Team Spotlight: Introducing Jacob

Every week we ask a Terra team member to let us know who they are. Here's Jacob:

Do you use any wearables?

Yeah! I've had my Apple watch for a year now. I used to run cross-country until it stopped being fun. Nowadays I track some of my little runs.

Do you run on a schedule?

Not really. I used to lift at the gym regularly but I dislocated my shoulder 2 months ago. I've done my physio thought and am ready to hit the gym back next week - the team will definitely peer-pressure me into joining them :)

Hah! Glad you recovered. What languages do you speak?

Yes, I speak Arabic and English, s...

Wait, Arabic without French?

Unfortunately :( my mum speaks French. I know as a Lebanese I should speak French, but it is what it is.

So you're from Lebanon originally?

Yes! I'm half-Lebanese half-Palestinian. I grew up in Doha, Qatar, till 18 and then I moved to London.

Did you get to eat Lebanese food although away from Lebanon?

Of course! my favorite food is Lebanese food. A lot of people don't realize that restaurant food and home food are two completely different things - shawarma and stews don't compare! It's like comparing fish and chips and a home stew.

Any favorites?

Koussa Me7shi, Mloukhieh, and Bamiah are some of my favorites! I don't get to eat it as much in London given it's very time-consuming to cook those dishes - almost like art. You also need a lot of preparation in advance. I think that's why grandmas are the best at it: they have years of experience and all the time in the world!

Indeed! Are there any particular free-time hobbies you'd like to share?

I play the guitar a bit.

Nice! Classical guitar or strumming?

Neither! I play the electric guitar and acoustic guitar. Sometimes I mix tunes on LogicPro with my friends. We gather over beers on an evening and just jam together - a chilling night!

On the topic of uni, where and what did you study?

I've been in London for the past 6 years. I studied physics and did a master's research in electronics, both at Imperial College. I loved studying physics, you know, learning about why space-time is curved and all! At the same time, I've always liked keeping up with the latest tech, which leads me to find Terra.

Space-time is definitely mind-bending... any highlights from your time at Terra so far?

This is actually my first time experiencing a startup journey. I've learned a lot about how startup functions and how important team dynamic and coordination is. I'm also improving on how to execute fast and quickly complete tasks - lots of them here! Tech-wise, I've learned so far about how Terra functions and am excited to understand it more as time goes by.