springworks.org

Carolyn Yuen

springworks — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:39:54 +0000

Hometown: Chapel Hill, NC

Business School: UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, 2013

Undergraduate: Northwestern University, 2001

Bio: I had an amazing experience being in the forefront of an art investment start-up, offering a new and unique investment fund where artists invest their artwork collectively. I would like to utilize my entrepreneurial and business operations experience to invest in another high growth opportunity—renewable energy. With my interests in environmental sustainability, I plan to get involved with a Venture Capital firm investing in new technologies and advancements, such as improved energy storage, smart grids, wind, biofuel, among others. I am attaining an MBA to strengthen my financial skills and to transition into a new industry. My passion for VC and Alternative Energy stem from my belief that there are profitable ventures that can be socially-minded and economically advantageous.

Venture/Entrepreneur Interest: Venture Capital

Sector Interest: Alternative Energy

Springworks Project (Working) Title: Competitive Advantages for Renewable Energy Ventures through Regulations and Key Partnerships

Springworks Project Description: With a focus on renewable energy, I would like to evaluate the implications of tax credits, government regulations, and historical performance of start-ups in various regions around the world. Many countries in Europe and China have offered long-term benefits and financial support that have opened the opportunity for start-ups to take the risk to develop clean technology. The United States has been slower in offering long-term benefits to private organizations. With economic and financial analysis of companies that have started through venture capital funding, I would like to make a comparative of companies in countries with greater subsidies than the United States. My hope is to find similarities in the success stories that would help increase the volume of renewable energy investments domestically, with or without long-term government support.

Lily Xu

springworks — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:38:27 +0000

Hometown: San Francisco, CA

Business School: Chicago Booth, 2013

Undergraduate: UC Berkeley, 2006

Bio: I was born in Canton, China and immigrated to the States when I was three. My parents worked 80-hour weeks to make ends meet. Witnessing their sacrifice, I was determined very early on to do the best that I could, whether it’s on grades, career, or in relationships. Since college, I have founded a brand consulting firm and a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to assisting at-risk youth. My dream is to one day give back to my family and to develop innovative products or projects that would address social issues that are close to my heart.

Venture/Entrepreneur Interest: Entrepreneurship

Sector Interest: Education

Springworks Project (Working) Title: Scrapping Metals

Springworks Project Description: My project involves assessing the value of and buying sources of scrap metal from inactive metal plantations and ship vessels. I have always found the scrap metal industry fascinating, as it not only directly impacts the environment by reducing landfills but also represents an ongoing profitable business. I hope that, through this project, the experience will not only help me strengthen my industry exposure and leadership experience but also increase my knowledge of entrepreneurship and operation strategy in the realm of innovative small business start-ups.

Wyatt Toolson

springworks — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:36:52 +0000

Hometown: Albuquerque, NM

Business School: Graduate School of Business/Stanford University, 2013

Undergraduate: Harvey Mudd College, 2007

Bio: Born and raised in Albuquerque, NM, Wyatt attended Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, CA where he majored in mathematics. Upon graduation he moved to Cambridge, MA to work in the Finance practice area at The Brattle Group. Focusing primarily on corporate litigation, he worked on cases involving valuations, damage calculation, and ponzi schemes. He also helped public utilities with their regulatory filings.

Venture/Entrepreneur Interest: Venture Capitalist

Sector Interest: Alternative Energy

Springworks Project (Working) Title: How VC Firms Utilize Government Funding in Investment Decisions

Springworks Project Description: A key source of funding to early stage renewable energy companies is government loans. I intend to produce a report based on analysis and interviews with VCs and industry members that explores, from the perspective of VCs, the advantages and pitfalls of accepting government money. I will also attempt to understand how it affects the returns a firm realizes and determine whether or not firms view government funding as beneficial.

Viren Tellis

springworks — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:35:15 +0000

Hometown: Hacienda Heights, CA

Business School: Kellogg School of Management/Northwestern University, 2013

Undergraduate: University of Southern California, 2006

Bio: Viren’s prior work experience is in consulting and entrepreneurship. After graduating from the University of Southern California with a degree in business and an emphasis in cinema/television, Viren worked in economic and financial consulting for attorneys in litigation for four years at Cornerstone Research. In addition to consulting for Cornerstone, Viren developed training modules in both hard and soft skills for consultants across the firm. While a senior at USC, Viren partnered with a few others to open a Quiznos Franchise in Los Angeles. He owned and operated the store concurrent to the consulting job for a couple years. Viren is now pursuing a JD-MBA at Northwestern Law and the Kellogg School of Management.

