Meet The Team - Ritesh Jain - CAD/PLM Integrations Lead

We’re excited to welcome you to the CoLab team, Ritesh! Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m a mechanical engineer by education, a software developer by profession, and a mathematician by heart! Born into a value-driven family, my siblings and I were brought up in a constructive atmosphere through our formative years. I have a flair for solving problems, especially by using objective techniques.

You have an incredibly interesting background. How did you first get into mechanical engineering, and into software development?

In the late 1980s, there were basically two options for fascinating careers: engineering, and medicine. Having an interest in mathematics, engineering was the better fit. A simple argument—that mechanical engineering is a more realistic stream, where you actually see things happening—caught my fancy, and there I was! A mechanical engineer.

As a freshly-graduated mechanical engineer in the mid-90s, I started looking at conventional opportunities in the field and worked for a heavy engineering giant in India, producing gas turbines and compressors for a power plant. After developing a piping software (by reinventing the wheel!), I realized I had an inclination for developing CAD/PLM applications. I pursued that, developing utilities and inhouse software, then fully took the leap by joining PTC in the year 2000.

That move resulted in two decades of working on the big CAD and PLM software programs, across various modules and products. It’s been a long journey, maneuvering through many areas, and it has given me the learnings of a lifetime.

Why did you join CoLab and what are you most excited about?

Collaborating with people—irrespective of their language, beliefs, religion, gender—is the biggest success mantra for me, and possibly that’s what drew me toward CoLab. My first impression of the product was amazing. I thought: something as simple as a design review tool, built with such simplicity, will do wonders.

CoLab fits the type of opportunity I was looking for, to put all the skills I’ve acquired over the years to use. But I also see the growth potential for CoLab that will help me fulfill my even greater aspirations. A young company with lots of “youngsters” around makes the environment lively. And, going through the website, it really caught my eye how everything reflects the caring attitude CoLab has when it comes to people.

If you had to be shipwrecked on a deserted island, but all your human needs—such as food and water—were taken care of, what two items would you want to have with you?

A mathematics book and my running gear.