I pursued an MBA to expand my business skill set. I’m planning a career pivot from my background in strategy consulting and investment banking to the venture space as an investor and as an operator. Mentorship is extremely important to me right now, and it’s a major reason why I chose Yale SOM. I’ve had a multitude of mentors here who’ve supported and guided my journey, propelling my passion for enabling and supporting those to come.
Yale SOM has given me the time to fully explore my interest in the venture space and in entrepreneurship, from leadership in the Private Equity & Venture Capital Club to internships with startups and work with a fund-of-funds on VC deals. I’m also a student government representative, and I’m on the leadership team for the Business of Legal Cannabis Group, which I co-founded. All these groups and roles have filled gaps in my knowledge, expanded my network, and provided leadership opportunities.
This semester, I’m taking my first class outside of Yale SOM. It’s Think Like a Founder, taught by Professor Gary Stewart at Yale Law School. Gary routinely brings in—via Zoom—accomplished leaders across the venture spectrum for in-depth discussion in our small class of 11. We’ve hosted Mitch Kapor from Kapor Capital, Ann Miura-Ko of Floodgate Fund, Hugh Lawson from Goldman Sachs Asset Management, and Linda Rottenberg from Endeavor. Our capstone project was to present, in class, a developed pitch for a panel of accomplished venture capitalists. It has been an absolutely amazing seminar on all things entrepreneurial and venture.
