Jack Leahy '21 | Menlo Park, CA
Major | Finance
Minor | Business Information Systems
As a finance major, today was especially exciting for me because we had to opportunity to spend it with multiple venture capitalists. One of the quotes that stuck with me was “Companies are bought not sold.” Part of this idea includes the belief that trying to sell a company can be interpreted as a founder not believing in their vision. The lesson is believing in your task and working hard to allow it to succeed to the highest possible level. I will be applying this lesson to my academic and professional lives.
Additionally, Paul Martino, Managing Director of Bullpen Capital, surprised us with a session featuring Andrew Trader, who is best known as a co-founder of Zynga. Learning about his ability to point out an issue in a topic he is completely unfamiliar with, such as women’s hair products, and start a company to solve it is truly inspiring.
As well as the professional experience, I was able to spend my lunch break with other students exploring San Francisco. We rented some scooters and wandered our from the pier all the way to Chinatown. The opportunity for me to indulge myself in the cultural aspects of San Francisco as well as the exciting business side is unique.