Global Wharton Awards Community Dinner Honorees Letter from the President Executive Committee

WHARTON ALUMNI CLUB OF NEW YORK | FALL 2014 START- UPS WHARTON STYLE

TEACHING A +JOSEPH GLOBAL WHARTON AWARDS COMMUNITY DINNER HONOREES LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

President Fall 2014 Kenneth Beck, WG’87, P’16 enjamin Franklin and Joseph Wharton CEO Connection were both pioneering entrepreneurs. [email protected] They would be pleased to see the growing number of alumni transforming Executive Vice President themselves into the newest generation George Bradt, WG’85 of entrepreneurs WCNY knows that the startup PrimeGenesis Executive Onboarding B . journey is an arduous one and supports that journey [email protected] in the New York region. This Fall issue showcases the enthusiastic vision and successes of six local Vice President, Finance thriving entrepreneurs, and one working to break into Rosemarie Bonelli, WG’99 the market. Four of the founders interviewed participate in the WCNY affinity group American International Group, Inc. , Wharton Entrepreneurs-Education and Resource Network (WE-EARN): Joe Meyer, [email protected] WG’97, of ExecThread; Rajeev Jeyakumar, WG’13, of SkillBridge; Melissa Shin Mash, WG’12, of Dagne Dover, and Mark Hirsch, W’88, of Creative Worx. WE-EARN, led by Vice President, Ross Klenoff, W’94, C94, offers educational, networking, and brainstorming events. Marketing & Communications Jake Schwartz, WG’08, co-founder of the rapidly growing teaching company, General Peter Hildick-Smith, C’76, WG’81, P’13 Assembly, matches their training to companies’ needs. Broadway producer and co- Codex-Group LLC founder of Musicians on Call, Vivek Tiwary, W’95, spoke at a Club Speaker Series on [email protected] “Can’t Buy Me Love: The Business of the Beatles”. He shared his insights on creativity, how to invest in the theatre, building a nonprofit at the beginning of your career, and Vice President, Career Development his new book, The Fifth Beatle Charles S. Forgang, W’78, P’11 . Law Offices of Charles S. Forgang We love to profile those who truly invest themselves in the Club and broader alumni [email protected] community. Jay Bakhru, WG’04, brings years of experience in the education sector to driving the Wharton Education Network, (WhEN). He is actively recruiting affinity Vice President, Business Development group members interested in this essential part of our economy. Arthur Bass, W’73 Regina Jaslow, W’97 was key to getting the first Joseph Wharton Dinner resurrected and in maintaining its Penn Club of New York tradition of excellence by ensuring that each year’s Joseph Wharton Award honorees [email protected] are elected by all past honorees.

Vice President, Volunteer Services And yes, our Dinner is coming up this October 2nd. We hope you will come and Diana Davenport, WG’87 support the club, meet your peers and meet the honorees: Robert Crandall, WG’60, The Commonwealth Fund Former Chairman, American Airlines, will receive the Joseph Wharton Award for [email protected] Lifetime Achievement; Alex Gorsky, WG’96, Chairman and CEO of Johnson & Johnson will receive the Joseph Wharton Award for Leadership; Durreen Shahnaz, WG’95, Vice President, Programming Founder and Chairperson of Impact Investment Exchange Asia (IIX) and Shujog will Jennifer Gregoriou, W’78 receive the Joseph Wharton Award for Social Impact; and Neil Blumenthal, WG’10, Jennifer Gregoriou, and David Gilboa, WG’10, GEN’10, Co-Founders and Co-CEOs of Warby Parker, will Management Consulting receive the Joseph Wharton Award for Young Leadership! [email protected] Be inspired by these alumni and “Take the Call”! ♦ Vice President, University Relations Kenneth Beck, WG’87 Udayan Chattopadhyay, WG01 Chief Executive Officer | CEO Connection Ergo President | Wharton Club of New York [email protected] T 646.416.6991 | F 646.292.5129 [email protected] The Wharton Business School www.ceoconnection.com Club of New York 485 Madison Avenue, Suite 747, New York, NY 10173 MAGAZINE Phone: (212) 463-5559 WHARTON CLUB OF NEW YORK Club website: www.WhartonNY.com PUBLISHER EDITOR Kenneth Beck, WG’87 Kent Trabing, WG’01 [email protected] [email protected]

