One Columbia J-termer's B-school Odyessy

Unrelated to b-school - my new company VMTurbo launched a new website

2010-03-22T15:12:00.001-04:00

Apologies for the non-b-school related content, but I am very excited to announce that my company VMTurbo just relaunched our website.

We had a stellar team supporting the project including WordPress coding guru extraordinaire Jason Siffring and Bill Kaligiros of becreative.ca on the layout and design side of the house.

Please take a look and let me know what you think of our virtual datacenter automation, virtual infrastructure health and performance management, and virtual infrastructure right-sizing solutions.

We also have a whitepaper available (registration required) that goes into detail about our unique supply-chain technology and why we think we’re poised to change the way virtual infrastructure is managed!

just started writing a venture capital eBook

2009-05-10T11:07:00.001-04:00

Follow it here and let me know what you think!

New Venture Capital Careers Page on johngannonblog.com

2008-10-07T23:08:00.001-04:00

Wanted to let everyone know that I have a VC careers page up at http://johngannonblog.com/vc-careers. I plan on posting tips and advice as well as some random job postings that I see in my travels.

VC internship

2008-09-16T12:08:00.001-04:00

If you are looking for a VC internship in NYC, please contact me on LinkedIn. I know of at least one firm locally that is looking for multiple interns who are passionate about VC and early stage tech ventures.

launching new blog johngannonblog.com

2008-08-24T22:01:00.001-04:00

Hey all -- I have just launched a new blog (http://johngannonblog.com) that will be focused on VC, technology, innovation, and probably include a bit about my life as well. I hope you all continue to stick with me and follow along with the new blog. I won't be updating this blog any longer but I will keep responding to comments here, so feel free to reach out if one of my old posts seems interesting and you want to discuss!

Evaluating startup offers and comp packages

2008-07-22T10:16:00.001-04:00

The guys from Venture Hacks just posted regarding how individuals can evaluate job offers from startups. There are two parts (Part 1 and Part 2).

I thought this post was interesting because this past year I fielded similar questions from classmates who were evaluating opportunities with startups versus bigger, established companies. One thing I have seen fairly frequently in the past (and something I myself have done) is people who over-value their options. Most startup companies do not sell for Google or VMware-like prices, so you have to assume a moderate outcome (and therefore a moderate payout). Heck, some of them never sell and just go under. Just the nature of the game.

BTW, if you are really fired up about going to work at a startup after school, you might think about taking a VC class. It helps you understand the financing side of the startup world, and also comes in handy when you are thinking about how to value a startup's offer of employment.

Tech careers post-CBS

2008-07-12T15:54:00.001-04:00

There was a comment made on my last post and I thought I would devote a post to the comment. (Thanks for reading and for asking the question, mystery commenter! :)

Here is the comment:

Hi John,

How are you doing Big Daddy? I have few questions about CBS. I am a technology professional working in West Coast. I want to apply to CBS for fall 09. I am looking to move into business development in Technology firms. I am fascinated by CBS for its New York location. Any inputs on "how often do you see CBS students pursuing career in technology? even if they write technology in essays, does adcom suspect that applicant is seeking an admit through back door and finally wants to go to IB because we are in NY?"

And here is my response:

Big Daddy is doing great, thanks for asking :) We're at 32 weeks and counting.

CBS does have a strong, core group of folks who are pursuing careers in new media and technology. Admittedly, that group's size does not rival the number of future i-bankers and management consultants, but it is a pretty vibrant group and one that in my experience is very passionate about the sector.

I can't really comment on what the adcom is thinking related to your admissions essays, but I would recommend to just be yourself and be truthful about what you want to do once at CBS, and afterwards. If you're able to tell a logical account of "why CBS, why now, and why the future career path given your past experiences" I think you will be fine.

What you end up seeing the 1st year is that many people decide that what they came to school to do (i.e. in their app they said they wanted to become a management consultant) was not as exciting as something else they were exposed to early in the 1st year (i.e. they change their mind and decide they want to work at a hedge fund). I think that potential for change is somewhat expected and understood, although you definitely want to go in with a fairly defined vision and plan of what you want to do at CBS in your application.

There are a variety of classes that are tech and new media focused as well as activities (like the Silicon Valley Trek) that cater to applicants and students who are interested in taking that kind of career path.

Does this help? Feel free to post some follow up questions in the comments and I'll try to answer them as best I can.

Fall 2008 Media Electives

2008-07-09T20:48:00.001-04:00

One of the club officers in the Media Management Association just sent out an informal list of the Fall 2008 Media-related electives at CBS as well as within the broader university. I hope you find it useful!

Mediaphiles --

Something that seems potentially helpful is a list of the media courses that the B-School is offering, so that you don’t have to search everywhere for them.

Please note – this isn’t an “official” list – just something I threw together based on various resources in hopes of helping other people navigate the bidding process; it’s possible I missed classes or inadvertently left one out that could be deemed media-related; no slight intended. I’ve also added courses from other grad schools that might be helpful. Please see this guide for information on cross-registration.

Please let me know if you have any questions … and I’m willing to bet that professors would also probably welcome questions about the courses.

Media Metrics, Analytics and Economics
Tuesdays (A term)
5:45-9 p.m.
Professors Scott McDonald, David Poltrack, and Horst Stripp

This is a half term course taught by the research heads of CBS, NBC Universal and Conde Nast. This is an updated version of a popular class taught for the last 10 years called “Measuring Media Audiences” and is taught by senior media execs who are on the cutting edge of these issues.

This course analyzes how media companies use audience research both to establish the economic value of media for advertising and to select and develop products. Subjects include methods to collect audience data for the various media (primarily TV, print, Internet, radio); how they are analyzed; the use of data for media planning; program testing and strategic planning; and the impact of digital technologies on audience measurement systems and on the economics of the media marketplace.

Strategic Management of Media
Wednesdays (Full term)
5:45-9 p.m.
Professor Jonathan Knee

The course will be concerned with the economics of strategic behavior as applied to the Media Industry. This course is designed to reinforce and develop student abilities to apply the concepts of industry analysis and game theory to that were introduced in the core course in Business Economics (B6005). The important distinction will be between the nature of content provision on the one hand and distribution on the other. The course will cover telecommunications, digital networks, local theaters, and varieties of retail on the distribution side; and film, program production, books, magazines, newspapers, and databases on the content side. Coursework will be evenly distributed between lectures, cases, and guest speakers.

Communications, Internet and Media (Master Class)
Wednesdays (Full term)
2:15-5:30 p.m.
Professors Robert Atkinson and Eli Noam
Limited to 36 second-year students

The course consists of supervised team projects of students with companies. It begins with weekly lectures on the business dynamics, drivers, technologies, and policy framework of the telecom/internet/media industries. There will be analyses of notable success and failure stories, with the participation of industry insiders, in order to provide teams with a sufficient basis for their consulting assignments. Teams interested in entrepreneurialism will focus on the internet, new media, and content projects. Teams oriented to finance and strategy will work with established telecom and media companies that are trying to adapt to new challenges. In the aggregate, the projects will provide understanding and skills for dealing with management challenges in a sector characterized by rapid change and boom-bust cycles, and to integrate the MBA curriculum with management practice in a feedback loop. Teams will be asked to account for the MBA tools they have utilized in the process. Each consulting team will deliver a report and presentation to senior management at the company, and to their fellow students.

Integrated Communication and New Media (Master Class)
Mondays (Full term)
5:45-9 p.m.
Professor Jeremy Kagan
Limited to 36 second-year students

The Integrated Communication and New Media Master Class will allow students to work with senior executive teams from client companies and their advertising agencies to develop strategic marketing recommendations for integrating new media marketing channels into their advertising, sales, and customer communications channels. The course will be offered in the fall to mesh with the strategic planning cycle of client and agency teams for 2009 brand and company marketing strategies. Students will develop a strategic marketing plan for presentation to client decision-makers integrating new media into corporate and brand strategic marketing plans, including advertising campaigns, customer communications, and brand communities and customer service. The student teams will review the competitive landscape and devise operational recommendations using a variety of interactive channels and new media strategies to reach overall strategic goals and support traditional media buys, “brick and mortar” retail efforts, and customer relationship management (CRM) plans.
Plans will include:
· Interactive advertising plans including search, OLA, social media, branded entertainment, and microsites, etc;
· Customer communications strategies encompassing email, blogs, branded communities, and life cycle management, where appropriate;
· Research and metrics for success recommendations including both primary and secondary research, to ensure success guidelines and a focus on measurable return on investment;
· Thorough reviews of the competitive environment and best-in-class marketing as it applies to the client.

Marketing Arts, Culture and Entertainment
Mondays and Wednesdays (Full term)
9-10:30 a.m.
Professor Joseph Plummer
The course applies the marketing discipline to the Arts, Culture and Entertainment environment. Key areas of focus are

· Similarities/differences between other businesses and the ACE arena

· The discipline of marketing planning in an ACE environment

· Marketing tactical implementation — how to apply marketing in ACE

Other classes of interest:

Developing Strategies for High Tech Firms
Mondays (Full term)
2:15-5:30 p.m.
Professor Raul Katz
The purpose of this seminar is to explore strategy development and implementation, with a specific focus on international high technology industries (e.g., telecommunications, content distribution, software, electronics and semiconductors). Strategy formulation in global high technology industries requires in-depth exploration of sector-specific dynamics with a tailored set of tools to ensure successful implementation. Issues driving complexity range from national/regional markets segmented by different stages of technological development to national regulatory frameworks constraining industry evolution, amplified by the management imperative to achieve competitive advantage in a global world. In other words, the frameworks for industry analysis, the assessment of competitive advantage and the formulation of strategy warrant specific analysis and focus.

Film School:

The Business of Film
Schedule unknown
Professor Unknown
Film R6004 section 001

The Role of the Producer
Professor Ira Deutchman
Schedule unknown
Film R6027 section 001

Journalism School:
No relevant/open courses posted thus far; typically, related fall courses include Media and Contemporary Society and Social Impact of Mass Media

Law School:

Comparative Mass Media Law
Professor Richard Winfield
Wednesdays, 4:10-6 p.m.