Venture/Entrepreneur Interest: Social Entrepreneurship

Sector Interest: Education

Springworks Project (Working) Title: Giving Back

Springworks Project Description: For competitive reasons, I am not ready to write a full description here. For now, I would be happy saying something general like: ”Creating a business model that fosters alumi support for higher education.”

Sober Pierre

springworks — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:33:32 +0000

Hometown: Homestead, Florida

Business School: Darden School of Business/UVA, 2013

Undergraduate: Tuskegee University, 2004

Bio: Sober Pierre is an MBA student at the Darden School of Business/UVA, specializing in entrepreneurship and general management. Prior to starting at Darden, Sober worked for the past 7 years in the agricultural, construction and mining industries. Upon earning his BS in Mechanical Engineering from Tuskegee University in 2004, Sober started his career as a Test Engineer for John Deere. He went on to join Caterpillar where he worked as a Design Engineer on earthmoving equipment. With an interest to pursue business in his future, Sober transitioned within Caterpillar from core engineering to a Cost Engineering role where he and his team utilized their engineering expertise to save the company millions by re-engineering designs, optimizing manufacturing processes and reducing inventory. When not working, Sober is very active in sports and his community (volunteering and mentoring). He looks forward to utilizing his engineering expertise and business acumen to empower young people, especially in the Haitian community, through innovation and entrepreneurship.

Venture/Entrepreneur Interest: Social Entrepreneurship

Sector Interest: Youth Development

Springworks Project (Working) Title: Empowering Haiti through Education and Entrepreneurship

Springworks Project Description: Through education and business development, I look to empower Haitian communities within the United States and abroad. I propose to research ways in which business development entities within high Haitian population communities can provide supplemental resources for education and entrepreneurial training. The hope is that this training will be used to leverage the US small business model to aid Haitians in improving their quality of life. Developing this foundation in young Haitians around the United States will be instrumental in achieving the long-term mission of rebuilding Haiti with the necessary human capital for sustainable success.

Kaya Ladejobi

springworks — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:31:22 +0000

Hometown: Chicago, IL

Business School: Johnson Graduate School of Management/Cornell, 2013

Undergraduate: University of Maryland, College Park, 2006

Bio: Kaya is currently an MBA Candidate at Johnson @ Cornell University. Her focus is in Strategic Marketing and Entrepreneurship. She previously worked at The Private Bank and at JPMorgan’s Private Wealth Management division where she specialized in lending and advising high-net worth business owners. Kaya is also serving as an associate at Big Red Ventures, a student-run venture capital fund focused on early stage, high growth businesses, many of which have launched from Cornell Technology.

Venture/Entrepreneur Interest: Entrepreneurship

Sector Interest: Franchising & Licensing

Springworks Project (Working) Title: Franchising as a gateway to Entrepreneurship for Women and Minorities

Springworks Project Description: Research into how women and minorities can become entrepreneurs through franchising and licensing proven business concepts.

Beto Juarez

springworks — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:28:03 +0000

Hometown: San Antonio, TX

Business School: MIT Sloan, 2013

Undergraduate: Stanford, 2007

Bio: Beto’s professional interests lie in international business as it relates to entrepreneurship. While an undergrad at Stanford, he was co-founder and president of the Society for Entrepreneurship in Latin America, a student-led group that brought other students from Latin America to Silicon Valley to learn from experts and develop their own business ideas. After a brief journey in management consulting performing commercial due diligence projects for private equity transactions, Beto joined StepOne Ventures, a small company dedicated to bringing Spanish technology companies to Silicon Valley. He now studies the MIT Sloan School of Management and will be completing the Entrepreneurship and Innovation track there. Beto enjoys new music, great cocktails, and singing to mariachi music at the top of his lungs.

Venture/Entrepreneur Interest: Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneur Incubation/Development

Sector Interest: Consumer Internet and Mobile

Springworks Project (Working) Title: The role of mentorship and experienced entrepreneurs is paramount to the development of a robust startup community.