MANAGING EDITOR DESIGN DIRECTOR Peter Hildick-Smith, Joyce Chan, W’06, C’06 FRONT COVER: Jake Schwartz, C’76, WG’81, P’13 [email protected] WG’08, Co-Founder: General [email protected] Assembly READ THE MAGAZINE ONLINE www.readwny.com. IN THIS ISSUE 6 2 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT 8 10 3 WCNY MAGAZINE AD RATE CARD

JOSEPH WHARTON AWARDS 4 DINNER 5 PROFILE – ARTHUR BASS, W’73 6-13 WE-EARN INTERVIEWS: 12 6 ROSS KLENOFF, C’94, W’94 8 JOE MEYER, WG’97 10 RAJ JEYAKUMAR, WG’13 REACH 11 11 MARK HIRSCH, W’88 30,000 12 MELISSA SHIN MASH, WG’12 WHARTON ALUMNI 14-17 IN THE NEW YORK ENTREPRENEURS METRO AREA AT-LARGE: WCNY MAGAZINE AD RATE CARD 14 JAKE SCHWARTZ, WG’08 The WCNY Magazine is mailed three VIVEK TIWARY, W’95 17 times annually, to more than 30,000 Wharton alumni living or working in New York, New Jersey and 21-24 Connecticut. Alumni discounts are available upon FOR INQUIRIES CLUB request. Non-camera-ready ads may REGARDING SPONSORSHIP, & CALENDAR: be subject to production charges. PLEASE CONTACT: A 15% commission will be offered to Kay Trongwongsa, WG’ 12 DUE QUACH, WG’06 21 ad agencies. Melanie Zhao, W’13 [email protected] 22 JAY BAKHRU, WG’04 BLACK & WHITE FULL COLOR TAKE THE CALL! 23 FULL PAGE $1,600 $2,000

Ad will be featured on the JOIN WCNY! HALF PAGE $1,120 $1,400 24 Magazine website (www. QUARTER PAGE $640 $800 readwny.com) until the EIGHTH OF A PAGE $400 $500 following issue. ♦

READ ARTICLES ONLINE AT READWNY.COM | 3 JOSEPH Drumroll please... WHARTON The 2014 Joseph Wharton AWARDS DINNER Dinner honorees are: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2014 METROPOLITAN CLUB, NEW YORK CITY COCKTAILS 6PM DINNER 7PM, EVENING ATTIRE

ROBERT CRANDALL, WG’60 Come join Jacob Wallenberg, W’80, The first dinner was held at the Former Chairman American Airlines WG’81, Brett Hurt, WG’99, D. Wayne Waldorf-Astoria in 1972 and 2014 JW Award for Lifetime Achievement Silby, W’70, and other eminent continued through 1990, honoring Wharton alumni to celebrate and such luminaries as Nelson honor the 2014 Joseph Wharton Rockefeller, Don Regan and William Award winners. Meet old Wharton S. Paley. This year’s dinner will be the friends and make new ones at the ninth since it was revived in 2006, Metropolitan Club on 1 East 60th as the premiere business school Street in New York City. Cocktails alumni event in New York, recently and conversation begin at 6 p.m., honoring Jon M. Huntsman, W’59, dinner at 7 p.m. H’96, James David Power III, WG’59, Peter Lynch, WG’68, and Ivanka The Joseph Wharton Awards Trump, W’04. The 2014 Joseph recognize exceptional leaders Wharton Awards Dinner Honorary ALEX GORSKY, WG’96 within the alumni community in Chair is Harold W. McGraw III, Chairman and CEO, Johnson & Johnson four distinct categories: Lifetime WG’76, Chairman of the Board of 2014 JW Award for Leadership. Achievement, Leadership, Social McGraw Hill Financial, inheriting that Impact and Young Leadership. role from Alvin V. Shoemaker, W’60, HON’95, Former Chairman, Executive Committee of First Boston. ♦

DURREEN SHAHNAZ, WG’95 Founder and Chairperson Impact Investment Exchange Asia (IIX) and Shujog 2014 JW Award for Social Impact