Law, Media and Public Policy
Professor Patricia Williams
Tuesdays, 2:10-4 p.m.

Law and Internet Society
Professor Eben Moglen
Thursdays, 4:10-6 p.m.

Law and the Music Industry
Professor Fred Koenigsberg
Mondays, 4:10-6 p.m.

Law and Sports
Professor Robert Kheel
Wednesdays, 4:10-6 p.m.

School of Arts and Sciences:
Mass Media In American Government and Politics
Unknown

Another MBA applicant resource from Marquis

2008-07-08T17:45:00.001-04:00

This post from Marquis details a new resource for those of you who are starting the application process. It's a guide authored by a Stanford GSB 2005 grad although it covers the other 'usual suspect' schools as well (HBS, CBS, etc).

Some big news to report

2008-07-05T18:26:00.001-04:00

After much consideration (and interviewing!) I have accepted an offer with a venture capital firm here in NYC, L Capital Partners. I will be focused on investments and portfolio companies in the wireless, IT, and digital media sectors.

So what's with the picture you might ask? It's one of the catchphrases that an artist in our neighborhood (De La Vega) often uses. It rang pretty true for me given that I've been working for a long time to reach this point.

While I'm philosophizing, here is another one of his quotes that I really like:

"THE PRESSURE OF SURVIVAL IN THE BIG CITY WILL MAKE YOU LOSE SIGHT OF YOUR DREAM...HANG IN THERE."

I am glad I didn't lose sight of mine, and thanks to everyone who helped me to keep it in focus.

J-term entrepreneurs getting some press

2008-06-27T11:36:00.001-04:00

My friend Ryan Petersen from Cluster Y 2008 just had his startup ImportGenius discussed on the Freakonmics Blog. It was also recently profiled on KillerStartups.com as well. It's a pretty interesting concept.

You should also read this post Ryan wrote for the CBS blog about starting a business while in school. A must read for any applicant who is wondering why they should choose CBS as a place to launch their startup.

Amen to the Cold Call

2008-06-26T19:07:00.001-04:00

Mike Hirschland, a VC at Polaris in Boston just posted about how he got his job at the firm. He had a very non-traditional background but was able to make a connection with one of the partners, and as they say, the rest is history.

I remember Mike came in to see us at RecordMyCalls.com at the beginning of our fundraising. I remember him as a real nice, laid back guy who was enthusiastic about trying the product and someone who seemed great to work with.

Again, I think the key takeaway here is that you can't be afraid to make that cold call. They are often uncomfortable but you really don't have anything to lose in making them. So do it!

Even Darth Vader sucks at Powerpoint

2008-06-25T23:36:00.001-04:00

(Image courtesy of this link)

One of the bloggers I follow just posted about his experience in Edward Tufte's class. Tufte is one of the foremost authorities on the art and science of presenting information, and a big opponent of Powerpoint.

Given that MBAs are going to be doing many presentations in class and outside of class (in their jobs, internships, etc), it really pays to hone this skill. I have rarely seen strong presentations and presenters, but let me tell you that it is a real joy when you come across one (or both). I think its also a great way to stand out from the crowd and your peers.

Check it out when you have a chance.

Easy way to track VC funding and M&A activity

2008-06-25T14:38:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I spent some time messing around with Yahoo's Pipes service. Basically this free service allows you to create mashup feeds from a variety of web-based data sources (RSS ,XML, HTML, etc) and filter the output based on whatever criteria you like.

I used it to create an RSS feed that aggregates all RSS feeds from Feedburner's VC network and a few other blogs I read. The output feed is filtered based on keywords like "aquires", "Series A", etc so that now I have a way to easily track VC fundings and M&A activity without having to hunt around individual blogs. I will still read individual blogs, but this really gives me a one stop shop and saves me some time.

You can read the feed in the box below (give it a minute to render, sometimes it takes a few seconds) and in the bottom right corner you can click the title (M&A and VC funding Pipe) to subscribe to it.

My Uncle Richie said it best

2008-06-18T15:50:00.001-04:00

I just sent out an update to my family about our soon-to-be-born twin girls (28 weeks, everything is looking good) and my Uncle Richie sent me this gem back in response:

That is great and enjoy these nice quiet moments while you can before all hell breaks loose.

I think that pretty much says it all!

Bringing passion to your job hunt

2008-06-17T23:32:00.001-04:00

I just read this post from a guy who was just hired by Amazon to be their Web Services evangelist in Europe. Loved it.

Although he's doing something dramatically different (from a career perspective) than what most people who read my blog are seeking to do, he shows how passion can really help you stand out in the interview process.

Give it a read.

Make sure you call your Dad

2008-06-14T14:35:00.001-04:00

I think the subject line says it all!

How I'll try handling "unproductive" meetings

2008-06-11T10:56:00.001-04:00

Fred Wilson, ubiquitous VC blogger just posted about taking and managing "unproductive" meetings. By unproductive, he means meetings that are typically one-sided (i.e. guys like me coming to talk to him about getting into VC) where there is a fairly good chance that only one party is getting value right off the bat.

This got me thinking as I go back into the workforce. Just as I got on the phone, LinkedIn, did informationals, etc with a variety of CBS and non-CBS related VC folks during my search, I need to return the favor, especially to the students who are at CBS now. However, in trying to kick butt in a new job, taking care of my growing family, etc there is not going to be alot of time in the day for these sorts of things. I think Fred's tips are useful ones and probably ones I'll have to put into practice to stay sane.

This tip was my favorite ('Jimmy' is Fred's friend who is not in the VC biz):

5) Try to do it right in the meeting if you can. A quick email or phone call right during the meeting can be a great way to get the thing done you agreed to do. Jimmy told me he does this a lot and I agree that it's a great trick if you can pull it off.

I had an informational a few weeks ago where the VC I was meeting with did just this. Not only did it save him time because my follow-up would be limited to a 'Thank you' versus a 'Can you', but it made a hugely positive impression on me because you're actually seeing someone who you hardly know spring into action on your behalf, right in front of you. Pretty powerful stuff if you ask me.

Recent grad benefits

2008-06-09T15:46:00.001-04:00

Just got an email from CBS indicating some of the alumni benefits we'll be getting:

Dear Class of 2008,

Again, congratulations on your achievement! I hope that you are all enjoying some time off – you deserve it. I am writing to inform you of some upcoming events, additional graduate information and offers available to you as members of the Columbia Business School alumni network.

Worldwide Alumni Club Event: Please join us on or around Wednesday, June 11, 2008 as we celebrate and recognize the global alumni network during the second annual Worldwide Alumni Club Event. Alumni clubs from around the globe will be hosting events such as happy hours, dinners, panel discussions, and walking tours to provide opportunities for alumni, students and new admits to network and connect with one another.

Reunion 2009: Save the date for Reunion Weekend 2009, when your class will celebrate your 1st year Reunion. The weekend, scheduled for April 3-5, 2009 will be a perfect time to catch up with friends, network with classmates, attend faculty presentations and enjoy activities coordinated exclusively for your class.

Access to Angel: Originally we had said that access to Angel would only be available for 90 days following graduation. Good news – this has been extended. You will now have access to Angel for two years following graduation.

Membership to the Columbia Club: The Columbia University Club of New York is offering a special membership opportunity for 2008 graduates. This limited time offer includes: no initiation fee, regular dues, 15-month membership (June ’08 through August ’09), free use of the gym for the summer months and 50% off your first overnight room stay (up to three nights). To take advantage of this special offer, you must sign up by June 30, 2008. For more information, visit www.columbiaclub.org, call 212-719-0380 or email info@columbiaclub.org. To apply online, visit www.columbiaclub.org.

Job Search: The alumni website is a valuable tool in any job search, featuring a job database and resume upload. Post a Job is a convenient place for employers to advertise job openings to current MBA students and/or alumni, while Job Search allows alumni to explore current job postings by keyword, company, industry, function and more. Visit Alumni Career Services on the alumni website for more information.

Stay Connected: Make sure to log onto the alumni website and update your contact information. By staying in touch you will have access to a wide variety of events each year that spotlight star faculty, notable alumni and key industry executives.

Great tips for those starting internships

2008-06-09T08:15:00.001-04:00

This is a post from my friend Marquis, who I used to work with at Scient (my first job out of undergrad). Marquis later went to Stanford GSB and then on to McKinsey (and he is still there).

He gives a bunch of tips for those of you MBAs starting your internships. Take a look.

VC Holiday Card

2008-06-05T22:29:00.001-04:00

I thought this was pretty good, even if you're only marginally interested in VC. It's an e-holiday card from the guys at Blueprint Ventures. They do corporate IP spinouts and have a pretty interesting model. We met them during the Silicon Valley trip this year. They mentioned the card when we met them but I forgot about it until an acquaintance sent it to me the other day.

Anyways, here is the Youtube video. BTW, there is some action on the job front, should have good news shortly...

Advertising 2.0 - CBS style

2008-06-05T00:49:00.001-04:00

Today I went to the Advertising 2.0 conference being held here in the city after a morning meeting with a VC.

This is an event that (as most tech/media conferences) would have cost an arm and a leg had it not been for the excellent legwork of the MMA (Media Management Association), and specifically the efforts of my man Siva. He was able to get the club a huge discount on tickets and thus a bunch of media-focused students like myself were able to attend. I saw at least three other CBSers there and I think there were another 3 or 4 kicking around.

I went to a couple of the sessions. The first one was a panel about search marketing. I didn't think it was that great but I did have to leave in the middle of it (yup, to do a phone call with a VC) so maybe I missed the meat of it. The second was the ending session of the day and was a panel that included the CEO of Digitas as well as a senior manager from CNET and a variety of other new media shops. They focused pretty heavily on brand management in digital media and how the internet advertising space continues to morph.

Anyways, the point of this post was really to share that the MMA kicks ass! They are incredibly active, bring in amazing guest speakers, and have a passionate group of student leaders who want to make sure CBS stays at the forefront of MBA media programs.

If you have even the slightest interest in media or new media, make sure you join the club when you start school.

