This summer, our intern cohort brought curiosity, creativity, and a serious love of robots to Scythe. Each intern contributed to meaningful, real-world projects that not only support our teams, but elevate the entire M.52 experience. Some returned to deepen their impact, while others joined Scythe for their very first internship - all drawn by our mission, our people, and the chance to make a difference at a company pioneering change in the landscape industry.
Meet Scythe's 2025 Intern Cohort
University of Colorado Boulder
Strategic Communications
Class of 2026
Colorado School of Mines
Computer Science - Robotics and Intelligent Systems
Class of 2025
University of Colorado Boulder
Public Relations
Class of 2025
Ryan O'Loughlin
Colorado Mesa University
Mechanical Engineering
Class of 2027
What attracted you to this internship at Scythe?
Ryan: I worked at Scythe in the summer of 2024 as a run-in technician. I had a great experience with the bots, the team, and the culture, which made me want to come back and contribute to designing even more bots.
Olivia: I saw this internship as a great opportunity to add more to my toolbelt. I was especially drawn to working at a startup because I knew I’d get to contribute my creativity and what I’ve learned in school and actually see it make a difference in real time. Plus, who doesn’t love robots?
Lucas: It was a mix of things. As a recent grad who will head into full-time work soon, I wanted a place I could see myself long-term. Scythe struck a great balance - an early-stage company with plenty of interesting problems to solve, but also a solid product already in the field. From my interviews, I could tell the culture was strong: open, collaborative, and cross-functional. I’ve seen that firsthand through my work on the data platform, helping make key robot diagnostics accessible to the Field Service team so they can catch hardware issues early, even on older-gen bots.
What do you like most about the work we do here at Scythe?
Caleb: I love Scythe for its people and the mission. Everyone is so welcoming and willing to teach. I can’t have imagined a better environment for my first internship. This career isn’t always the most forgiving and working at Scythe has allowed me to dip my feet in the water with new designs in a supportive environment
Ryan: I love how close-knit the Scythe family feels. The culture around the office is amazing - everyone’s so friendly, supportive, and always willing to help.
Olivia: I really like that you can be immersed in every step of the process that makes the M.52 what it is. I’ve gained so much insight into the inner workings of both Scythe and the robot itself, and it’s opened my eyes to new opportunities in marketing and public relations. The collaborative environment is something I truly value, and the team makes the experience even better!
What is the main project you’re working on right now?
Lucas: I’m working on a tool for the Field Engineering team that makes it easier to access and understand data from our robots. Right now, diagnosing issues often requires escalation to our software team, which can slow down support. This tool is designed to give our customer support and field teams a clearer window into what the robot was experiencing, helping them troubleshoot issues earlier and more efficiently. It’s been exciting to work on something that directly improves how we support our robots in the field
Olivia: A typical day at Scythe for me involves brainstorming creative ways to boost our social media presence - from researching Meta campaigns to coming up with blog post ideas. I also create infographics and help put together content for bot shots and customer spotlights. The most exciting part of my project has been seeing our social channels grow in real time and watching the refresh and engagement increase!
Ryan: Right now, I’m working on designing and making hooks to lift our batteries. I’ve already built one working prototype, and now I’m focused on optimizing it for safety and ease of use. It’s been a really rewarding challenge - designing something small with such tight tolerances has pushed me to think critically about both form and function.
Caleb: One of the main projects I’ve worked on so far is a customer-facing delivery box for operator ID fobs. I designed the delivery box, the instructional inserts, and some of the promotional swag we included. It’s been one of the biggest design pieces and a really fun challenge. I got to take the lead on the whole project, from concept to final product, and it challenged me to think through every detail - from packaging to user experience - and it’s been incredibly rewarding to see it all come together.
What have you learned at Scythe that surprised you?
Caleb: Being at Scythe has taught me so much about marketing and design - but what really surprised me was meeting such an incredible and diverse group of people. From a former SpaceX engineer who’s insanely detail-oriented and hardworking to a Star Wars nerd juggling every marketing task imaginable, the team here gives me so much to look up to. I’ve learned more about what the real world looks like - and how to thrive in it - than I ever expected. One line that’s really stuck with me: make sure you understand the fundamentals of your career front, back, inside out, and upside down.
What’s been the highlight of your internship so far?
Lucas: The best part of this job has been seeing how much interest there is in what I’m building. It’s a tool that people across the company have been eager for, even outside of my team - and knowing it could be used by dozens of folks for years to come gives me even more motivation to make sure I get it right.
Olivia: The highlight of my internship has been getting to work with so many different departments at Scythe. From collaborating with the People team on employment opportunities to partnering with the Field team on content, every part of it has been such a special and rewarding experience!
What advice would you give to future interns about making the most of their time at Scythe?
Ryan: I’d encourage future interns to take the time to bond with their fellow interns - our group does a weekly Thursday lunch, and it’s been a great way to build connections. I’d also recommend reaching out to other Scythers and getting to know as many people as you can. Everyone here is welcoming, and you’ll learn a lot just by having conversations across teams.
Lucas: Remember your main task, don’t be afraid to say no, and write things down. One of the most intimidating parts for me was getting up to speed with the codebase - like many early-stage companies, some of Scythe’s older code comes with technical debt that can be tricky to navigate. Writing documentation as I went, even while I was still learning, made a huge difference. I’ve also really enjoyed the flexibility here - being able to jump in and help where people need it has made the work more exciting. Sharing knowledge across teams and seeing it help others move faster has been super rewarding. That said, it’s also pulled some focus from my (fairly monumental) main task, and I’ve definitely had to scramble a bit to stay on track.
Since you’re true Scythers now, what’s your favorite robot?
Caleb: My favorite fictional robot is C1-10P aka Chopper from Star Wars Rebels. Chopper is the sassiest and most loyal robot you’ll ever meet and he’s hilarious.
Lucas: WALL-E is the best. He’s such a charmer, and the whole of his story is one I reference quite often.
Ryan: I would say R2-D2 is my favorite fictional robot. He always seems to have the tools for any job, is super reliable and is snarky as well.
Olivia: My favorite fictional robot is any of the Transformers because I absolutely love cars. And what is better than a car that can turn into a giant robot?!
Offering a snapshot of life at Scythe, the Scyther Spotlight series showcases our team members and the work they do as we pursue our mission together. From software to hardware, manufacturing to customer operations, you'll get to see what our
multi-disciplinary team members are up to and how they collaborate every day.