NEIL BLUMENTHAL, WG’10 AND DAVID GILBOA, WG’10, GEN’10 Co-Founders and Co-CEOs, Warby Parker 2014 JW Award for Young Leadership

4 | WHARTON CLUB OF NEW YORK | WHARTONNY.COM | FALL 2014 PROFILE Establishing a What motivated you to get involved with the dinner and the Club? I had a favorable experience a number of years Premier Event before attending WCNY leads events, and had participated a couple of times telephoning New York-area Wharton alumni for membership in the Club. I was looking to Arthur Bass, W’73 get involved in a deeper manner to give something back for the opportunities Managing Director, that attending Wharton provided me. Société Générale-Newedge Ken Beck proposed reviving the Joseph Wharton Awards Dinner, and the idea of Awards Committee intrigued me. My Arthur Bass, W’73, had participation in the Club has grown over the years to the point that I am now a member of been involved with the the Board of Directors. Wharton Club of New York What opportunities are there for alumni to get for a number of years, but his involved? involvement substantially The WCNY has grown dramatically in the past 10 years, both in size and the diversity of activities increased when he joined a team it provides, and I give Ken Beck a lot of credit for to revive the Joseph Wharton promoting these efforts. Awards Dinner as a premier Alumni can get involved by participating in the business event in New York City. activities they are interested in or, on a deeper level, by volunteering to work with or sponsor an event. Arthur served on the Awards Committee for the The key is providing a forum for alumni to network first dinner, and was instrumental in developing the and share experiences to enable continued personal awards categories and criteria. He has served as and career growth. Alumni can also choose the level the Chairman of the Awards Committee for each in which they would like to participate — attending subsequent dinner — and this year marks the ninth activities they are interested in, or volunteering. year of Arthur’s involvement. As you know, this is a group where, if you have an idea and submit it in an organized manner, it will be Arthur also serves on the Board of Directors of the taken seriously. The other area I would encourage WCNY, and has become involved in two WCNY alumni to participate is to “take the call” from other affinity groups, the Wharton Hedge Fund Network Wharton alumni. and the Wharton Angel Network. Arthur is active as a Penn alumni, and this year, interviewed applicants What do you do? for the undergraduate school. I am a Managing Director and Co-Head of Financial Futures and Options in New York City for Newedge, What challenges did you face with the first Joseph which this year became a wholly owned subsidiary Wharton Awards Dinner? of Société Générale. Newedge is the largest futures Our first task was to re-establish the credibility that broker in the world, and is also active in fixed this would again be a premier event. An important income securities and derivatives. I and my group step in that process was an introduction to Geoff structure relative value and arbitrage strategies for Boisi, WG’71, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer hedge funds and large investor accounts, and the of Roundtable Investment Partners LLC, that I accounts we deal with are among the largest in the obtained through a close friend and business world. associate of my wife. Geoff agreed to support the dinner as Honorary Chairman, and in addition to I have been with my firm for 18 years, and have Geoff, we had a stellar list of award winners. That an extensive background in the financial markets. dinner, held at the Rainbow Room, was a huge Newedge is in the midst of being integrated into success, and the momentum has grown with each Société Générale, which is expanding our ability to subsequent dinner. Given the attendance and our do swaps and other derivative structures. ♦ list of award winners, I am very proud of our efforts in making the dinner a success.

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This issue focuses on the activities of the Club’s WHARTON ENTREPRENEURS-EDUCATION AND RESOURCE NETWORK (WE-EARN) and highlights four of its intrepid members. ROSS KLENOFF, C’94, W’94, leads this enterprising affinity group, producing some of the most well-attended events of the WCNY. WE-EARN under Ross’ leadership illustrates the broad and additive benefits that the Wharton Club of New York brings to alumni in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

CREATING A DYNAMIC DIALOGUE BETWEEN ALUMNI

Ross H. Klenoff, C'94, W'94, General Corporate Attorney and Chair of WE-EARN Affinity Group

