At Ergatta, One Customer’s Passion Landed Him a Leadership Role

Before Mikhail Sinanan became head of engineering at Ergatta, he was just another fitness enthusiast searching for a way to stay active during a pandemic. 

When Covid-19 sent the world into lockdown last year, Sinanan longed for an at-home fitness solution that resembled his favorite workout studio, Orangetheory Fitness. That’s when he came across an ad for Ergatta’s rowing machine — and he was compelled to make a purchase.  

“It fit the same bill as Orangetheory in the sense that it had the software to keep me engaged and improve my endurance while also offering a structured program,” Sinanan said. 

At the time, Sinanan was working as a director of software engineering at Capital One. He recalled that the machine didn’t merely captivate him from a fitness standpoint. It also impressed him from a technical perspective. 

“I have an eye for details, so I like to see highly-polished experiences,” Sinanan said. “Their work not only met my expectations, but exceeded them, which I wasn’t expecting from a fitness product.”

As someone working in the software development space, Sinanan was eager to offer his feedback about the product. After doing some research and reaching out to the team, which was relatively small at the time, he realized his input was being taken seriously.

Sinanan started sending in various feature requests, such as the need for a mobile app and the ability to integrate with Apple’s smart watch. He also joined the company’s Facebook group, where he started communicating back and forth with employees at the company. 

The Ergatta team took notice. They encouraged him to start reporting incidents of crashes and bugs and even invited him to take part in beta tests. Sinanan said he was happy to get involved and continued offering his feedback to Ergatta team members.

“Whenever I saw something that could be improved, I would reach out,” Sinanan said. “I just wanted the product to be successful.”

An Unexpected Opportunity

When Sinanan was asked to hop on a call with one of Ergatta’s team members, he thought it would be an easier way to squeeze in more feature requests. Yet what started as a casual networking opportunity soon turned into a more serious conversation about his professional background and engineering leadership philosophies.

“Once I explained to her my scope and role at Capital One, she let me know about the position I have now and asked if I was interested in applying,” Sinanan said.

According to Sinanan, he had no intention of searching for a new job at the time. He was thriving in his current role following a recent promotion and felt like he wasn’t ready to jump into engineering interviews, considering he lacked the usual preparation that goes with that process.

Yet once Sinanan discovered that Ergatta was interested in building an app to accompany the rower, he realized he was the right person to help lead its creation, considering his engineering background is deeply rooted in mobile development. So when he was asked to join the team, he quelled his feelings of self-doubt and accepted their offer.

“I pushed the imposter syndrome inside of me a little bit further down and said to myself, ‘This is actually in my domain,’” Sinanan said. 

First Impressions

According to Sinanan, transitioning onto the Ergatta team was relatively easy, considering he already had a solid understanding of industry-standard technologies. But it wasn’t just the technical aspects of his new role that came easily. 

Sinanan noted that Ergatta’s culture deeply resonated with him during the onboarding process and made it easy for him to feel integrated into the organization. He was impressed with the company’s leaders, who provided a clear vision and transparently outlined their intentions to guide teams on the right path to achieve it. From an engineering standpoint, Sinanan said that means he and his teammates don’t waste time “chasing other shiny objects” and instead focus on work that directly impacts the company’s mission. 

Ergatta’s fast-moving culture was another element that stood out to Sinanan. Having come from the finance industry, he was accustomed to moving more slowly due to risks, so entering a space that encouraged a “failing fast” mentality was exciting.

“We can give value to our customers, but we can also learn from them faster,” Sinanan said. “And as we continue to learn quickly, we can iterate and make our processes better.” 

Leading with Purpose

Now that Sinanan has settled into his role at Ergatta, he said he’s been able to leverage his personal leadership style, which is one he has honed over the years. Having led various engineering teams, he knows what goes into being an effective leader and has crafted his own approach. 

Much as a company abides by core values, Sianan said his leadership philosophy is composed of four key pillars, the first one being his commitment to helping his direct reports reach their fullest potential. He said he accomplishes this by continually pushing them to stretch their skills. 

Sinanan said the second pillar doesn’t require constantly hovering over direct reports. Rather, it involves giving them the space to do their work. 

“I’m not a micromanager, and I don’t have the time to do that stuff, nor do I get any enjoyment out of that,” Sinanan said. “Getting out of the way is really important for me.”

Sinanan acknowledged that the third pillar within his strategy, which is to build meaningful relationships, might intimidate some employers. That’s because it involves investing in his peers’ careers, regardless of whether they stay with Ergatta. 

“I know these relationships will probably last longer than their roles or even their time at the company,” Sinanan said. “That’s why I prioritize the relationship itself, whether they want to stay or go somewhere else.” 

Lastly, Sinanan said the fourth pillar that defines his leadership style is his commitment to approach every situation with empathy and curiosity. In his mind, this sentiment echoes the importance of investing time and resources into his team members, which ultimately supports the growth of the business. 

“I know their success is going to come back tenfold to the company and the customer, and that’s what we care about at the end of the day,” Sinanan said. 

Innovation Meets Impact

Sinanan said the engineering team at Ergatta is always iterating on their work. While he and his peers have been focusing most of their energy on their newly-released mobile companion app, he said the team is constantly searching for new ways to improve its technology. 

According to Sinanan, the team maintains an evolutionary mindset by continually adding new functionalities and games to their product. He said these efforts also reflect the company’s aim to keep customers coming back for more. 

“We’re still pretty young as a company and growing quickly, so we’re trying to add as much value as possible for our members,” Sinanan said. 

As Sinanan’s team continues to search for more engineering talent, he conveyed that there’s one aspect of Ergatta’s work in particular that new hires can expect: the chance to push their abilities and develop groundbreaking technology. “We’re building a product that hasn’t been built before and combining two different industries in a way that also hasn’t been done before,” he said. “The combination of these two elements presents really fun engineering challenges.” 

The opportunity to pursue meaningful work played a large role in his decision to join Ergatta. “Every ounce of sweat, every tough conversation and all the effort we’ve put into building this product is to help people improve their physical and mental health,” he said. “For me, that’s super rewarding.”

I consider it my responsibility to use our power for good.”

According to Sinanan, the magnitude of Ergatta’s technology fuels his passion for his work. In fact, his belief in the company’s impact is so strong that he feels obligated to ensure he and his teammates leverage their position to drive transformation. 

“I consider it my responsibility to use our power for good,” Sinanan said. “That’s why I make sure my work and that of my team influences people’s lives in a positive way.”