January 30th. I worked on political campaigns before coming to business school. I really enjoyed all the aspects (and the excitement) around beginning a new organization, raising money, and turning an idea into a living and breathing campaign. I came to Johnson to learn how I could do this in the business world.
I am part of the Entrepreneurship and Private Equity Immersion (EPE). So far, I couldn't be happier. Our coursework focuses around Prof. David BenDaniel and Prof. Steve Gal's Business Plan class where you are asked to create either: a) a business plan for a new company or b) a buyout plan for a current company. So far in the class we have discussed how to create a start-up, distressed companies, and leveraged buyouts. Our other coursework is a mix of finance and strategy classes - including "Strategic Alliances" and "Financial Modeling." I'm taking a brand new course also taught by Prof. Gal titled "Entrepreneurial Marketing." Lastly, I am taking a class called "Entrepreneurial Executives" with former Johnson alum, Jason Hogg, who recently sold his business to American Express for $300 million.
There is a wealth of opportunity to learn about entrepreneurship at Johnson (I am less knowledgeable about private equity resources but can connect you with someone if you need that information.) Entrepreneurship@Cornell is a campus-wide initiative that in many ways is headquartered in Sage Hall and at the Johnson School. Prof. Zach Shulman is leading a series of 10 lectures this spring focused on how to start a business -- "The Start-up Series" -- that breaks down the different components of beginning a business into smaller lectures. Some of the lectures are focused on Idea Generation and Validation or on Intellectual Property issues or on 10 things that kill a new company. It is a practical and hands-on series of classes. Beyond coursework there is: Big Red Ventures (venture capital fund run by Johnson), Big Red Incubator (which is a small business consulting shop run by Johnson students), the Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Club, trips to local start-ups including Kionix, CCTEC mixers, and the Entrepreneurship@Johnson symposium in April. Whatever you are looking for, you can find it at Johnson and at Cornell.