How does up into groups, and members of each larger firm. I love running a leaner operation, WE-EARN group will brainstorm outside-of-the- which enables me to deliver strong value. I help New box growth options for one another. The work with emerging growth and successful York- collaboration resembles the dynamic you mid-size companies on a full range of area might see back on campus. The goal is corporate transactions (such as financing, alumni? real, tangible results. Events are designed M&A, joint ventures, formative counseling First, we to help members grow their businesses (or and commercial contracts). I love using produce connect with others who can help). my corporate law skill set, along with my educational Wharton business background, to help events highly companies achieve their goals efficiently Are there mentoring opportunities at WE- targeted to and effectively. My Wharton background EARN? Wharton entrepreneurs. Events feature has been very helpful over the years. For innovative entrepreneurs, experienced If we have enough interest from alumni example, my eyes definitely don’t glaze venture capitalists and seasoned with a proven track record, we may over when some of the more complicated attorneys. Our events are large enough establish a mentor and mentee program, accounting and financial concepts pop up in to create a dynamic dialogue, yet small not just a one-off event but a six-month a deal. enough to afford up-close access. program

Second, while we’re not a networking Why did you get involved in the Club? Tell me about yourself. group, many of our events offer I have a proclivity for organizing and running excellent opportunities for I work as a general corporate attorney. groups, and I find the startup and emerging collaboration and networking. For After working at top firms in the city for growth space really exciting. At the same example, we’ve held two intragroup over a decade, I launched my own practice, time, I enjoy helping out and giving back brainstorming sessions and have the Law Offices of Ross Klenoff, a few to the Wharton community. So when the another planned for September. years ago. Running my own practice, opportunity arose, I was happy to volunteer! After a few fun exercises to get the I’m really connected to the work and my creative juices flowing, we’ll break clients. That’s not always the case at a

6 | WHARTON CLUB OF NEW YORK | WHARTONNY.COM | FALL 2014 WE-EARN The collaboration resembles the dynamic you might see back on campus. The goal is real, tangible results.

I get to meet a lot of interesting people with whom I would not otherwise connect. And my role has given me extra visibility in the Wharton community, so I’m well-positioned to help out.

Who are some of the participating WE- EARN members? I understand you’re interviewing Rajeev Jeyakumar, WG’13, Mark Hirsch, W’88, Joe Meyer, WG’97, and Melissa Shin Mash, WG’12. We have hundreds of members. I can tell you about a few of them.

Siddharth Saran, WG’04, is an active member of WE-EARN. He’s Co-Founder from the “idea phase” through to your and CFO of Tuck-It-Away, which reduces first venture capital financing. Going inefficiencies and waste in the $25 billion Maria Yuan, W’10, founded IssueVoter, a forward, we’ll continue to pull together self-storage market. It enables consumers social enterprise that gives socially active practical, value-added programs for and small businesses to optimally manage people a voice and ability to influence folks in the startup and emerging their possessions through a unique issues that matter to them. It sends their growth space, and create opportunities combination of storage and services, opinion to their representative on bills for like-minded alumni to connect. powered by an innovative technology up for vote in Congress — and they can platform. track their representative’s votes and bill What kind of positive results do you outcomes. see arising out of WE-EARN events? Diego Jimenez, WG’09, is Co-Founder and Head of Client Development for ExpertAngle, Folks have picked up team members a company that connects business What were some recent events? from events. Participants and panelists professionals with healthcare practitioners I mentioned our February event, “Emerging connect with one another. And group and industry experts directly through an Trends in Media.” In June, we had an event networking has helped connect online marketplace. called “Lessons Learned From Successes members with financing sources. (and Failures) Leading Startups and These events work because of the Robert Seo, WG’12, is CEO of Slidejoy, an Emerging Growth Companies,” where I alumni. Events are well-attended, and intelligent Android app that pays users to facilitated a panel discussion with Neil the alumni ask great questions. At the view beautifully designed ads every time Vogel, W’92, CEO of About.com, Dan same time, we have alumni who want they unlock their phones. Over time, the Gellert, WG’06, Co-Founder and CEO to help out. For example, Thatcher app learns the preferences of a user and of GateGuru, which was acquired by Bell, WG’05, Managing Director of curates a more profitable and relevant user TripAdvisor last year, and Joe Meyer. experience. Gotham Ventures, helped me organize In September, we have our next intragroup and moderate the “Emerging Trends Nadine Kahane, WG’12, is CEO of Stone brainstorming session. It will be led by in Media” event back in February. Joe & Strand, a leading online destination for Kaihan Krippendorff, W’94, who works with Meyer, former CEO of HopStop, saw unique fine jewelry, bringing the age-old leading companies to design disruptive the write-up for that event and offered relationship of a personal jeweler and client growth strategies. to be on the panel for an event we had into the modern era. It uses the convenience in June. I appreciate that kind of help. and storytelling capabilities of the Internet as In October, I’ll be presenting “Legal Boot I encourage folks to reach out to me a platform for jewelry lovers to discover the Camp for Entrepreneurs.” If you’re an at [email protected] if they’re best designs. (Nadine also participates in our entrepreneur, this event is a fantastic interested in speaking or being on a alumni discount program.) opportunity to get an overview of the panel, or they can help pull together an key legal issues you can expect to face event. ♦

