A/S/L Check - An Ignighter Interview Series - Hard Questions, Soft Bodies. #5

She’s already been here for a couple weeks, but her employment really wasn’t official until her A/S/L Check went up on the Ignighter blog.

It is our pleasure to introduce the lovely and talented Ayca Aksu, Ignighter’s newest Developer and Interaction Designer.

Although we’re still a young company, one aspect of company culture that we take very seriously is the nickname. We have a strict hiring policy at Ignighter: We only hire geniuses. And as a result, all of our nicknames include a reference to our genius…um…osity.

When we first hired Nicky the combination of his youth and brilliance was so rare that he was quickly labeled Boy Genius . We called him B.G. for short until two syllables became one too many and he evolved into “Beege”. As Beege’s life-mentor, I naturally became “Meege” (Man Genius). Dan, being no slouch in the genius department, became “No Sleege” while Kevin became “Keege” (Kevin Genius) and Molly, in a gesture to her heritage, became “Heege” (Hebrew Genius).

It must be noted that Kevin wasn’t always Keege. Originally his nickname was based on the fact that he was a Real Genius, however it didn’t take long until we started to feel alarmingly similar to Kelly Ripa every time we wanted to acknowledge him. Thus he became simply Keege.

It may be hard to believe, but anyone who has spent a little time at Ignighter HQ knows that this is really the way it is. We actually call each other by these nicknames at all times. It’s not to be funny, but rather it’s a celebration of our genius…um…ness. We’re a lot like Apple’s Genius bar, just without the male ponytails.

Ignighter: So with that overlong introduction in mind, Ayca (pronounced  eye-cha), what would you like your Ignighter genius nickname to be?

Ayca: Umm… How about Aych (eye-ch)?

Ignighter: So Aycheege?

Ayca: No, just Aych works for me.

Ignighter: After all that? Just Aych?

Ayca: After all what? I’m sorry, I haven’t been paying attention. The truth is, you’re kinda boring.

Ignighter: So I’ve heard. Well Aych, let’s get down to business.

Ayca: ‘Bout time.

Ignighter: Hmmph. Where are you from Aycheege?

Ayca: I was born in Rize. It is a small town by the Black Sea, in northeast Turkey.

Ignighter: Do you have siblings?

Ayca: I have a 27-year-old sister and a 20-year-old brother. My sister has the most awesome job. She is the third officer on a commercial ship, soon to be the second. My brother goes to college. His major is mining engineering.

Ignighter: Your brother is a major minor? You don’t hear that too often.

Ayca: Are you doing more of your comedy?

Ignighter: Sort of. Pressing on. What do you like to do in your free time?

Ayca:  I used to do scuba diving when I was in Turkey. I have more than 50 dives up to 150 feet. I am planning to go to Mexico for scuba diving next summer. I also love sculptures. I have been taking sculpture classes where we learn about formalizing our ideas. One of my favorite places in NYC is the Moma, I love going there once in a while. I also love reading science fiction, fantasy, and comic books.

Ignighter: We’re really excited to have you on the Ignighter team. What is your primary goal at Ignighter?

Ayca: As a part of the Ignighter team, I very much look forward to seeing Ignighter become a successful product not just in terms of page views or revenue but also in terms of the whole user experience.

Ignighter: OK if you’re feling up to it, we’ll get to the closing questions now.

Ayca: Yeah, just hurry it up Sachs.

Ignighter: Alright. What is your favorite word?

Ayca: Penultimate.

Ignighter: Least favorite word?

Ayca: Abysmal. It reminds me of the GRE.

Ignighter: And the penulatime question, favorite smell?

Ayca: Lavender. I also like the smell of rain, especially on a dry summer night (but maybe that’s too romantic. I am totally not romantic). Plus I have a soft spot for Gio, men’s perfume, it smells soooo good.

Ignighter: And now the final question to this abysmal interview, what historical figure would you most like to go on a date with?

Ayca: I would like to go on a date with Picasso because he is a wonderful artist.

Ignighter: Aych it’s really been a pleasure. You’ve been an awesome addition to our genius team here and we know you’re going to make an awesome contribution to the success of the company.

Ayca: Are you still talking? I’m busy reading Jezebel.

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March 3rd, 2009 Posted by Adam | About Ignighter, Blogs, Ignighter Guys, Our Office, Startups, a/s/l check, meet new people |

RSVP for Ignighter’s NYC Valentine’s Day event Thursday 2/12

This Thursday we’re hosting our Second Annual Valentine’s Day Party. Last year’s party was a blast and this year is on track to be even better. We have a professional photographer, a videographer, and most importantly a Free Open Bar!

Everybody is invited to attend, but you MUST RSVP in order to get into the event.

Go to http://ignighter.com/vday to RSVP.

Ignighter Valentines Day Party

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February 9th, 2009 Posted by Adam | About Ignighter, Large Events, Online dating, Parties, Startups, Valentine's Day, meet new people |

Applying to TechStars

TechStars applications are officially open and we encourage anyone with a young Startup looking to reach the next level to apply. I recently gave some advice on applying to Alex Lindahl at CollegeMogul.com.

The bullet points were:

1. Have a working prototype

2. Have a strong team

3. Show passion

4. Demonstrate speed and work ethic

5. Have a story behind your idea

Click here to read the full entry and see the details behind each point.

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January 28th, 2009 Posted by Adam | About Ignighter, Applications, Blogs, Press, Startups, business models, investment, techstars |

Ignighter invests in some new Mac products

At Ignighter we understand the importance of using the latest technology to conduct our day-to-day business. No company provides better cutting edge products than Apple of course. Our office is currently stocked with MacBook Pros, iPhones, and iPods. That being said, when we heard about the pending release of the coveted MacBook Wheel, we simply had to place ourselves on the waiting list.

Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

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January 5th, 2009 Posted by Adam | IPhone app, Startups, ignighter, technology |