Springworks Project Description: The question “how do I build the next Silicon Valley?” has been asked many times and an equal amount of answers have been given and implemented. Yet few economic regions even come close to Silicon Valley in the amount of entrepreneurial activity they produce. The rise of the modern startup accelerator gives us a hint at the most important piece of the entrepreneurial activity puzzle: mentorship is likely the most important factor to entrepreneurial success and thus serial entrepreneurship in a given community. My thesis will attempt to determine if mentorship is indeed the most important factor for a given entrepreneurial region.

Laura Jones

springworks — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:26:17 +0000

Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA

Business School: Chicago Booth, 2013

Undergraduate: Princeton, 2005

Bio: Laura Jones is a Robert W. Fogel Fellow at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business where she is focusing on Venture Capital and Entrepreneurship. Prior to beginning her MBA, she was an Associate in the Foreign Affairs Group at Booz Allen Hamilton where she advised USAID on both short and long term projects in the areas of Business Environment Reform and Private Sector Development. Most recently she was based in Serbia as Operations Manager and Entrepreneurship Activity Manager for the USAID Serbia Competitiveness Project. She is passionate about community service, and during her time at Booz Allen, she cofounded a volunteer program that paired consultants with social entrepreneurs to provide strategic guidance in the US and the Middle East North Africa Region. Laura graduated from Princeton University with a degree in Economics and speaks German and Serbian.

Venture/Entrepreneur Interest: Venture Capital

Sector Interest: Emerging Market Fund Management

Springworks Project (Working) Title: Financing Collaborative Consumption Businesses in the Middle East and Turkey

Springworks Project Description: While sharing is not a new concept, I believe that profit-generating businesses that enable and foster collaborative consumption will revolutionize individual consumption and provide lucrative opportunities for venture capital investment. My project will develop an investment model, feasibility study, and business plan for a Turkey/MENA region venture fund focused on collaborative consumption ventures.

Tony Hickbottom

springworks — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 23:48:53 +0000

Hometown: Chicago, IL

Business School: University of Illinois-Champaign, 2013

Undergraduate: Northwestern University, 2003

Bio: Tony Hickbottom was involved in the sports industry for the last decade. Most recently, he served as an NFL Agent for Priority Sports & Entertainment in Chicago, IL. During his time there he recruited, represented, and worked with some of the top athletes and personnel in the National Football League. Tony graduated from Northwestern University with a B.S. in Communications and is currently a first year MBA student at the University of Illinois-Champaign.

Venture/Entrepreneur Interest: Entrepreneurship

Sector Interest: Franchising

Springworks Project (Working) Title: Franchise Purchasing

Springworks Project Description: The focus of my project will be to identify a corporation in which I would like to become a franchise owner in and to develop an appropriate business plan to do so. Among the specifics of the process, I will look at ways that those without the qualifying funds, especially minorities, can obtain financing and other financial assistance to help achieve this goal.

Rachel Happen

springworks — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 23:43:19 +0000

Hometown: Clarksville, Maryland

Business School: Samuel Curtis Johnson, Graduate School of Management at Cornell University, 2013

Undergraduate: University of Utah, 2011

Bio: Rachel has an extensive background in classical and contemporary dance, having studying for 10 years at a ballet conservatory and pursued her passion to the Modern Dance Department at the University of Utah. She found that her love of making others dance was greater than her love of performing, and left her dance studies for a business degree and and an entrepreneurial dream. She founded her footwear and clothing company, semifold, to bring new visual and physical experiences to wearers and observers alike. After business school she will pursue a career in strategy and business-oriented roles within design consultancies, focusing on streamlining innovation and efficiently bringing new products to market. Rachel received her BS in Entrepreneurship from the University of Utah. Rachel is currently in her first year of study for an MBA from the Johnson School.

Venture/Entrepreneur Interest: Entrepreneurial Strategy

Sector Interest: Design and Innovation

Springworks Project (Working) Title: The Gun-Slinging Entrepreneur: Challenging the archetype of the entrepreneur and perception of risk through painless ideation and product development

Springworks Project Description: The project will engage a group from the community in the process of taking an idea through the product development process to sample creation. The process will teach market research, funding preparations, and product sourcing basics through practice and application. Beyond teaching the basics of getting an idea off the ground, the project will challenge the popularly held view of the entrepreneur as an extreme risk-taker and maverick.