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CROWDSOURCING EXECUTIVE SEARCH

Joe Meyer, WG'97 Founder: ExecThread.org JOE MEYER, WG’97, believes that securing a fulfilling executive-level job can be grueling and ineffective, even if you’re well-connected. One month after Joe launched the invitation-only nonprofitExecThread.org , several hundred executives have already signed on to share with one another the otherwise confidential job opportunities that have recently crossed their desks. Joe isn’t currently looking for a job — he’s been at Apple since last July when it acquired the firm he led as CEO, HopStop, an online city transit guide offering door-to-door subway and bus directions and maps for over 140 cities around the world. He just likes to solve problems and help people. Joe took some time to speak with us on July 8 in Manhattan.

What’s the genesis of ExecThread? with people in their network and hope that see hers. In a nutshell, ExecThread is Over the past decade, while serving at the at least one person meeting with them crowdsourcing meets executive search. director level or higher at both large and heard about a job that’s a perfect fit. It’s an invite-only network of high-caliber small companies, I began to realize that executives who agree to “give to get”! as your skills and experience increase This inefficiency in executive search is your awareness of new job opportunities why there’s often job dissatisfaction Members earn a point for each decreases. among senior executives. Executives new exec-level job opportunity they make career-altering decisions based on contribute to ExecThread, and for each Let’s say I start thinking: “Maybe I should limited information, and hence are making new member they refer. ExecThread become a CEO, CMO, COO, CFO, CRO, imperfect life-altering decisions. then acts as a clearinghouse and President, EVP or VP of another company.” disseminates all the opportunities How many current searches are there for one that members contribute to all other Can you explain how ExecThread works? of those positions? Tens of thousands? But members. And when a member how many am I aware of? A handful? And Let’s say five new job searches come looks at the key attributes provided who decides what job opportunities come across my desk each month, all interesting by ExecThread for a particular job across my desk? Not me, and often times confidential opportunities. The majority opportunity (role, level, industry, it’s decided by recruiters who don’t know me I’m not interested in for various reasons. company size/stage, etc.), and feels well nor my areas of interest! A peer might also see five opportunities it may be a good fit, the member can each month as well, but her five are likely request the hiring company name from Talk to any executive who’s ever had to find different than my five. Chances are I might ExecThread by redeeming a point. a new job. They either wait for a recruiter to like one of the jobs presented to her, and present them with a new career opportunity, she might like one of the ones presented to If a member is still interested after or had to have 20 coffee meetings per month me; but she’ll never see mine and I’ll never researching the company then he/she

