, I really got into cycling and found it was a great time to think while I went somewhere. I am still really passionate about riding and, even though now with kids and work there is a lot less time, I still get out and into the forest to go mountain biking. It also helps that I live in an amazing place to explore outdoors! **What do you consider your greatest achievement?** Consistency and just getting on with things without fuss … oh, and also four great kids :)  **What is your greatest fear?** Getting stuck and no longer evolving and adapting as things change  **Who are your real-life heroes?** I don’t know if I would say I have heroes but I do have many people that I admire greatly. A few that spring to mind are:  - Helen Clarke - former prime minister of New Zealand who went on to work at the UN and WHO. I admire the way she went about representing NZ on the world stage. - Jacinda Ardern - current prime minister of New Zealand. Jacinda has had to deal with a number of hard situations, with the attack on our Muslim community in Christchurch and also Covid-19. She has done so with create compassion and also decisiveness. - Sir Edmund Hillary - the first person to have reached the summit of Everest along with Tenzing Norgay. He then also became a great philanthropist helping the Sherpa people building schools and hospitals. He just had a huge heart and a can do attitude while remaining humble.  **What do you hate?** Being late  **What is your current state of mind?** What will the new normal be? It feels like in so many aspects of life it is time for a change as the current/ ‘old’ ways we are doing things are not working out. I see it as a positive thing and am interested to see where it will lead us. ### Tags - [Team](https://blog.getballoon.com/tag/team) ### The Author The Balloon Team ## Keep Reading [Back to Blog](https://blog.getballoon.com) - ### Balloon Team Spotlight: Ray Wakiyama, Head of Customer Success 1 min read — - ### Balloon helps introverts step into the spotlight at PayScale 2 min read — - ### How this startup used Balloon to generate buzzworthy content 2 min read — ### Make your team faster, smarter, tighter. 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