🦃 The Bulletin #42: New Member Spotlight and Coffee + Coworking by Contrary & VWV
This bulletin is short and sweet—just like this school week. Happy Thanksgiving!
🌟 Meet Cohort VI:
We recently welcomed nine outstanding individuals to the Van Wickle Ventures team, marking our most competitive applicant pool to date. Our analysts-in-training boast diverse academic backgrounds including a RISD graduate student, a transfer from Wharton, and an archaeology concentrator! Hailing from three continents, this cohort brings a wide range of perspectives and has already made a positive impact on the team. Meet them below:
Aram's interests lie within the intersection of technology, user-experience, and branding. Originally from Boston, he is pursuing a Master's Degree in Industrial & Product Design at RISD while studying Entrepreneurship & Innovation Management at Brown. At the professional forefront, Aram holds the position of Head of Design at Edgeful, a trading insights start-up based in Miami, Florida. Additionally, he is the co-founder of Ardor Lab, where he designed the first magnetically charged heated jacket. In his free time, Aram enjoys playing tennis, skiing, and cooking.
Kelly is a freshman from Shanghai, concentrating in Applied Math - Economics and Music History, with an interest in music production, ethnomusicology, and social entrepreneurship. She founded the Nakhi Music Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to empowering Nakhi indigenous women musicians and fostering their financial independence through music concerts and educational lessons. Starting in 2020, she directed several documentaries capturing the overlooked stories of Nakhi indigenous women musicians. At Brown, Kelly is involved in the Brown China Summit, Brown Socially Responsible Investment Fund, and ethnomusicology research, and she spends her free time listening, composing, and producing music.
Ethan is a first-year from Southern California who's deeply interested in consumer products and human-computer interaction. In the past, he's worked as a PM Intern at EV charging startup EV Connect, an Operations Intern at Meta, and a Strategy Intern at UCLA. At Brown, Ethan is involved with Brown Taiwan Society, Brown Consulting Club, and is a Venture Partner for Contrary. In his free time, you can find Ethan watching basketball, tinkering with 3D printers, and searching for good restaurants.
Sujith is a sophomore from the Bay Area studying Computer Science-Economics and Biology. Sujith is passionate about all things biology, whether it’s start-up biotechnology companies or conducting biological research. Last summer, Sujith was growing fungal materials in a biology lab at NASA. On campus, Sujith is also a Project Lead for the Collegiate Consulting Club and a member of Brown Badmaash and Tempo Performance Company. In his free time, you can find Sujith learning trending TikTok dances or playing volleyball.
Thor is a first-year from Florida looking to concentrate in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, with interests in software and biotech investing. Prior to coming to Brown, Thor spent two summers working as a student researcher in the fields of materials science and biochemistry. On campus, Thor is an analyst for the Brown Consulting Club, and a member of the business development team for the Intercollegiate Finance Journal. In his free time, Thor enjoys skiing, stand up paddleboarding, ping pong, and running.
Julia is a sophomore from Los Angeles concentrating in Environmental Science and Business Economics. She is interested in startups, especially those working in the environmental space. Julia is the cofounder of Friend in Me, a nonprofit that connects kids with disabilities and student volunteers through Zoom. She also plays for the Brown Women's Water Polo Team and is involved with EP and Scholars of Finance. She loves surfing, traveling, and trying new restaurants.
Laysa is a sophomore from Brazil and Massachusetts, concentrating in Business-Economics with an interest in the intersection of profit, social good, and entrepreneurship education. She co-founded an initiative to establish an entrepreneurial bridge between Brazilian academia and the market, and is working with Beautiful Day, a Providence social enterprise helping refugees adjust to life in America. In her free time, you’ll find Laysa barbecuing with BRASA, playing soccer or club basketball, and watching beach sunsets.
Selena is a freshman from the Bay Area concentrating in Applied Math-Economics and Archaeology. She is interested in exploring finance and startups. In high school, Selena built her own company, where she learned the intricacies of ecommerce. In her free time, she enjoys rock climbing and eating good food.
Daniel is a freshman from the Bay Area in California planning to concentrate in Neuroscience and Computer Science. He has a keen interest in corporate culture and is excited to explore entrepreneurship from the people perspective. Daniel is also a huge soccer fanatic and is part of the club soccer team at Brown. For leisure, you can find him scaling the rock climbing walls at Rock Spot, vibing to the MarÃas, and indulging in one too many lavender lattes at the Underground.
☕ Join Contrary and VWV for Coffee and Coworking
Are you building a new venture, working on a cool side project, or just interested in bouncing ideas off of other aspiring founders? Join Van Wickle Ventures and Contrary at our Coffee & Coworking event at the Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship to work on your project, brainstorm ideas with fellow founders, or meet other students involved in the entrepreneurship and venture capital community on College Hill. Food and coffee will be served – looking forward to seeing you there!
Date & Time: Sunday December 3rd, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Location: Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship (1 Euclid Ave), 4th Floor
Register here: lu.ma/cac2023
👄 What We’re Consuming in Venture
Venture Without Borders: Exploring how thriving business models + technologies from different corners of the world can be harnessed and reimagined in various contexts
In the inaugural issue, Paula Martinez and James Konsky cover President Xi Jinping’s visit to the U.S. and what it means in the context of the current geopolitical landscape.
Brian Chesky’s New Playbook
Brian discusses his transformative efforts in reshaping Airbnb's organizational structure, emphasizing a shift towards a more startup-oriented mode. He also stresses the importance of product-focused leadership from the CEO and the decision-making process behind axing the product manager position.
That’s it for this week, feel free to email me at lara_gamaleldin@brown.edu with any inquiries!
✨ Follow us:
Instagram: @vanwickleventures
Twitter: @VanWickleV