8 | WHARTON CLUB OF NEW YORK | WHARTONNY.COM | FALL 2014 WE-EARN asks ExecThread for the recruiter’s name (which costs an additional point), after which the member leverages his/her own network to get introduced to the recruiter. All executives It’s a win-win for both the executive and and aspiring recruiter alike, and best of all it is pro bono (no money changes hands). Meanwhile, executives should ExecThread is the recruiters’ best friend because they get free curated referrals! proactively manage their careers — How has ExecThread progressed since they should be launch? I launched a small test in 4Q13 via email to aware of what new 50 executives — not my closest contacts, opportunities are out but two or three degrees of separation from me — and 85% of them joined. there, and regularly After I nuanced the service, one-third of the executives began submitting job ask themselves: “Am opportunities of which they were aware I still in the right role but not interested in pursuing. I brought in a technical lead, productized it and re- at the right time at launched in late June. the right company?” After a few weeks we now have hundreds of discreet exec-level job listings in the system, and are up to several hundred members, with each new member invited by a current member. We continue to see similar ratios: ~85% of those What lesson did you learn from HopStop entrepreneurs and who know what it invited become members, and over 30% that you’re applying to ExecThread? takes to be successful as a founder of members contribute job leads of • Make sure there’s a true need for the service — similar to what we did at the recent which they’re aware but aren’t pursuing. being created. Lessons Learned From Successes (and Additionally, non-job searching members Failures) Leading Start-Ups event in are now contributing job opportunities that • Stay focused on the core value proposition NYC. Everyone has good ideas, but as they’re trying to fill on their own teams. Edison said it’s 1% inspiration and 99% and on exceeding user expectations. , perspiration. You had a great run with HopStop and are • Invite and encourage feedback from your now with Apple. You could be relaxing a users, and act on their advice. JOE MEYER has been a panelist bit more. for Wharton Entrepreneurs Education My dad was a father of four sons and an • Build something before raising money. If & Resource Network (WE-EARN), EVP at a large bank. He reached a point in your v1 gets adoption then enhance it. Is and served as a judge at Wharton’s his career when he got re-engineered out of ExecThread perfect? Do I have a website or Business Plan Competition, and his job and replaced by someone younger. It an app? No! It’s email- and database-driven. also participated in the Wharton EIR took him six months to find his next role. It But ExecThread is aggregating valuable program on three occasions. happened again five years later, and it took proprietary jobs, hence why executives are Professionally, Joe served as him a year to find his next role. embracing it. GM at eBay, and VP of Business Development at Quigo (acquired I now see the same thing playing out with • If your business is data-driven, then my friends. The process that executives by AOL) before becoming CEO at structure the data if it’s not already HopStop in 2009. Since then, Joe go through to find a job, no matter how structured. When HopStop started we qualified they are, isn’t easy — it’s kind navigated the popular NYC-based had to manually curate time-tables from Web service and mobile app to grow of a maze. So I have an ambition to help each transit agency. It’s the same with executives manage their careers in a more profitably, while entering 500 new ExecThread. Do you think these jobs come cities and being consistently ranked proactive way by helping them to discover to me structured? No way! I’m doing this among the top 10 navigation apps. more job opportunities. by hand (and a little bit of automation) Joe has worked at Apple since it to match the job attributes to user Most executives, no matter how successful acquired HopStop in July 2013. preferences. they are, need more options to avoid the Crain’s New York Business sort of challenges that my father faced. How do you think the Club can help alumni recognized Joe as Entrepreneur I like helping people, and believe it or not of the Year in 2012, and Business to be better entrepreneurs? I think most executives are underserved Insider placed him as No. 9 on its when it comes to identifying new job I think the Wharton Club can help alumni 2013 Silicon Alley 100 list. ♦ – KT opportunities. by exposing them to alums who have been

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CREATING A NEW MARKET FOR CONSULTANTS

Rajeev Jeyakumar, WG'13, Co-Founder of SkillBridge:

What's your background? I grew up in the U.K., attended Oxford and then spent five years at Marakon Consulting. After it was acquired by Charles River Associates, I moved to New York City, and decided to attend Wharton.

What was your aha moment to create SkillBridge? I can tell you the moment exactly. It was in 2008, at my former consulting firm, while working on a project for an internationally renowned family- owned entertainment guide. We could serve it only as long as it could pay RAJ JEYAKUMAR, WG'13, wants to our full rates, with 50% of the fee going to our partners and overheads. If the client wanted to pay only for the actual people it needed, a manager introduce you — to yourself — just and two consultants, then it was an opportunity cost to us. I thought, 10 years younger. That is, if you "That's broken." We were turning down smaller clients that consultants have finance, strategy or marketing themselves enjoyed working for, but the economics prevented the challenges, and wish you could hire consulting firm from taking them on. someone as smart as you, he has You began SkillBridge at Wharton. How did it come together? thousands of former consultants I began taking entrepreneurship courses, and then joined the pilot and graduate students, able and program at the San Francisco campus, to experience the startup culture in the Bay Area. Our three co-founders met through the Wharton Venture ready to help. His company, Initiation Program: Brett Lewis, WG'13, who has gone on to take a SkillBridge, enables organizations full-time job, Stephen Robert Morse, C'07, now head of marketing for to hire just-in-time bright business SkillBridge, and me. consultant talent, connecting Our thought process was that, if you look at the consulting industry, there both sides of the market, while are many ex-consultants who would love to do work in their spare time. And there are companies that would love to hire them. We asked, "Why minimizing search and discovery isn't there a platform for people like us and the companies that would costs. Raj is an enthusiastic hire us?" And it's not just grad students. About 70% of MBA women who participant in WE-EARN and the leave work to raise a family have difficulty re-entering the work force. We decided to build a simple online marketplace where companies Wharton Angel Network. could connect to elite independent consultants. Our brand is built around consultants who have very high-level academic and professional experience. That was the genesis of SkillBridge.

