The fact that Remi Denoyer learned to code and built his first basic application at the young age of 14 surprised no one, but himself. He had always been a curious child, eager to learn new skills, take in new information, and create what he could with his new skills.
While traveling, he would collect rocks, study them, and compare them to other rocks from around the world.
His natural propensity for learning, problem-solving, and getting others excited about learning has made him the perfect founding engineer for Plato, a mentorship platform for engineering leaders.
Throughout his studies, Remi set himself apart from his classmates. Often too smart for his own good, he wasn’t afraid to challenge his teachers or cause a bit of trouble in class, always knowing that he’d still excel at the exams.
Though he loved physics and chemistry in high school, his math grades were often where he struggled most.
After high school, he studied at Ecole Polytechnique before advancing to UC Berkeley to pursue a degree in the mechanical engineering department.
It wasn’t long before his passion shifted toward computer science, and he began to dive back into programming, digging up the skills he first learned when he was a teenager.
His two internships before entering the workforce helped him hone in on his programming skills and learn how to apply them in real-world situations.
First, he spent the summer at AXA Global Parametrics, now known as Descartes Underwriting. There, he used AI models to predict weather patterns and help insurance companies create quotes in their respective industries.
After AXA Global Parametrics, Remi spent 6 months at the Boston Consulting Group in Paris, assisting with various industrial projects.
Though his curiosity got him far professionally, Remi accredits much of his success to his mentors along the way.
Even after he joined Plato, the mentors he found within the organization were critical to not only his ability to contribute but at the time, the startup’s own potential to take off.
Plato’s co-founders, Quang Hoang and Jean-Baptiste Coger sought out Remi’s skillset after a failed entrepreneurial attempt. Together, the three built Plato from the ground up, into a company valued at $100M.
When Remi was brought on board, his coding skills were nowhere near that of what a founding engineer’s skills should have been, but with the right help, his unending curiosity, and a deep belief in Plato itself, Remi turned the product into a powerhouse.
He partnered with the notorious G. Renard to develop a neural network matching system to pair engineering mentors with the right mentees. This neural network is the backbone of Plato, but Remi’s contributions did not stop there.
He was able to make Plato incredibly cost-efficient by automating many of the key functions within the platform, such as scheduling, reminders, ceremonies, and even internal hiring processes.
Mastering coding while building a proprietary technology isn’t the route many developers take, but for Remi, it felt right.
Looking back, Remi relied on his ability to adapt and learn new skills at multiple junctions throughout his life, but the one he’s most proud of thus far is Plato.
He couldn’t have done it alone, not without mentoring and support from multiple people.
The fact that he gets to give back to individuals in the tech space every day by helping them get the mentoring they need is a full-circle moment for Remi.
Just a few years ago, Plato was a garage startup with less than 5 employees, but now, it’s a revolutionary mentoring tool that provides a bank of over 1,500 senior engineering mentors to engineering leaders from Spotify, WeWork, Meta, Pinterest, and everywhere in between.