Never too late for career services

2008-06-03T23:03:00.001-04:00

I went up to school today to speak w/Regina Resnick, who is the head of career services at CBS. I wanted to talk to her about how my job hunt was going and also get her opinion on how I was going about things. While I was at school, I also hit the Career Resource Center and took a look at some of the 3rd party compensation surveys they keep on file. Very useful stuff.

On my way into Uris I bumped into one of my classmates who is starting a luxury mobile phone company. He was coming to campus for a business meeting with a potential partner. I also saw a couple of guys from my cluster, one who was heading back to his home in Morocco at some point today. Once my kids get a little older we'll have to pay him a visit! :)

After spending an hour or so at Uris I had lunch w/a former colleague of mine who finished the HBS MBA program a year ago. I was curious as to how the other side lives so I asked him about his HBS classmates and how they were liking the jobs they took post-MBA.

Turns out that there are a bunch of folks (mostly folks who went the consulting/banking route) who ended up leaving their jobs within a year and going to do something else. I thought that was interesting.

The friend in question definitely took his own path and started a company post-MBA, which I am (not surprisingly) very psyched about. I wonder how it will be for my class?

I guess with the economy a bit iffy, I would anticipate some more people gutting it out at jobs they might not be happy with, but I dunno...

Fred Wilson got lucky

2008-05-30T12:39:00.001-04:00

Fred Wilson, the well-known NYC VC and blogger, just posted to his blog the abbreviated story about how he landed in VC. I think it's illustrative of the kind of luck and timing that you need to get into the business (outside of connections and just raw talent, which help, but aren't guarantees).

I remember Fred came into our Business, Technology, and Innovation class in the fall and shared with us some of this story as well. He was looking for a job in the days where you had to physically mail resumes to a hundred firms and then follow up the old fashioned way. Luckily, we've got tools like LinkedIn to help us out these days, but as you know from reading my blog, its still a hard (one of the hardest?) nut to crack.

Also, as the CEO at the company I interned with this summer said (an HBS grad, although I don't hold that against him), back in the day you wouldn't even dream of contacting VCs as a lowly business school student, or even have any expectation that you'd get a meeting. Times have really changed, and I can imagine Fred was knocking (literally) on alot of doors back then.

I wish more VCs would share their story. It's certainly conforting to know that its hard for most people to get into the business, and it definitely displays some humility and self-awareness to share that with others. If I've missed other examples of posts like Fred's, please feel free to comment and add links here.

By the way, I added my two cents with a comment on another guys's comment on Fred's post. Here it is.

I'm a celebrity

2008-05-29T17:46:00.001-04:00

Well, not quite. :)

The kind folks at CBS's Public Offering blog did a bit of a repost of my graduation musings, that's all.

Not sure how long it will be on the front page, but check it out if you didn't read the earlier post.

Cluster H 2008 Trailer

2008-05-29T10:57:00.001-04:00

Yes, I was in Cluster X 2008, not Cluster H. However, I still thought this was a great video. Cluster H filmed and photographed various parts of their two years at CBS and then someone in the cluster pieced together this great 'trailer', montage, whatever you want to call it. I think it gives a good sense of the community at CBS and what we all affectionately call "cluster love".

Watch the video and see what I mean.

Back to job hunting

2008-05-26T12:27:00.001-04:00

I was in Baltimore this weekend with my wife and her family and came back up to the city yesterday for a friend's wedding. The wedding was at the Museum of Natural History. Although I'd been there to see the exhibits, this was the first wedding I attended there. Not a bad place to get married, I'd say! Food was great as well as the atmosphere.

Tomorrow it's back to the job hunt. Right now I've got a couple of meetings set up with a venture firm here in the city but other than that, nothing else is cooking this week. I should also be hearing back from the west coast firm that I had been speaking with.

You want it, you got it: grad pics

2008-05-21T22:22:00.001-04:00

I aim to please here at J-term Johnny's online outpost! Per popular demand (OK, a comment I just received, although others are probably interested, too), some pics from both the business school recognition ceremony and the graduation. Enjoy.

drop.io: simple private sharing

One of those days

2008-05-21T19:04:00.001-04:00

Got bad news from one of the firms with whom I've had several interviews with. They don't want to hire me. This sucks (pardon my language) but given the competition for any of these jobs, I know I have to pull myself up and keep going. I did like the group alot and hopefully I'll have a chance to work with them in some way in the future.

The good part of today was going to commencement. I didn't actually participate (due to an interview I had this morning) but I went up towards the end to pick up my diploma.

I caught some of the degree-conferring action, which was kind of interesting. Basically each dean (of the various schools within Columbia U) gets up and tells the President of the university how smart, talented, etc the students in their school are and requests that their degrees be conferred. It was pretty funny and meant in gest (Dean Hubbard referred to our class as "Sarbanes-Oxley compliant" among other accolades :) By the way, the thing to do in the stands during commencement if you're in business school is to wave money (seriously)...

Other highlights included the dental school dean talking about everyone's great teeth and some of the grads waving huge toothbrushes. I have to admit, I kinda wish I was in the stands today versus sitting on the sidelines. It looked like fun.

My thoughts on graduation

2008-05-20T12:25:00.001-04:00

The business school recognition ceremony took place on Sunday. Over 600 of my fellow CBSers and I assembled to hear some speeches, spend time with our families who have stuck by us through he process, and enjoy a few final hours together as a class.

The ceremony was well put together, and more importantly, held underneath tents so we weren't drenched by the monsoon that was going through New York City at the time :) Dean Hubbard gave some opening words and then introduced Jerry Speyer, of the real estate powerhouse Tishman Speyer. Jerry is CBS class of 1964, and shared with the audience a great story about his old Columbia College friend who had lost his eyesight during their time at school and overcame the disability to do great things.

I'm oversimplifying the story quite a bit (here is the full version), but the best part was when the friend was left to fend for himself on the NYC subway by another friend (some friend, eh?). Well, the guy made it back to campus on his own, and then learned that his friend (who happened to be Art Garfunkel!) was actually following him the whole time! A great story and one that the crowd really loved.

The student speech was great as well. Venk Varadan, a fellow J-termer and member of the GBA, gave a talk about his trip to Kilimanjaro, where he met a CBS alum 30+ years his senior who was also making the trek in terrible conditions. In fact, the alum was a member of Columbia Business School's Class of 1969, dubbed "The Whiz Kids" by Forbes Magazine, which graduated heavy hitters like Henry Kravis, Erskine Bowles, and Lew Frankfort. What are the chances that this sort of chance encounter would occur? I have no idea (stats wasn't my best subject) but it's gotta be small :)

My thoughts on the day? It went fast, and it still hasn't hit me yet, although I am sitting here on Tuesday morning jobless and still unsure of where I will be sitting next year (other than that I'll have two beautiful baby girls!)

I'm also thinking about...yes...the blog! Since I'm out of school now, I'm not sure how much realism or value I'll be able to add about the CBS experience. I had a couple of thoughts (which are not mutually exclusive):

1) Hand the blog down to another CBS J-termer

2) Start a new blog and focus more on my career interests (commenting on media, tech, VC, etc) and personal life

Would love to hear everyone's thoughts on these ideas (or get some volunteers to take this baby over!) :)

VC wannabes: learn how to size markets...now!

2008-05-16T15:47:00.001-04:00

If you are planning to pursue VC after business school, a word of advice: get experience doing market sizing (OK, market estimating is probably more like it) and practice, practice, practice.

By market sizing, I mean taking a given market (like the market for HD Televisions, Widgets, Oatmeal cookies) and slicing and dicing it based on a series of assumptions.

I have had some time to practice this through my internships (looking at market sizes for purposes of business plans or VC investment) and to a small degree in classes, but you can always improve - and improvement means practice.

If I could rewind to the summer, I might have spent some time doing practice management consulting case interviews (even though I didn't want to go into consulting) for that very reason.

Why?

Well, in case interviews, you need to quantitatively walk through a business problem and figure out the magnitude of profit, revenue, etc that guides your decision-making. More importantly, it forces you to develop your own analysis process.

Doing this repeatedly is bound to make you improve in that area.

Bonus VC job tip: Pick an industry you know little or nothing about and spend about 10 hours (give or take) during a 1 week period looking at the industry trends, value chain, competitive landscape, market sizes, value proposition for key players, and think about who you would like to invest in (if anyone). After doing this, you'll know yet another space, and have yet another set of insights to share during your informational and formal interviews.

VC job advice

2008-05-12T14:42:00.001-04:00

Here is a good post by a VC regarding finding a job in VC.

Puerto Rico was great, in case you were wondering. I plan on posting more about the trip in the next day or two between Dis-O events and the like.

Also found out today I will be having a 2nd round interview this week with a venture firm. Very exciting and I'm hoping I can get over the finish line w/these guys.

T-minus 2 days til Puerto Rico

2008-05-06T17:07:00.001-04:00

Only a couple days left until the trip to Puerto Rico. It looks like besides the typical beach action, we will be taking a full-day sailing trip on a catamaran complete with food, drinks, snorkeling, and (hopefully no) sunburns. This is the first trip I have taken w/CBS people since last year's Rugby tourney at Duke.

People are finally done with the various projects, classes, finals, etc and are starting to kick back. I think tonight is the end-of-semester party and I know that tomorrow one of the guys in Cluster Z is having a big pool party at his house in NJ. I'm going to skip it since I've got to get ready for the trip, but I know that a bus was rented to take folks from CBS to his house, so it sounds like it will be a good one.

Also, today is my 2nd wedding anniversary! My wife and I will be babysitting a friend's daughter as said friend is going into labor w/her second child and they don't have any family around to help out. So, I'll pick up a movable feast and bring it over to the friend's house.

On the job front, still having a bunch of discussions but nothing has germinated into later stages...yet. Just got invited to fly down to meet with a firm in the mid-Atlantic region, so I will probably be doing that the week after graduation. Speaking of graduation, I think my goal of having a job by that time is in jeopardy :) Hopefully something will happen soon. However, I know that there are plenty of others that are in the same boat (including some of those who will be chilling in Puerto Rico with me) so I have others to commiserate with!

