Nayya Provides a Personalized Benefits Experience Your Employees Deserve.
We connected with Kapo Li, Engineering Manager at Nayya, to get an inside look at the company's tech stack, various projects, the team's culture, and more.
Quick Hit Details
- Year Founded: 2019
- Number of employees: 100
- Number of engineers: 28
- Industry: Health & Benefits
Can you share a summary about Nayya?
Nayya is a benefits guidance platform that helps employees choose their benefits during enrollment and make the most of those benefits year-round. No more guessing which plans might be the right choice or spending hours learning details about healthcare networks and voluntary benefits. In less than 10 minutes, Nayya guides employees through a secure, confidential survey to learn more about their specific needs. At the end of the survey, they receive a personalized recommendation covering all of their available employer-sponsored benefits factoring in their health, financial situation, future plans, and preferences.
Once employees receive their recommendations, Nayya becomes both a benefits hub and a personal guide helping employees access their benefits, track benefits usage, and get notified when they have opportunities to save money or take advantage of available benefits.
What are some of the different technologies that the engineering team gets to work with and at what scale?
At Nayya, we employ a diverse range of technologies to bolster our ecosystem. Behind the scenes, our backend operates on microservices built with Python and Ruby on Rails. For the frontend, we leverage Typescript and React.js. Complementing this, we maintain numerous machine learning models hosted on AWS, which we continuously retrain. This enables us to provide our end users with optimal health and benefits recommendations.
What are some of the interesting projects that the engineering team is tackling?
Our commitment to customers and users goes beyond the scope of health and benefit recommendations solely during open enrollment. In addition, our platform serves as a year-round guide, helping users extract the utmost value from their selected benefits. We furnish a transparent snapshot of their prevailing benefit enrollments, reinforced by timely alerts and data-driven nudges, all aimed at enabling users to make astute decisions that harmonize their financial and physical wellness. It's important to note that we are ceaselessly refining our offerings, with exciting developments on the horizon. Rest assured, there's more to come as we tirelessly work to enhance the user experience and deliver even greater value.
Does your engineering team have a chance to work on projects outside of their day-to-day responsibilities?
We foster an environment where our engineers are encouraged, though not obligated, to delve into personal pet projects and research. As a result, some have even made noteworthy contributions to the open-source frameworks and libraries integral to Nayya. In tandem, our domain experts play an active role in cross-functional endeavors, further enriching our collaborative landscape.
What is the culture like at Nayya for the engineering team?
The engineering team fosters an environment of openness and welcome, encouraging everyone to ask questions and assist their colleagues, even amidst busy schedules. Our enthusiasm extends to sharing the technical challenges we conquer with the broader organization during our engineering-focused demo days. Collectively, we cultivate a robust sense of camaraderie that binds us together.
What can a potential employee expect during the interview process?
Embrace your true self and open up about your experiences. Our questions are intended to assess your critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and they're genuinely straightforward—no trick questions involved.
Are you involved in any local tech organizations or Meetups?
Prior to the pandemic, I was involved in several tech groups that promoted Meetups and professional events; sadly, many of these groups have since dissolved. These days, my engagement is primarily centered around online communities with a strong engineering focus.
Rapid Fire Q&A
Star Wars or Star Trek?
Star Trek, cause vulcans rock 🖖
iPhone or Android?
Android
Coffee - hot or iced?
Hot but I like iced too
Favorite employee perk?
Flexible work schedules
What TV show describes the engineering team’s culture?
I don’t watch a lot of TV shows…
Team Profiles
Dr. Casey Martell, Senior Software Engineer
What do you get when a Naturopathic Physician with an MBA decides to pivot to software engineering? One of Nayya’s first hires, Dr. Casey Martell. After a distinguished career in private practice and hospital-based medicine, Dr. Casey Martell was thrilled to discover Nayya as an early-stage startup, almost three years ago. He and Nayya's founders immediately recognized the synergies between his medical, business, and software experience and what Nayya aimed to create. “I’ve always had an interest in benefits, having had a Health Savings Account (HSA) since the first year they were available. I’ve seen the challenges that patients face with their benefits, and I knew this area was ripe for transformation.”
Darien Lombardi is our resident mobile app specialist, turned engineering manager extraordinaire. He has founded, designed, and built mobile applications from scratch for two series-funded startups, including Nayya. Beyond mobile, Darien boasts over 8 years of expertise in full-stack web development. Outside of work, he is a musician and recording artist who produces his own music. Darien is also preparing for a half-marathon this fall.