How important has support been from the Wharton community? It has made all the difference. In 2012, we applied to the Dorm Room Fund started by Josh Kopelman, W'93, and became one of the first startups it invested in. When you start a business, people constantly say, "No." I say "Try out our service, and tell us how to make it better!" So in the beginning, getting people's time is more valuable than clients or money. In that respect, Alberto Vitale, WG'59, the former CEO of Random House, gave us a boost. He invested in SkillBridge, because he said, "I saw what happened with the publishing industry and could see it happening to the consulting industry. Our company used consultants, and I would have utilized a service like SkillBridge." [Continued on page 20]

10 | WHARTON CLUB OF NEW YORK | WHARTONNY.COM | FALL 2014 WE-EARN HOW TO BE MORE PRODUCTIVE!

Mark Hirsch, W'88 Founder of CreativeWorx

MARK HIRSCH, W’88, enjoys making things called Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Miramax and New Line Cinema, happen. At 14, he began a software firm with asking them to review day screenings. At one point while trying friends, and sold it at 16 to Software City. to reach an executive and seeing that a floor was closed to While at Wharton, Mark opened a clothing elevators, Mark stopped at the next floor, walked down a fire store at 36th Street and Lancaster, and sold escape and met the executive, who did attend the screening. it in his senior year to another Philadelphia Those efforts eventually raised $1.3 million, and Mark was retailer that would ultimately go on to promoted from volunteer gofer to co-producer! found Steve & Barry’s clothing chain. Mark went on to create one of the first interactive website Upon graduation, Mark offered to help ad agencies, started and ran a successful video technology friends in the film industry when they ran business for almost a decade, and headed up the digital media out of funding in the first week. Without practice for Adobe Global Consulting. His present enterprise, industry knowledge, but with Wharton financial CreativeWorx, is a unique data mining solution that helps smarts, Mark traveled to New York City and cold- professionals drive productivity and profitability.

Why would a firm use CreativeWorx? spend on that Word document to Client A Professional services companies, such as and Project 123, while another document Companies can legal firms and ad agencies, need to know is associated with Client B for Project 456. then say to if their projects are profitable. CFOs need While time is being captured, TimeTracker better metrics and better data to track also knows how to properly allocate the their clients: employees’ time for billing and profitability, time spent on the projects. and to understand productivity. While they Our invoices are more have metrics at the client level — they know Do people become more productive, as trustworthy, because they have X consultants working with Y they measure themselves? hours allocated — they don’t know the Yes. There is a movement called the we use TimeTracker.” profitability of each of their projects for that Quantified Self, and there are devices that client. capture, for example, your heartbeats per minute. CreativeWorx is launching round. Roughly, 50%, or 15, of our CreativeWorx TimeTracker extracts the Quantified Enterprise. We go beyond investors are Wharton grads. Several information while people work, without identifying when people have large years ago, I put in a number of hours as interrupting them. It analyzes that data blocks of uninterrupted time, to observe a user, to help construct the platform for and helps them improve their productivity. if a consultant is more productive with the Wharton Angel Network. I’m glad to TimeTracker privately tracks activities in a particular person or when working hear it is reviving. applications, calendars, browsers, GPS and on a particular kind of project. We can desktop phone systems to do this. What is the most difficult part of also articulate benchmarks, such as ramping up a company? By capturing that real-time awareness, the expected productivity within a given Even if you are a master multitasker, TimeTracker provides analytics for industry. there isn’t enough time in the day when management and the individuals Can CreativeWorx help freelancers’ focus? you’re growing a new company. It’s themselves. They can be alerted if they are still prioritization, time management — going over their time budget or if they are Absolutely. We provide a free Basic Plan for designers using Adobe Creative Cloud and with TimeTracker, I’m solving my own working on the wrong thing, by their own problem! definitions. Creative Suite products. By measuring or tracking their own time, they can improve For all of my entrepreneurial efforts prior Can you drill down a little? their productivity. to CreativeWorx, I was not married. I had A client calls in while you are working in more time to focus on my business. In Microsoft Word. Our software notices if you Describe your interaction with the WCNY. hindsight, I realize that I did not manage start working on another Microsoft Word The networking at WE-EARN has been my time most effectively. Now that I document during that call. Our system tremendous! Recently, I met an investor have kids, it’s much more important to learns how you associate the time you who, I hope, will participate in the next understand how my time is spent. ♦ – KT

