Diving into the world of insect-based feed: my internship at Protix
As the last part of my Communication Science Bachelor, I had to find an internship, which initially seemed daunting –stepping into the ‘real world’. I applied to numerous companies, mostly large corporations, and after months of interviews and rejections, I finally landed an internship at Protix.
Wait, could you explain that again? Insects and feed?
When I first read about Protix, I had no clue what I was getting into. Turns out, it’s a fascinating world: Protix produces and supplies insect-based ingredients for animal feed– yes, insects! The ingredients come from the black soldier fly larvae, which are rich in high-quality proteins and fats, making them ideal for sustainable animal feed. This approach significantly reduces the environmental impact of food systems. A study by Protix that came out this year shows that dog food containing these ingredients improves their oral health and eliminates bad breath!
They have been very active in recent years: In 2020, Protix was nominated as the fastest-growing Dutch company with a social mission by the Erasmus Centre of Entrepreneurship and won the Dutch Innovation Award 2020 (awarded at the UvA). This year, the CEO was announced as the winner of the Leading Entrepreneur in Tech (LET).
What I did at Protix
Protix is expanding internationally, so they wanted to change their website, a project I was highly involved in. Alongside my team and an external web agency, we developed the website from scratch. Witnessing ideas turning into a fully functioning website was very exciting. It changed my understanding of web development; everything has been thought through , from scroll menus to the colours of the buttons. I also had many other different tasks, including contacting other external agencies, such as PR firms and filmmakers. No day was the same, which made the internship very dynamic.
Getting used to the corporate life
This being my first internship, I was very nervous about working in a corporate environment with mostly adults. It was a big shift from writing essays and research papers for the past 2.5 years, because now I was writing e-mails to strangers and having lots of (online) meetings in a day. What I noticed is that it is not as formal as I thought it would be. People are very open and luckily I had a great supervisor who taught me a lot about the business and how to communicate with different stakeholders. I even had meetings with the CEO to discuss our website designs. Everyone was down-to-earth, which made it easy for me to integrate.
Balancing internship with leisure time
This internship offered flexibility, allowing me to work from home or the office. This freedom helped me have a better balance between work and personal activities like going to the gym, cooking, walking, and playing music. This was something I didn’t really have during my time in uni, so I enjoyed being able to achieve this balance more during my internship.
Everything will be alright
Embarking on something new and meeting new people is always nerve-wracking, but it all works out in the end. I’ll conclude this internship with many new experience and knowledge, continuing to work with Protix until mid-January. In the end, I’m very grateful that I ended up at a ‘smaller’, growing company like Protix. It has given me a lot of opportunities and has exposed me to different parts of the field of communication.
Remember, you can apply to many different companies, but you only need one company to like you and appreciate your potential 🙂