Best apartment listing ever

2008-05-03T12:24:00.001-04:00

I was just poking around on some Boston rental real estate websites (since we currently have no clue which city we'll be in for the next year) and died laughing when I saw this picture in a apartment posting. You would think they would have cleaned the apartment before taking the picture...and perhaps removed the cat that is sitting on the couch? :)

comment away, I'm listening again

2008-05-01T23:09:00.001-04:00

Blogger sends me notifications when people comment on the blog - except that my old email address was busted so I didn't see any of the recent comments until tonight! The situation is fixed now so I should be on top of any comments that come in. Thanks for your patience - I didn't forget about y'all :)

duh

2008-04-29T23:23:00.001-04:00

For those of you who haven't had student loans, you have missed out on the wonders of the 'exit interview'.

Think of the stupidest multiple choice test that you've ever been given, and it doesn't even come close to the stuff that they ask you on this thing.

I get that the government and lenders want to make sure you have actually read the key repayment terms on the loan, but c'mon, do they really need to ask stuff like this (no lie - this is from the actual online exit interview)...

(6) Federal student loan money should be used for:
A) A down payment on a stereo system
B) A trip to California
C) A new wardrobe
D) Educational related expenses

Follies Vids

2008-04-29T15:41:00.001-04:00

Click here to see the Follies videos from this past show. The best one IMHO is the Amir Ziv Chronicles...

dis-orientation starts soon

2008-04-28T19:22:00.001-04:00

Dis-Orientation week starts on May 12. This is basically the equivalent of 'senior week' that you may have had as an undergrad (or dare I say, high schooler).

Here are the activities that are in store for the Class of 2008 during that time... (get your liver ready)

Bar Crawl
May 12, 2008
2:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Picnic in Central Park
May 13, 2008
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Museum Visit
May 13, 2008
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Wine Tasting
May 13, 2008
8:00 PM - 11:00 PM

Beer Pong Challenge and Juranimal
May 13 - 14, 2008
11:00 PM - 4:00 AM

3-on-3 Basketball Tournament
May 14, 2008
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Beer Garden
May 14, 2008
2:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Theater Night - Fuerza Bruta
May 14, 2008
8:00 PM - 10:30 PM

Theater Night - Passing Strange
May 14, 2008
8:00 PM - 10:30 PM

Dave and Busters
May 14, 2008
9:00 PM - 11:59 PM

Mets Game
May 15, 2008
1:10 PM - 4:00 PM

Manhattan Dinner Cruise
May 15 - 16, 2008
9:00 PM - 12:30 AM

Great Adventure
May 16, 2008
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM

End of the Road Party
May 16 - 17, 2008
9:00 PM - 4:00 AM

Mail it in, the dishes are done, the fat lady sang, that's all she wrote, etc

2008-04-24T16:11:00.001-04:00

I just left the last class of my business school career. I think it was fitting that it was one of the best classes here at CBS, Economics of Strategic Behavior. Greenwald got some major applause and a bunch of people brought their copies of "Competition Demystified" up to the front to get his signature. Not sure if that makes the book worth more on eBay but it's certainly a nice touch :)

Now I'm here in the admissions office doing Hermes Office Hours (we're here to answer questions for students who happen to pop by the admissions office) and then I am off to join a bunch of J-termers at the Boat Basin for some drinks before Follies. The afterparty is downtown at a club that the events planning committee lined up for our exclusive use, and the Office of Student Life has provided buses to shuttle people from the show to the club and back all night. That is a nice touch - thanks OSL!

I have talked to a few people today and one thing that has come up multiple times is that people are feeling emotional. It hasn't hit me yet but it will probably sneak up on me at some point. Luckily we still have some time before graduation and between the Puerto Rico trip and Dis-orientation Week there is plenty of quality time to be had.

guest bloggers coming soon

2008-04-23T10:11:00.001-04:00

Just a heads up that I will be having two guest bloggers post within the next few weeks. The bloggers are both Cluster X '08 folks and have some great experiences to share.

one down, four still alive

2008-04-23T10:10:00.001-04:00

Was down in the Washington DC area yesterday interviewing with an early stage VC firm. I think it went OK but you never know. Actually, I should know more by early next week on this one. One of the guys I interviewed with introduced me to the 99/1 rule (as opposed to 80/20) - his theory on venture is that 1% of the people generate 99% of the returns. And you know, he is probably right. It also puts a huge spotlight on why these jobs are so tough to get. These guys get a ton of resumes and need to find that 1% guy that is going to help them build a great firm (with great returns).

Also got a 'ding' from one of the west coast firms I had been speaking with. They just hired another guy and so they no longer have an immediate need. They said they may start looking again in a few months but this may have just been a nice way of letting me down easy. In any case, it was good to get the call so I know where I stand. Gotta keep on truckin...

We won the SBCP competition!

2008-04-20T23:02:00.001-04:00

Well, the votes are in and our team took 1st place in the Small Business Consulting Program's (SBCP) yearly competition! Myself and three other J-termers worked with a great company called McClure's Pickles and delivered a project that we (and the McKinsey folks who judged the competition) felt was very helpful for the client and alot of fun to boot. My team gets to split a cool $2500 in 1st place prize money, and the runners up will also get $1500 to split amongst their team. Not bad eh?

There were three finalists (including us) - the other two teams were representing a custom shirt company and a natural dogfood company. We all gave ~15 minute presentations and then fielded questions from the judges.

I was really flattered that our team won, especially since the other finalists were also very strong. It was also awesome to see how our team had really jelled over the year and came through in the clutch. As I have mentioned before, the SBCP program was one of my best experiences at CBS (even before winning 1st prize!)

After the competition and the judging, McKinsey took us down to Dos Caminos for a nice dinner and drinks. The event was a well attended and I know the folks who are hoping to work in consulting next year appreciated the personal time with the McKinsey folks, which included the judges, the CBS recruiting lead (a partner out of the NJ office), and a couple of recruiters.

The other nice thing related to the competition was a bunch of my clustermates emailing to congratulate me about our win. I guess it shouldn't be a surprise given how great my cluster is, but it was still nice.

OK, I'm going to stop now, since I'm getting mushy.... :)

Last Happy Hour of my b-school career - tonight!

2008-04-17T17:45:00.001-04:00

Tonight is the last happy hour of my (and many others) CBS career. A couple of my clustermates are providing the musical entertainment via their band, known only as "The Fear". It should be a lot of fun, and I brought my camera to school today to make sure this happy hour is immortalized. Or, it will just make good blackmail material for later on ;)

I will be taking it moderately easy as I do have an interview tomorrow afternoon, and then the finals for the Small Business Consulting Program (judged by McKinsey). I think we have a good shot at winning it and I'll let you know what happens.

MBA CIA

2008-04-15T22:38:00.001-04:00

If you ever wanted to get in touch with your inner spy after b-school (and are of US descent), apparently the CIA recruits MBA students. And they are coming to CBS next week!

Central Intelligence Agency
National Clandestine Service

Be a part of a mission that's larger than all of us. You can make a world of difference.

Please join us for a candid and informal discussion with NCS Officers regarding available career opportunities.

Please bring your resume and be prepared for a potential interview the following day or at a later date.

National Clandestine Service careers offer fast-paced, varied work environments that will challenge you to find innovative solutions to complex problems, to travel internationally, and to use your business skills as well as existing or new language capabilities in ways that will make a positive difference to you, your family and your country. This is more than a job. It is a way of life for professionals who demand the highest personal satisfaction from their work.
For more information and to apply, please go to www.cia.gov

1st and 2nd year students are invited to attend.

The NCS is an intelligence service with positions available primarily overseas. However, the NCS requires training in Washington DC and nearby areas prior to working overseas.

US Citizens and Dual Citizens are eligible to attend.

Reader email - J-term compared to Fall Term, VC/entrepreneurship, and NYC

2008-04-12T00:54:00.001-04:00

Here is a note (slightly abridged to maintain writer's anonymity) I recently received from a reader:

John -

I came across your blog (actually, I pretty much read the whole thing) and would love your perspective on the CBS experience. I'm interested in the January term myself...I'd like to run a couple startups and then eventually move into VC. I'd love to hear what you thought of J-term (were you an outsider and/or felt like you missed out?), why you chose J-term, what you think of CBS in general for startup/VC focused folks, and how you like NYC (I ain't never been, if you can believe that).

Lots of questions there, and I'm sure you have little time, but whatever you
can pop back I'd love to read. Thanks!

Happy to help. Let me take these one by one...

1) "were you an outsider and/or felt like you missed out?"

I get this question fairly frequently and it is sort of a shame because it implies to me that a) I have done a terrible job of explaining the integration of J-termers and fall termers in previous posts or b) the school is doing a poor job of communicating the level of integration of J-termers and fall termers.

In short, the integration is there. We are all Class of 2008 - J-term, fall term - doesn't matter. We join all the same clubs, get to go all of the same events, take the same classes, and in our second year we're sitting in elective courses right along side fall termers (and sometimes in 1st term as well if you exempted out of stuff).

I think the recent GBA election results also speak volumes of how involved (especially this year) that J-termers are in the school. I think 2 or 3 of the GBA exec board (including the incoming GBA president) folks elected by the entire 1st year class were J-termers. That is pretty strong representation. BTW, alot of that I think has to do with J-termers who peer advised J-term 2009 and got them fired up about contributing (thanks Kabir & Venk!)

The only thing I "missed out" on was a summer internship, but at this point in my job hunt I don't think it really mattered anyways. And, if you think you'll miss having a summer internship (if you're career-switching, for example), then I wouldn't do J-term.

2) "what (do) you think of CBS in general for startup/VC focused folks"

We have a good crew of entrepreneurially minded folks at CBS. There are some great entrepreneurship and VC courses, and the administration is supportive. I think it's an awesome environment although I have nothing to compare it to (i.e. I have not gone to another business school so it would be unfair to compare).

The one thing that is somewhat less appealing for VC-focused people like myself is that NYC is not a hotbed of VC activity like Silicon Valley. Boston also has a leg up on NYC from a VC perspective in my opinion. However, there are a bunch of great firms in NYC - you just need to identify them and try to start working with them as soon as you can.

