Charu Shah learned how products evolve from early ideas into solutions at Hexmodal in New York City where she interned this past summer. As a second-year Electrical Engineering master’s student graduating in December 2026, Shah deeply valued the opportunity to work across different aspects of the growing startup as opposed to remaining limited to a single function.
“I worked across hardware and software integration, product testing, quality assurance, and product iteration based on user feedback,” Shah explains. “I also had the opportunity to participate in customer visits and conferences, which allowed me to see firsthand how products perform in real-world environments,” Shah added. Of significance, Shah also learned “how closely engineering, product, sales, and customer needs are connected when building and scaling a technology product.”
Overall, the experience at Hexmodal proved invaluable to Shah. Part of this entailed integrating “my electrical engineering background with my interests in product development and entrepreneurship while working on problems that directly impacted customers.” Further, the small team element gave “me meaningful ownership and exposure to how technical and business decisions are made in an early-stage company.”
When Shah isn’t working, she enjoys cooking and traveling. In addition, “I’ve recently developed a love for working out and reading non-fiction books.”