Of VC Internships & Running Teams

ON THE SUBWAY THIS MORNING, I was reflecting on my first 2 weeks of my internship at Canaan Partners.  It's been great so far, and I plan on sharing what I learn on Twitter under the hashtag #canaanintern (live link here).

The scattered barrage of work and autonomous structure got me thinking this morning about the explicit professional responsibilities and implied social contract between managers and subordinates*. More specifically I was thinking about how one should work when working by yourself versus collaborating with a team. My conclusion was analogous to running versus jogging.

Why I do Bow Tie Wednesday

Every Wednesday since January 2012 I have worn a bow tie. While many people think it may be a stylish quirk (not doubting that either), it is time that I have something written down to link to; a declaration of "Why".

VC in NYC

MBA recruiting for summer intern positions peak between January and February. Candidates like myself sweat it out as investment banks and top consulting firms attract away the bulk of the MBA class. Candidates like myself want something different, something more.

I want to work in investing, not too different from the buy-side banker types. However, my style of investing is a bit different. I believe in the newest technology. Venture capital is one path that does that. That's why I accepted a summer position at Canaan Partners.

Fred Wilson, the best of NYC's venture capital scene, recently came to a private InSITE event to talk about the market and industry. More info on Fred's blog.

The following videos share the experience to those unable to attend.

The talk
The Q&A
That's it for now. More on tech, careers and other thoughts later.

Be well. Do good.
BG

Of Grace and Grit

Chief Volunteer & President

Last year, sometime around Thanksgiving, I was voted in as president of the Esophageal Cancer Awareness Association (ECAA).  In the new position, I have been elevated into a much more public facing role -- each week interacting with dozens, if not hundreds of those affected by the disease.  It's hard.  It's impossible to not adopt the emotions faced by those on the EC journey.

This morning I was reflecting on how those emotions have affected me in this first quarter.  I have been forced to revisit the pain of my initial diagnosis and the joy of completing chemotherapy --- a milestone I reached nearly 5 years ago (March 15th).  Facing the unbound questions of the newly diagnosed about the abysmal survival rating of the disease and how they too can beat the odds, I think about ways  to inspire, about ways to be pragmatic yet tactful, and about ways to prevent the next patient.  

My writing this morning is a phrasing aimed at that middle layer: hope.  If perceived as contrived or banal, I apologize.  When thinking of cancer and mortality, it is hard to not feel in ezra and communicate in bumper stickers.  

My working title of such a punchy, pithy tagline: "Of Grace & Grit"

As 2nd Semester begins

As 2nd semester of b-school begins,
I think back on the things that have taken over my life for the last 6 months and hope to synthesize that wisdom into a few good lines. In an effort to make it at least readable, I'll look at my life in 3 ways: MBA, Brooklyn and work.

No More Silence

I've been quiet for about 6 months.  Some reasons are good, others not as good. A subset are listed here:

1. Recruiting for summer internships
2. Business School (fall semester)
3. Business School (summer semester)
4. Travelling across the country
5. Blogging elsewhere*
6. Lost my phone and as a result lost my "personal blogging stride"
7. Being more of a listening and learning mode than sharing and speaking mode.

Starting today, my goal is to get back and find my stride; to post things that are i) generally interesting ii) relevant to my career aspirations iii) commemorative or cataloging (hence this post) and iv) random opinions.

For now, I'm relishing that yesterday (1/29) was my champagne birthday.  Thanks to all you made my day special. Particularly liked this one below with a bow-tie.

Be Well, Do Good

BG

* Blogging elsewhere included some really neat things from this past semester in b-school.  Some I directly wrote, others contributed, and while still others just bragging....

1. Getting Into InSITE
2. Becoming an Officer
3. Learning to Read
4. Meeting leading NYC tech people
5. Advising local startups