One thing I think the school could improve on would be integration between the engineering school folks and the MBA folks. There are a couple of classes that facilitate this sort of interaction but it's not culturally embedded. However, that is not to say that students can't take initiative and organize activities cross-school. In fact, one of my classmates recently set up a mixer between the two schools which was very well attended.

3) "how (do) you like NYC"

NYC is a great place to be. I have spent about 6 years of my adult life here and it is definitely one of the places I think everyone should try to live in at least for a bit. It's also a huge advantage for the school when in comes to bringing in business leaders to speak, advise, or teach. People love coming here, and often they need to come here because that's where they are doing business.

Adding to the J-Term family (literally)

2008-04-08T20:17:00.001-04:00

Today was one of those days when I was feeling generally overwhelmed. They seem to happen fairly often these days :) Mostly due to the rigors of hunting for a job in the clubby, (and dare I say) opaque world of venture capital. However, I do have other, more important things on my mind.

Namely, Mrs. J-Term Johnny and I are expecting twin baby girls in August/September!

We are, as you might imagine, very excited and we can't wait to meet them. It is an exciting time and something that you can't really describe accurately until you've started to go through it. I can't imagine what it will be like the day they are born but I am pretty sure it will be the best day of my life.

Being an expectant father definitately adds a whole sense of urgency to the job hunt...and one I have to balance with the fact that I'm entering a very small industry with little turnover. Fortunately, I am starting to feel closer than ever to my goal, and am ready to take the opportunity when it finally presents itself. Keep pulling for me and thanks for listening (as always!)

J-term rollin' 30 deep to Puerto Rico

2008-04-07T18:48:00.001-04:00

Looks like we have over 30 people confirmed for the J-term Puerto Rico trip...nice!

Speaking of partying, Spring Fling was this weekend, although I was wiped out so I decided to stay at home. I know a ton of people went and everyone I spoke to said it was a great time (since when was a CBS party _not_ a good time?) If you have any friends at CBS who are on Facebook, you can look at the 10 million pictures of the event that were posted in the last 2 days :)

Today I went into a large financial services firm to talk enterprise software. They had one guy from the VC group there as well as a couple of public side equity analysts. The VC group isn't hiring as of now, but I will keep in touch with them and maybe something will turn up!

Tonight the guys who teach our VC class are hosting a happy hour for the class in the West Village. I guess this is my chance to make up for skipping Spring Fling ;)

Columbia graduate student killed fleeing mugging attempt

2008-04-05T12:59:00.001-04:00

I heard about this very sad event yesterday.

A Columbia grad student was killed fleeing from an attempted mugging. He ran into traffic and was hit by a car, ultimately passing away from his injuries.

Although I (and most of my classmates) do feel very safe at Columbia, the fact of the matter is that we are in an urban environment, and these things can (and do) happen.

This is a message that Lee Bollinger just sent out about the incident:

I am writing to share very sad news about one of our graduate students.

Last night a PhD student in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences,
Minghui Yu, was struck by an automobile two blocks north of our main
campus at 122nd Street and Broadway while he was apparently fleeing an
attempted robbery on the sidewalk. The student was taken to
St. Luke's Hospital but passed away as a result of the severe injuries
he had sustained.

An NYPD investigation is underway and is being supported by the
University's Department of Public Safety which, last night following
university procedures, circulated an alert to student affairs deans at
all of our schools with information about possible suspects in the
attempted robbery.

As a community we mourn the loss of one of our members, and especially
of a young person with much to look forward to in a life of
promise. The University's counseling services are available to anyone
who feels he or she could benefit from expert support in response to
this deeply sad event. Please do not hesitate to visit Counseling and
Psychological Services on the 8th floor of Lerner Hall today from 1:00
- 5:00 p.m., or call at any time 212.854.2878 if you feel such
assistance would be helpful to you.

While incidents of crime have been significantly reduced in New York
over recent decades, and the area of Morningside Heights is within one
of the safest precincts in the city, it is nevertheless imperative
that we all take reasonable precautions appropriate to life in a large
metropolitan environment. Our Department of Public Safety has worked
closely with the NYPD in safeguarding members of our University
Community and offers a range of services -- including safety escorts,
evening shuttle buses and directed patrols -- that help ensure
students, faculty and staff can both be, and feel, secure while
living, studying and working here. We constantly review and seek to
improve public safety operations. If you would like more information
on these services, go to: www.columbia.edu/cu/publicsafety, or call
212.854.2797.

The family of the graduate student has been notified. We will begin
plans for a memorial event on campus. For today, I know we are united
as a community in mourning the tragic loss of a young life.

Lee C. Bollinger

laugh out loud funny post

2008-04-02T13:53:00.001-04:00

This blog post has nothing to do with b-school, but was the first laugh-out-loud funny post I have read in a long time, so I thought I would share with you all. It is from an information security blog that I read. I hope you enjoy it.

Back in NYC

2008-04-01T17:10:00.001-04:00

Got back to class today after my west coast swing. Good to be home, but I ain't gonna lie - Cali was pretty nice. :) Today i had an in person interview with Glocap and a phone interview with a VC firm. I think both of them went well. I've got 4 more informational interviews this week (I don't slow down, do I?), mostly via phone.

Glocap is probably a company you should get to know if you want a post-MBA financial services job that is off the beaten path of typical MBA recruiting stuff (like i-banking). They do alot of placements for PE/VC firms, hedge funds, etc. Other firms that focus on PE/VC placements include Pinnacle and Polachi.

BTW, I haven't been seeing many comments lately. I'm not sure if this means people are bored with hearing of my interminable job hunt or if they're just doing something more interesting than reading my blog :) Let me know if you're out there...

Catching a breath

2008-03-27T20:20:00.001-04:00

This afternoon around 3pm my official meetings ended after which I promptly camped out in a Starbucks here on University Ave and plotted my next move :) Namely, I am going up to Berkeley tonight to have dinner with a friend. And then tomorrow morning (very early in the morning) I will fly to LA to meet up w/Mrs J-Term Johnny and head to a wedding in Los Olivos (remember Sideways?). A nice, relaxed end to what was a productive 2 days here in Silicon Valley.

Although the relaxation isn't going to last for long...I have a paper to write for Tuesday for my Social Enterprise class, then more informationals next week! Also looking at a deal for one of the firms I've been in contact with, and helping out a portco of another. I am gonna need that Puerto Rico trip sooner rather than later...

Master Class video

2008-03-26T17:08:00.001-04:00

This is a video that the CBS administration recently produced regarding master classes. Master classes are something I've been asked about at least a few times by prospective applicants, so I figured I'd repost it here.

Frisco

2008-03-25T19:51:00.001-04:00

An uneventful plane ride to San Fran (aside from an awesome 3 hour nap) and now I'm here at the epicenter of all things tech. I'm meeting an alum shortly for a beer and then may grab dinner with a college friend. I have four meetings tomorrow - two with hiring firms. I am staying near the gate to Chinatown - right around Bush & Grant. Keep your fingers crossed for me to knock the cover off the ball with these guys!

added social enterprise, dropped entrepreneurial selling

2008-03-24T13:30:00.001-04:00

Decided to drop my Entrepreneurial Selling course and signed up for a Social Enterprise class instead. It was a tough call because I think selling is an invaluable part of any business career, but in the end the chance to dive into a less familiar area has won me over. Also, I think we'll be getting some good guest speakers as well - just looked at the syllabus and it looks like Wendy Kopp, founder of Teach for America will be visiting during one of the classes.

Duke MBA Games

2008-03-20T17:49:00.001-04:00

This just came in today regarding the long running Duke MBA Games. CBS sent some people down last year (and probably in previous years). It is for a good cause as well. Check it out:

MBA Games Weekend
April 4th - 6th, 2008

In past years, teams from these business schools have joined Fuqua in the Games:

Carnegie Mellon • Columbia • Cornell • Dartmouth • Emory • Georgetown • Harvard • Michigan • Northwestern • NYU • UNC • Chicago • Wharton • Darden • Wake Forest

What other organization on campus can offer you the chance to:

·         Swim the length of a pool in a business suit?

·         Hurl a briefcase into the air for distance?

·         Navigate a challenging but FUN obstacle course?

What are The Duke MBA Games? In 1989, a group of students decided to invite their friends from other top business schools to Durham to enjoy the warm spring weather while raising money for the Special Olympics North Carolina. Since then, the Duke MBA Games has evolved into the largest student run event on campus.

Last year, Columbia Business School Joined Several Business Schools at Fuqua, Duke University to volunteer for the Special Olympics.

Visit http://mbaa.fuqua.duke.edu/mbagames/ for more details.

packed agenda, New York Angels

2008-03-18T23:17:00.001-04:00

Well, I have accomplished my goal of packing my West Coast agenda virtually solid with meetings. I'll be talking to folks from six different firms (and one entrepreneur!) over three days - some informally, and some more formally. One of my clustermates helped me hook one of 'em up as well - thanks Aamir! I am looking forward to the trip and hopefully will get to send a couple of reports from the road.

Tonight after class I stuck around campus and saw David Rose, head of the NY Angels, give a speech about...giving speeches. Well, not literally. It was a speech about how startups should construct their investor pitch deck. Very informative stuff and it reminded me how most business presentations tend to be cluttered, boring, and generally awful! :) David did a great job and I took away quite a bit from his preso. Also bumped into a couple of the entrepreneurs I have been working with.

Buyouts in Boston

2008-03-14T16:51:00.001-04:00

Just when you are ready to smack your head against the wall, you get a call. :) Recruiter just phoned me about an opportunity in Boston doing later stage/buyout stuff. Sounds interesting enough, will hopefully hear something next week...

Goin' back to Cali

2008-03-13T21:36:00.001-04:00

I'm going back out to California (Northern) at the end of the month for a few days of job hunting and meetings. So far I've got meetings scheduled with a guy from a venture firm and the CEO of a startup and hopefully some other stuff will start coming through soon.

