#DCTech is a breath of fresh air after working in Silicon Valley: Prerna Ramachandra

Six months ago, while she was living in Silicon Vally, Prerna Ramachandra’s friends told her, “Do something about the election. Or go to D.C. Because you’re talking too much about it.”
Ramachandra, 24, took the advice to heart. After working for Intuit as a product manager in Mountain View, Calif., she headed to D.C. Now living in Logan Circle, not far from her office, Ramachandra told us she feels “really fulfilled” with her new job as a product manager for NGP VAN where she helps provide tech service products to Democratic nonprofits.
Ramachandra grew up in New Delhi, India, and moved to the U.S. in 2010 to study computer science at Princeton. During college, she founded a Women in Science club that she said averaged 30 women per session by the time she graduated in 2014.
Ramachandra spoke with us over the phone about leaving the Silicon Valley bubble, the strengths of the D.C. tech scene and the delicate dance between driving change but not forcing it on people.

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This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
So we’ll start with the obvious. Why transfer from Silicon Valley to D.C.?  
A lot of people ask the same question. If you’ve lived in New England for a long time, there’s something shiny and exciting about California. But much as I loved my time on the West Coast, D.C. was really attractive because I was longing to get out of the Silicon Valley bubble.
What is the Silicon Valley bubble?
Over there, you are surrounded by people who are extremely passionate and forward thinking about tech. There’s a joke that you find your best beta testers there because everyone is willing to give the latest gadget or app a shot. But sometimes they forget that not everybody is like them. And so if you want to build a product for larger group of people you need to get outside that bubble.
I’m really interested in social impact. So moving back to the East Coast was really appealing to me. And D.C. in particular was really appealing because it’s the center of policy. The fact that D.C. has this really thriving tech scene isn’t something I knew before coming here.
#DCTech is definitely some sort of hidden gem. Are there any particular political causes you’re passionate about?
I really care about education and it has always been a passion for me. But it’s become more important to me now that I’m working in a company involved in politics and following the election, even though I’m not currently doing anything with edtech!
And being from India, I’ve seen the importance of a good education.

In Silicon Valley, it feels like the people 'running the show' are white and male.

How has your upbringing in India shaped your passion for education?
Growing up in India, you learned really quickly to be really grateful for your circumstances in life.
I’m an only child and I’m a girl. My parents didn’t treat me any differently, they gave me the same opportunity they would give a son. I didn’t realize how unique that was until I saw friends not have those opportunities. My own mother grew up in a lot poverty and was able to get out because of her education.
Is this also where your interest in politics came from?
I’ve always had that bug in me. But what really propelled me to seek a change was following the current U.S. election and seeing how much was at stake. I would talk to my friends about it and keep them update to date. And they said, “Do something about the election. Or go to D.C. Because you’re talking too much about it.”
How does the D.C. tech scene compare to Silicon Valley so far then?
It’s totally different.
How so?
What I’ve realized is that here, people are much more aware of the world, and what’s going on. And you meet people outside of tech. You have friends that work in nonprofits or government or some unrelated sector to you. Maybe there’d be a bubble if I just hung out in media or politics circles. But here, we have so much more diversity. I think that’s powerful because that helps me think about big social impact problems, and I’m able to talk to people who have worked with them.
It’s so much more diverse than what you have in Silicon Valley, where almost every person you meet is in tech.
Do you think D.C. tech is more diverse because the focus on social impact attracts lots of different people, like it did you?
That’s an interesting question.
In California, there’s a huge push for diversity in terms of hiring, and there are lots of programs to get more women and people of color in tech. But at the same time, it feels like the people “running the show” are white and male. And that creates the bubble effect.
But with the D.C. tech scene, there are some people who have worked in tech forever, and others from the nonprofit sector who came in later after teaching themselves to code. That makes things more diverse around here.
So is there anything with your current work in D.C. tech that you’re really excited about right now?
My company only works with nonprofits that are progressive, so they are all ones I care deeply about. I’ve always been interested in what nonprofits do but never had a chance to work with one. Getting the chance to see their day-to-day needs is frankly interesting.
Getting to talk to clients is the most fun part for me. What I love is learning about their workflow and seeing the tremendous opportunity to improve. I think with tech we can legitimately make nonprofits more efficient. But at the same time, we also made sure that while we’re introducing new tech for them, that we don’t force change on them.
So it’s about balancing tech with human needs?
Yes. I’m getting to do a lot of balancing of how to make their lives better with not doing that too fast so that get turned off by it. It’s hard for human beings to adapt to change, especially in smaller organizations.
Would you have any advice for others looking to break out of the bubble? Or anything you think they should know about D.C. tech?
I would definitely recommend it. I decided in a span of two weeks and told everyone at work and picked up my life and left. I didn’t know how it would turn out. But I was motivated and driven by a desire to change. And it worked out great.
About the D.C. tech scene specifically, there’s a lot of opportunity to interact with people who have worked with the causes you are passionate about and are willing to talk to you. So if you’re looking to be around people who are really passionate about social change, this is the place for you.