Timeline
Today
Grow an existing digital campus initiative into a venture studio to invest in AI and data science startups with a social impact
In progress! Insights pending
Launched a childcare startup in Manila
Learned: How to validate a product idea early on, iterate fast, build up a two-sided marketplace, lead cross-cultural team of engineers and designers
Designed, built and launched the education and incubation product and operating system for an international, Tokyo-based venture studio
Learned: How to build out training and strategy to prepare a large and distributed team for sales of a new product to new customer segments.
Built community building playbook for a venture-backed, modern social club startup
Learned: How to design a custom playbook and scale rituals for belonging and connection
2021
Graduated business school at Booth! Tried to co-found my first startup
Learned: How to time manage to the extreme and the importance of momentum
Project managed a team of engineers, policy makers, and economists to design a better policy model for COVID19
Learned: How to move incredibly quickly and translate academic research into public-facing writing
Built and launched a shared legal infrastructure to accelerate computational medicine research
Learned: How to build and execute on a user research plan to understand pain points and then build coalition of diverse stakeholders to address their needs at scale
Joined first sales team for a video-chat startup
Learned: How to build an entrepreneurial sales toolkit and why it's best to get to a no quickly
2020
Designed a 7-week career retreat curriculum rooted in behavioral science and scalable to hundreds of alumni annually
Learned: How to design curriculum for a peer-to-peer coaching model of support
Tried to found my first startup: a tool to visually show citizens where their tax dollars go and empower voters
Learned: How to pitch an early idea, do customer discovery, that users aren't the same as paying customers
Researched applications for AI in social impact and assessing human capital
Learned: How to prepare research briefings that people want to read
Established my credibility and expertise in resume review and job search coaching at UChicago
Learned: How to give actionable feedback and help people translate their skills across industries
2019
First consulting gig building out a science-backed audience engagement strategy for a local orchestra
Learned: How to leverage behavioral science and choice architecture to improve business outcomes
Started grad school learned that an MBA wasn't just for Investment Bankers
Learned: How to challenge myself, learn quickly, and reteach myself math in preparation for the GMAT
2018
Pivoted from theatre directing to University Development (with a stint in mortgage banking)
Learned: How to navigate the corporate world and translate my experiences into different domains
Graduate undergrad, move to Chicago, work a bunch of service jobs to support unpaid theatre
Learned: How to hustle
Started a theatre company focused on creating opportunities for directors to practice their craft
Learned: How to navigate building a company with friends and how to find a unique need and differentiate yourself
2013
Founded my own country in the backyard with its own currency and local dress
Learned: How to have a very big vision and start one step at a time
Born a first-born Capricorn
Learned: How to be a leader and not apologize for being ambitious
Read a lot of books, did a lot of theatre, worked every day after school at the local gastropub
Learned: How to navigate a world of adults confidently
Wanted to be a pioneer, in a covered wagon, making my own medicine out of plants
Learned: How to be at home in the woods and identify as an explorer