After the flurry of meetings, I will be meeting my wife in LA and then heading up to San Olivos (near where alot of the movie Sideways was filmed). I am not sure if I will be going out west again so I better make this trip count!

Can't believe spring break is almost over - I actually have some homework to do :) I also need to figure out if I am going to swap out my Monday afternoon class for something else. I'd like to open up Mondays so I can spend it at the partner meetings at Chart. Monday meetings are pretty standard at VC firms, and are a time where the partners get together to talk about deals, portfolio companies, and whatever else is relevant to the group. And definitely a great learning experience for a newbie like myself.

MBA Business Plan competition

2008-03-13T00:33:00.001-04:00

This looks kind of cool - lots of good VC firms involved as well...

The 8th Annual MBA Jungle Business Plan CHALLENGE
Presented by MBA Jungle Magazine

April 2008

Register now at www.mbajungle.com/businessplan
Submit executive summaries by March 15, 2008

You’ve competed against the best from your school; now compete against the best in the world!

Nearly 50% of past finalists have gone on to start their companies. You can’t afford to miss this!

Win thousands of dollars in cash and start-up services. Showcase your ideas to partner level VCs at firms like: Sequoia Venture Capital, Charles River, Goldman Sachs, Merant, Allegis Capital, Pequot Ventures, Intel Capital, JP Morgan Capital, and Ridgewood Capital

For more information and updates, check out the website: www.mbajungle.com/businessplan

Puerto Rico

2008-03-08T16:18:00.001-05:00

It looks like some J-term folks are trying to guage interest for an end of year Puerto Rico trip - before Disorientation Week but after classes end.
I travelled alot last year (Vietnam, Trinidad & Tobago, Japan) but have not left the continental US yet this year...been so focused on job search, etc. Will be a good chance to get some sun/fun in before graduation. I hope it comes together...

An investment I worked on just closed

2008-03-06T19:22:00.001-05:00

The venture firm I am interning with just closed a Series B investment in an infrared optics company. I helped out with some of the due diligence market research and exit analysis related to the deal. One small step for me in my VC quest :)

RecordMyCalls.com covered in USA Today!

2008-03-06T12:24:00.001-05:00

The startup I worked with last year, RecordMyCalls.com, was covered today in USAToday (online and print). Woo hoo!

Career Management Center launches Guest Advisor Program

2008-03-06T10:19:00.001-05:00

I didn't realize that this program was coming up, although based on the way the email is worded, I guess it has been in the works for a while.

This will complement nicely the very popular Executives in Residence program already in place at CBS. The EIR program is a way for current students to get one-on-one advising time with very senior executives across a variety of industries. Unfortunately, there isn't a web page (that I could find) on CBS's site that talks about the EIR program. But the calibre of execs is quite strong, and includes guys like Rich Zannino and Leo Hindery.

Here's the text of the email:

The Career Management Center is pleased to announce the launch of a pilot advising program. Thirteen Columbia Business School alumni (and one from HBS) are coming on board to advise students on a variety of industry-specific topics. These alumni, designated as Guest Advisors, cover a breadth of industries including Investment Management, Media, Social Enterprise, Private Equity, Health Care, Investment Banking, among many others.

This program will be rolled out in stages after spring break, but some of the Guest Advisors may have limited availability before then listed on COIN. Feel free to sign up with them then.

We are very excited to launch this pilot program and hope this will add an extra layer of expertise and support to your job search. We will look forward to sharing more information about this program in the coming weeks.

networking galore in Boston

2008-03-04T17:29:00.001-05:00

Up in Boston area today. Met with a couple of venture firms, one of whom I did a project with last semester. Good conversations and we'll see where things go. Also met with a great guy from Sloan (2nd year student), who is looking to get back into the venture business (he worked in venture before b-school), traded notes, strategies, etc. It's really great to know I'm not alone in this job search!

Otherwise, planning on having dinner with my folks tonight and then head back to Boston tomorrow in the late morning. I'm looking forward to Spring Break (which officially starts tomorrow) - gonna get organized, pick up around the house, and, oh yeah, keep looking for a job :)

Open House report

2008-03-02T00:53:00.001-05:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I spent Friday afternoon at Open House helping out on behalf of Hermes Society.

The first event I attended was the E Awards. E meaning entrepreneurship. Cliff Schorer, a great guy and great teacher of entrepreneurship at CBS, led an awards show of sorts, where he gave big E trophies to CBS alums who had started businesses. Recyclebank received an award, as well as Blow, and Tabula Digital. It was a great little event and the prospective students that I spoke with really enjoyed it.

The second event was the club fair, where all the clubs set up tables in Low Library, and prospective students can talk to the club officers about their clubs. For me, it meant chatting with a couple of prospectives, but mostly talking to my friends who were working the tables :)

Change of plans?

2008-02-28T19:31:00.001-05:00

Been interviewing with a startup here in NYC. Sort of stumbled upon them and it looks like they are a strong fit for my background, and are very early stage (I'd be employee #7, or something like that). This is the first startup I have seriously considered (since I have been so focused on VC), but it has an incredible core team and great investors. Anyways, we will see where it goes. Hope to see some of you at open house tomorrow (if you're not already here).

Open House for Admitted Students

2008-02-26T22:16:00.001-05:00

This Thursday and Friday CBS is hosting several hundred admitted students for Open House.

There is a full schedule of events and I'm going to be at a couple of them, so if you're going to be there as an admitted student, come up and say hello. I'll be wearing my nametag and a Hermes Society vest.

The events are both on Friday :

Entrepreneurship Open House: 2p @ Lerner Hall
Club Fair and Coffee Break: 3p @ Low Library Rotunda

Hope to meet a couple of you in person. If not, there is another Open House in April - so maybe our paths will cross there. Drop me a message here if you think you'll be there so I can keep an eye out.

Going public

2008-02-24T13:16:00.001-05:00

Not that people couldn't have figured out who I am by looking at my recent blog post to CBS's site, or by other hints I've dropped along the way, but I figured now was as good a time as any to add some more transparency to my blog. To that end, I have added a LinkedIn badge on the upper right of the blog, which if clicked on will take you to my public LinkedIn profile.

Originally, when I started the blog, I wanted to remain as anonymous as possible, but now I'm interested in seeing how opening the kimono a bit more will change the level and type of interactivity on the site. Plus, I'm almost done with business school, so I'm running out of time to do this little experiment.

Social Enterprise Fellowship Program @ CBS

2008-02-22T19:50:00.001-05:00

This email just came in related to the social enterprise program at Columbia. Basically, the school helps to subsidize students who spend their summer working with non-profits, NGOs, etc. Pretty cool...

Are you interested in working for a nonprofit, NGO or government organization this summer? How about with a social entrepreneur or a social venture capital firm?

Join us to learn about the Social Enterprise Summer Fellowship Program which provides support to students pursuing internships in these fields. First-year and second-year students graduating in the spring can apply for summer fellowships, and J-term students can apply for full-time 2-week mini-internships. This program is available to all Columbia MBA students. To learn more about the program please visit http://www4.gsb.columbia.edu/socialenterprise/careers/internships.

Last year we supported 37 students in the US and around the world. Students have contributed their business skills to organizations including:

Acumen Fund | Agora Partnerships | Alzheimer’s Association | Ashoka | Asian Development Bank | Blue Ridge Foundation | Clinton Global Initiative | Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy | Community Development Venture Capital Alliance | Community Resource Exchange | Dalberg | Department of Health and Human Services | Echoing Green | Education Pioneers | Endeavor | Environmental Defense | Fate Foundation USA | Freedom From Hunger | Investors Circle Foundation | National Resources Defense Council | New York City Economic Development Corporation | Planet Finance | New York Philharmonic | Nonprofit Finance Fund | Robin Hood Foundation | Sesame Workshop | Terra Nova Advisors | Teach for America | United Nations Development Program | United Way | Women’s World Banking…and many more!

If you have any questions about the program, are considering applying for funding, or are in the midst of pursuing other opportunities but might consider a social enterprise internship please contact Larcy Cooper at ldc2106@columbia.edu.

questions from an applicant interested in VC

2008-02-20T15:19:00.001-05:00

I thought this question from a prospective student interested in VC would be helpful to the audience, so I am reposting here.

...From what I gather, VC recruiting is heavily based on networking. Are there any opportunities to work with VC firms through course work or projects? Do VC firms actually try to recruit MBA graduates or is it pretty much a one-way traffic that relies on contacts? Does Lang Center offer any help to obtain a job in VC? Realistically, how many students get an offer in this industry?...

My response:

There are opportunities through coursework to meet VCs. It's fairly one way in my experience - you reach out to them and try to get them interested in sponsoring you for a project, internship, etc. There are very few that post opportunities publicly.

Be prepared to work very hard in building a strong network both in the VC and entrepreneur communities. Ideally, you want to develop one or two areas of market expertise, find unfunded companies in those spaces that have potential, and use this as a pitch when you talk to VCs. If you really want to do VC, I would recommend starting all of this NOW - before going to school. You might even consider lining up a VC internship in the months prior to starting school, to give you a head start.

The Lang Center won't directly help you get a job in VC but it will give you the chance to work with startup companies, develop your own business plan, etc. The entrepreneurship resources at the school are great.

I know this sounds like a lot of work - and it is - you'll be busting your butt a lot harder than your classmates who are able to leverage on campus recruiting (banking, consulting, etc).

Anyways, I hope this helps. Keep looking at the blog, I have numerous posts tagged 'venture capital' that are relevant. And if you have questions, please feel free to let me know, or better yet, post them on my blog so the commnuity benefits.

PE/VC conference report

2008-02-16T19:13:00.001-05:00
Friday I spent the day at Columbia Business School's annual Private Equity & VC conference. The conference was pretty good, and there was a diverse set of attendees, not just business school students (although, we did make up the majority).

Alan Patricof (CBS alum) opened up the conference and spent his time talking about entrepreneurship in the developing world. He is involved with a variety of initiatives in that area, and seems pretty passionate about it. He's also currently the founding managing partner of Greycroft Partners, which is a media-focused VC firm he started recently. He's also known as the "father" of VC - a very accomplished guy, no doubt.

