Doing Business in New York

Last week I got involved in a consulting project sponsored by the Entrepreneurs exchange club. It is a ten week long project with a solar industry focused financial advisory firm in the city. This was an opportunity for me to familiarize myself with the start-up culture in New York City. Moreover, I have always been interested in alternative energy and I wanted to understand the complexities involved in financing solar projects.

The experience so far has been inspiring. The incubator my client operates out of has a motley mix of some of the most brilliant minds in the city. During my first few visits I got to meet some of the other start-ups and learn about their ventures.

The project itself is off to a good start. Even though the five of us have never worked together in a team before, I was amazed at how productive we were right from day one. Another example of high ‘EQ’ that Sternies are known for. Our team lead is a part time MBA student. I strongly believe that our part-time network is one of the biggest assets that Stern has. Most of the part-time students work for firms that full time students target for internships or full time jobs. Every week Stern hosts ‘beer blast’, one of the many opportunities for the two communities to network.

A bunch of us went to Vermont this past weekend. I tumbled down the slopes a few times before I found my balance on skis. While I was at it, I built some lifelong friendships. I am hoping to do the same over Spring Break next week. For real time updates from the India Trek look for tweets with #SABAStrek.

Until next time,

Ashrae