I attended a couple of panels. One was about VC's and networks - not the wired kind of networks, but social networks. I didn't think this was a great topic to begin with, but it might have been useful for people new to VC who don't understand how important relationships are in the business.

The second panel was much better, and was focused on the globalization of venture capital. Lots of advice was given about pursuing venture capital careers, and one of the panelists mentioned she was hiring interns as well! (I should probably drop her a note, anyways). I also found it interesting how the panelists responded to a question about the tax treatment of carried interest. One panelist said in not so many words that taxing carried interest as income would not dissuade people from getting into the VC business. Meanwhile, another panelist looked like they were squirming a bit :) I dunno, carry looks like income to me, unless someone can convince me otherwise...

There were non-VC related panels as well, including one that focused on limited partners.

I was really happy to see attendees (and alums) at the conference who were working in industry and coming for the educational experience. I also met a couple of Masters candidates in the engineering school who came to learn more about PE/VC. From what I understand from one of those guys, the event was not really promoted within the engineering school, which is a shame. It would be nice to get the MBAs and the engineering folks working together more often, or even just mixing informally.

Afterwards, there was a social reception w/wine and beer as well as nice passed hors d'ouveres. Nice! Anyone who knows me well knows I am a passed hors d'ouveres junky...

I'm featured on the CBS school blog

2008-02-13T14:20:00.001-05:00
The folks who run the new CBS blog asked me to do a posting. Here it is.

The sarcastic emails from my classmates have already begun (Tim!) :)

Headway

2008-02-12T09:10:00.001-05:00
Starting to see the fruits of the networking I've been doing over the last 9 months (has it been that long?)

Three different folks that I've been talking to referred me to a recruiter who is conducting a search for a firm in NYC looking for an associate with datacenter software expertise.

I had a great call with the recruiter and now have to meet the recruiter's partner. Assuming that goes well, I should be able to start interviewing.

Damn it feels good to be a banka...

2008-02-06T22:51:00.001-05:00
This must be how it feels to be a banker right about now - fat signing bonus in hand, not caring about classes...what a life (at least until the 80 hour weeks kick in :)

By the way, J-term 'bankas' Gina and Kabir are in the video...rock on dudes..!

Blogging hiatus has ended

2008-02-05T17:57:00.001-05:00
I feel like I have to apologize to my massive readership (you know who you are) about this blogging hiatus, but alas, it has ended.

I have begun to crank my job hunt into high gear (OK, warp speed). I just booked a ticket out west for a follow up interview with the venture firm I spoke with in January. I will be meeting one of their senior partners, and if that goes well, I'll be meeting other key folks at the firm. I'm going to be out there for about three days, so I'm hoping to get some other meetings scheduled as well.

I've also been doing a ton of networking calls. Tomorrow I am talking to a couple of firms in Boston, and I just set up an in-person meeting for later this month with a firm in South Jersey. I am starting to get what I would call "luke warm" leads, which is nice, but certainly not where I would like to be (multiple offers :)

It's a really good thing that I only have 10.5 credits this semester. This is well below the norm, but because I took extra courses over the last two semesters, I now have some breathing room. And let me tell you it has been very helpful. I still feel like I am swamped - a full five classes would have been positively asphyxiating.

This weekend I'm off to Montreal with some college friends. One of them is getting married in the next couple months, so we are seeing him off in style. Unfortunately the exchange rate is not any where near where it was when I first went to Montreal during college. :) Oh well, I'm sure we'll make the best of it!

MBAs getting punched

2008-01-27T02:03:00.001-05:00
OK...no MBAs were punched in the making of this video - I had to rope you in somehow. And most CBS students are out on the town on Saturday night, not blogging away (seriously).

But this was on SNL tonight and it still cracks me up even though I've seen it a bunch of times...

Happy Hour, alumni forever, blogging

2008-01-25T16:37:00.001-05:00
Happy Hour last night was a good time. The new J-term was out there in full force and most of them were representing in their cluster t-shirts. Also, all the cluster alumni reps were running around with stickers that said things like 'Cluster X forever' and sticking them all over people. Do they do corny stuff like this at other business schools? :)

Actually, the whole point of the stickers is to raise awareness for the first 'Alumni Forever' week. The school is sponsoring a whole bunch of fun activities including breakfasts, a bowling night, and some other stuff exclusively for 2nd years.

In other news, I was contacted by the woman who leads web communications for CBS. I am going to be doing a blog post on the CBS blog that will show up sometime in the next week or two. I'm probably going to go with a 'back to school' theme but if anyone has some other topics they think would be interesting, let me know soon. Also, I asked her about RSS feeds...they're working on it!

Let the semester's first happy hour begin!

2008-01-24T19:20:00.001-05:00
Today is the 1st happy hour of the semester. I just saw a bunch of J-term 2009 Cluster Z'ers wearing their cluster t-shirts. I tell ya, it warms this old man's heart :)

Support student entrepreneurs and pre-register for Intrabid!

2008-01-23T15:39:00.001-05:00
This is another note from the guys at Intrabid. Please try out their service - pre-registration is going on now, and its quick and painless (or at least the founders tell me it is...and they're good guys so they're probably telling the truth :)

Here's an abridged version of what they just sent out to me...

As of today, you can pre-register for our service at http://www.intrabid.com/registration.php. Once we are going live, pre-registered users will receive a preliminary password and can immediately start auctioning with fellow students and benefit from our corporate discounts.

We would really appreciate if you could take a couple of minutes to contribute to our marketing efforts in either or all of the following ways:

-Pre-register at http://www.intrabid.com/registration.php, it really just takes 10 seconds;
-Invite all of your Columbia and NYU friends, and any friends at other universities, to our Facebook page on http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7664679641

Intrabid

2008-01-20T22:55:00.001-05:00
I figured I would give a shotout to the guys who started Intrabid. Holger and Nico are guys who were in my Launching New Ventures class and are launching their company while they are still in school.

The reason I think the company is providing a useful service is that most commerce between students at CBS (selling books, selling furniture, finding someone to sell them an extra Follies ticket, etc) is done via email lists. In this day and age, email is a pretty clunky way to handle it, and Intrabid plans to mediate these interactions through a community-based website.

Here is the blurb they just sent to a bunch of students at school. Check out the site if you have a chance and support CBS entrepreneurship!

Dear fellow students,

Have you ever felt annoyed by all the NOTICES, MARKETPLACE, and REAL ESTATE mails of students wanting to sell furniture, textbooks or any other items that fill up your Columbia mailbox? Or do you want to sell items to your fellow students and see no other opportunity than sending out mails with all the hassle that comes along with it? We developed the solution for you: Intrabid.com – The Community-Based Auction.

For those who don’t know us, Holger and I are second year MBA students at CBS who developed Intrabid.com over the past year. In short, Intrabid is a community-based online marketplace through which college and graduate students can auction products and services amongst their peers on campus and buy new items at exclusive student discounts from established corporate partners. As such, we envision being a one-stop shop for college and graduate students where they can buy and sell any product or service in a secured and closed environment. We obviously expect all of you to be our first users once we officially launch. In the meantime, already check out the Intrabid teaser on http://www.intrabid.com or take a tour of the platform on http://www.intrabid.com/tour_auctions.php.

We plan to launch our pilot at Columbia University and NYU, so please forward this mail and talk about Intrabid to any student you might know outside the business school at Columbia or at NYU. We are counting on your support,

Nico & Holger

Man, I should have hit that Wharton PE/VC conference today...

2008-01-18T18:56:00.001-05:00
Looks like there were some protesters who busted in when the cofounder of Carlyle was giving his speech.

I don't think CBS has anyone as controversial coming to its PE/VC conference, unfortunately... (fortunately?)

Deutsche Bank scholarships

2008-01-17T22:19:00.001-05:00
Just saw this in my email...

Deutsche Bank just launched The Deutsche Bank MBA Fellows Program at three business schools, including Columbia. It is designed to provide scholarship and employment opportunities to MBA students from underrepresented populations interested in careers in corporate finance or sales & trading. Applicants to Columbia from the class of 2010 are eligible to apply to this program which will provide each winner with a first-year full-tuition scholarship award as well as a guaranteed internship in summer 2009.

You can get the application forms and additional collateral here (courtesy of drop.io).

CBS Launches Blog called "Public Offering"

2008-01-15T18:05:00.001-05:00
As a blogger, I am very happy to announce that CBS has finally launched its own blog!

There are a bunch of posts up there now, and I assume more to come. Also, people are already commenting, which I think is a good sign that there will be alot of engagement.

Also, there is a post from fellow J-termer Ryan Petersen, who is working on a school project in Africa as we speak. His personal blog is here.

Pics from Silicon Valley Trek

2008-01-14T11:56:00.001-05:00
One of the guys on the trip took a bunch of pictures. Here is a link if you want to see us posing with various corporate logos :)

Banking or corporate M&A jocks, please stand up

2008-01-09T01:54:00.001-05:00
Can any of you point me at favorite investment banking interview question sites, or post some of your favorite i-banking interview questions here?

I am going to be interviewing for a corp M&A role and am trying to get an idea of what questions I'll be asked. Gotta be prepared :)

Thanks in advance for any help you guys and gals can provide.

Update from the Valley (Day 1)

2008-01-08T19:31:00.001-05:00
So far so good.

Sunday night we kicked things off with a students-only reception at the hotel we're staying at. We had a mix of 1st years, 2nd years, and EMBAs. Alot of new faces and interesting people. There were some hardcore tech backgrounds and aspirants (tech before school, want to go back to tech companies after school) as well as more traditional consulting/banker types. The Silicon Valley trek has two different tracks - VC/entrepreneurship and consulting/banking.

On Monday we visited Google, Intel, LinkedIn, and VMware. Google was first, and the big selling point for working there seemed to be the food :) They put together a panel of recent MBAs to talk about their jobs, but no one really talked about the day-to-day aspects of their jobs or career path. This is a pattern I have seen with Google and I'm not sure if its because there is no career path and the actual work isn't that exciting, or if it is because they are super-secretive.

Intel was VERY different. Their facilities were very utilitarian, and screamed "established company". No one walking their dog through the buildings or swimming in the outdoor lap pool (both of which I saw at Google). The presentation, however, was quite good. One of the managing directors at Intel Capital presented about her division and discussed her career path. They also talked about their new management rotational program and their finance rotation program. It sounded like most of the slots in the management rotation program were filled but that they might be open to squeezing a few people in if they looked to be star candidates.

LinkedIn came next. They are obviously in startup mode and have the typical startup office setup (open cubicles and free food and drinks in the kitchen). The VP of Marketing gave a great presentation on the company, operating metrics, and where he thinks things are going. Also, the CEO came in and talked to us for a few minutes. As you guys know I believe in LinkedIn as a company and so it was neat to be able to pick their brains and bounce questions off them.

We ended the day at VMware. It was weird to a) pull up to the brand new facility they built and opened after I left and b) to see they had valet parking attendants. Not sure if that's an everyday thing but they definitely didn't have that 3 years ago :) Diane Greene, the CEO, spoke to us and then a panel of MBAs working at VMware answered questions. After that, it was social hour with plenty of great appetizers and beverages. I was quite proud of my alma mater!

Tech Trek Begins in One Hour

2008-01-06T20:07:00.001-05:00
First official event of the tech trek is happening in an hour. It's a welcome reception at the hotel we're all staying at. My flight was on Virgin America, and was generally uneventful (other than the awesome 5 hour nap I took).

Tomorrow (Monday) we are hitting the road with the following schedule:

9:00 AM – 10:30 AM: Google
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM: Intel
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM: LinkedIn
4:30 PM – 7 PM: VMWare

I'll try to send some Twitters from the road for those who care to follow along in semi-real time.

You can follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/shifter0.

I have no Twitter followers, so make me proud and follow my feed :)

Jetting out to Silicon Valley in a few hours

2008-01-06T00:05:00.001-05:00
Time to catch a quick snooze and then off to JFK at 530am. Should be at SFO by noon. Look forward to some updates from the road!

Where are the VC internships in NYC?

2008-01-02T23:05:00.001-05:00
I thought it would be useful to any incoming (or current) students of the NYC-based business schools to know which firms currently have interns working part-time during the semester or full time during the summer.

When I started my process, I had to figure out which firms would be good targets by networking and talking to alot of folks, and I think that is definitely an important part of the process. However, I think seeing which firms have interns currently (and when the interns are expected to graduate) may help you in targeting your search.

Here goes...and feel free to add comments if you know of other firms in the area that I missed that have interns now or have done it in the past. Or if you know of an opening.

Another good place to look for VC internships is the PEHub website. They typically have an 'internship roundup' each year where they encourage firms to post.

Chart Venture Partners (one of the partners is a CBS alum and has had multiple CBS interns)
DFJ Gotham (CBS 2008 - also have had CBS interns in past years)
Milestone Venture Partners (CBS 2008 currently interning)
Updata (was seeking an intern as of last semester)
RRE (consistently has had CBS interns over many years)
Contour Ventures(currently have an NYU 2008 intern)
Silicon Alley Venture Partners-Greenhill (have had CBS interns in the past, they were looking for one as of a few weeks ago)
Parkview Ventures (CBS 2008)
Stonehenge (CBS 2008, one of the partners is a CBS alum)
Investor Growth Capital (CBS 2009, formerly had a CBS 2008 intern)

starting my internship on Jan 2

2007-12-31T10:03:00.001-05:00
My part-time internship starts on January 2. I didn't mention this before, but I will be working with Chart Venture Partners, a firm based here in New York. They focus mostly on early stage investments in dual-use technologies (civilian/government) but dabble in other areas as well. One of the managing partners is a CBS graduate.

reading what I read

2007-12-30T19:03:00.000-05:00
I just added a widget to the upper right side of the blog. I am now using Google Reader to organize my RSS feeds and now when I tag any RSS entries as shared, they will show up in the box. As you might imagine, I'll be tagging stuff that is VC and tech related, but some random stuff is sure to show up, too. So now you can read what I read (or not!)

Leveraging your LinkedIn network

2007-12-28T23:02:00.001-05:00
Yesterday while I was home with my family I spent about an hour on LinkedIn searching for people at interesting startups and venture firms where I might like to work.

Since I started using LinkedIn a few years ago I have been able to amass over 500 connections (these are by and large people I have worked with or people I have met via phone or in person at least once) which I am now leveraging in a big way as I use it to reach out to folks who are 2nd and 3rd degree to me.

If you have a LinkedIn account but don't use it that much, I highly recommend that you try to build out your network. You never know when you will need it.

Also, I haven't seen it used this way, but there are a TON of MBA students on LinkedIn, and I think it would be a good way for applicants to search for folks who came from or want to get into the same industry, or just to find students at specific schools to chat with.

In fact, this is something that I did not do when I was applying, but very easily could have. I know alot of folks know people who attend their target schools through friends, past jobs, etc but this is definitely a good way to expand the breadth of MBA students you might be able to reach.

I'd be interested to hear if any of you have tried this in the context of your application process, and how it worked (works?) for you.

Happy Holidays

2007-12-25T15:13:00.000-05:00
Happy holidays to all you readers out there. I hope you are enjoying some relaxing time with friends and family. If you have any suggestions on blog post topics for the new year, please share them with me, and I will see what I can do.

GMAT Class Scholarship Contest

2007-12-19T17:35:00.001-05:00
Manhattan GMAT sent this to me today. Might be a way to get yourself into their prep classes for free.

Dear John,

The team at ManhattanGMAT would like to tell you about an exciting scholarship opportunity that may be a great fit for you!

ManhattanGMAT is now accepting applications for our 2008 Social Venture Scholars program. Developed last year, this program provides full tuition scholarships for up to 25 individuals in the New York metro area. Selected scholars will receive free admission into one of ManhattanGMAT’s intensive 9-session GMAT prep courses (a $1440 value).

These competitive scholarships are open to individuals who:
(1) currently work full-time in an organization that promotes positive social change
(2) plan to use their MBA to work in a public, not-for-profit, or other venture with a social-change oriented mission, and
(3) demonstrate clear financial need

The Social Venture Scholars will all enroll in a special course beginning on Monday, January 28, 2008, and will be taught by ManhattanGMAT’s founder, Zeke Vanderhoek, at our New York City center. View Zeke’s biography by clicking here: http://manhattangmat.com/staff-vanderhoek.cfm

To learn more about this program, and for details on how to apply, please visit the following web site: http://www.manhattangmat.com/svs.cfm. Applications must be submitted by January 17.

If you fit the criteria above, we encourage you to apply today and get one step closer to an MBA! Or if you have a friend or associate that might be interested in this opportunity, we hope you will pass along this information.

Feel free to contact us with any questions at 800-576-4628 or via email at svs@manhattangmat.com.

Warm Regards,

The Team at ManhattanGMAT

I am getting boring in my old age

2007-12-19T01:07:00.001-05:00
Tonight was the end-of-semester bash at a club in Chelsea. I had bought an advance ticket and was planning to go out with a friend first and then hit the party. However, said friend ended up having to work late and at that point I had lost pretty much all motivation to get off the couch. :)

Lots of great marketing internships

2007-12-17T09:49:00.001-05:00
Here are the companies who are coming to interview 1st years for marketing internships in the next month or so:

December 18 – American Express, Marketing Manager
December 18 – Merck, Marketing Summer Intern
December 21 – Colgate-Palmolive Company, Global Marketing Development Program
January 2 – Diageo, Marketing (MBA) Intern
January 2 – Johnson & Johnson, Various Positions
January 3 – Honeywell, Marketing
January 7 – Google
January 7 - Ely Lilly, Marketing Associate Intern (International & Domestic)
January 7 – Pepperidge Farm Inc., Summer Internship
January 8 – Novartis, MBA Summer Intern
January 8 – The Dannon Company, Marketing Internship
January 9 – Coach, MBA Summer Internships
January 14 – Unilever, Brand/Product Management Internship
January 15 – Reckitt Benkiser, Marketing Summer Intern
January 18 – PepsiCo, LDP Internship

Being unconventional

2007-12-16T12:48:00.001-05:00
One of my J-term classmates, Ryan, did a video cover letter for his Yahoo! application, and was selected for the interview because of it. I thought it was a really cool idea and a risk that paid off in differentiating himself from other applicants.

If you want to learn more about Ryan, definitely check out his blog at playthegameoflife.org.

Scored a VC internship for next semester

2007-12-14T12:25:00.001-05:00
Had a great meeting this morning with a local venture firm and they offered me an internship for the spring. Really great team and I feel like I'll get along with them well. Not sure what space(s) I will be investigating yet but there is a good chance I'll be looking at stuff in enterprise softwware. Also will be a good chance for me to look at deal flow coming in.

Yeah baby!

Media 'learning teams'

2007-12-11T22:12:00.001-05:00
The Media Management Association (student club) recently set this up to help students land jobs in media. Here is a description of the program from a recent email to the MMA mailing list. I wonder if other clubs will follow their lead, or are already doing this informally (or formally)?

Learning Team FAQs

What are Learning Teams?
Learning teams are groups of students with similar interest that share information relevant to their media specific career goals.

Learning Team Goals?
To enhance employment prospects for MMA members by helping them to develop in depth market knowledge related to their unique interest and to foster friendship and cooperation amongst MMA members.

How do MMA Learning Teams work?
MMA members are matched with students who have very similar career goals, both industry and function. These students form an e-mail distribution list and are responsible to share at least one 1 article per week with their learning team. Learning teams are also encouraged to attend industry focused networking events, share job info, and exchange contacts.

Additional Learning Team benefits
The MMA Education and Careers team is planning events just specifically for learning team members. Early next semester, we will hold an event where learning team members will sit down with media executives and develop 5 and 10 year career plans. Joining a learning team makes it easier for us to help you.

Done with finals

2007-12-11T22:09:00.001-05:00
Just emailed in my advanced corporate finance final. Now I'm done with my finals. Just two more items on my plate (a couple of papers) and I can start enjoying my vacation. Very nice.