READ ARTICLES ONLINE AT READWNY.COM | 11 WE-EARN MAKING CONSCIOUS CHOICES

Melissa Shin Mash, WG'12, Co-Founder, Dagne Dover

MELISSA SHIN MASH, WG'12, working at Coach and What was your path to Wharton? DEEPA GANDHI, WG'13, at Club Monaco, were both I never thought I would go to business school. I thought I could learn everything I already successful in the fashion industry. Yet they needed to know about starting a business knew two things: They wanted to create something through work experience and hands-on of their own; and they believed that attending learning. But when I looked at successful Wharton would enable them to do it. Melissa entrepreneurs in New York City, I realized how helpful an MBA was, especially for explains how they created Dagne Dover, a company people like me who hadn't had formal producing a line of sophisticated, organized business training. After seeing such talent handbags that make you feel ready for anything. at Warby Parker and Diapers.com come out

Melissa Shin Mash, WG’12, Jessy Dover, and Deepa Gandhi, WG’13 WE-EARN

of Wharton's entrepreneurial community, handbag designer from Parsons. Then keys are instead of being stressed in front and after learning about the Jay Baker I re-connected with Deepa when she of her apartment building late at night, Retailing Center, I realized it was the only joined one of my first focus groups. is huge. The fact that she knows she business school I was interested in going Both were passionate about the vision didn't leave her wallet at work, because to. and purpose of this brand and we had it's always in her wallet pocket, is great. complementary retail backgrounds. The fact that her tech isn't going to get You and Deepa didn't know each other While we worked on the business, we ruined, because her water bottle has a before Wharton? surveyed and focus-grouped over 1,000 pocket that makes it stand upright and We did, since 2007. I was at Coach in women and men from the Wharton not spill over. And these are just some of New York managing brick-and-mortar network and beyond. We also did a the handbag problems that women face and e-commerce wholesale accounts. marketing independent study with every day. We ask our customers a lot Then, I was in London in charge of Professor David Bell, took a pricing about their opinions. We want them to turning around Coach's first U.K. location. class, and went on the global modular know that they're being heard, and we're Deepa was a merchandise planner at course in China for supply chain and going to give them what they want! Club Monaco. It's funny. Because we had operations. These things directly successful careers in retail and knew impacted the Dagne Dover business What advice do you have for budding each other prior, people sometimes ask and were the ideal complement to our entrepreneurs? us, "Couldn't you two have just started previous work in the industry. Find partners with complementary this on your own without business skill sets to expand your business's school?" We tell them, "It's not just about Then Dagne Dover gained some bandwidth. It reduces ambiguity about being talented and being able to create credibility by winning the Wharton who ought to work on what part of the something — people have to have a Venture Award, a $10,000 award that business. reason to listen to us!" People pay a lot is given to five student-run companies each year. It was also the first MBA Prove that you have a market fit before more attention, because we have formal you sink a bunch of money into anything. business training from a top school, and company to receive an investment from the Wharton community supporting us. the Dorm Room Fund. Stop trying to think of the idea and just live your life, acutely aware of what's How has Wharton helped you create What keeps you going? broken in your daily routine. If something Dagne Dover? Our customers! Our customers are isn't working for you, it's likely not working While I was at Wharton, I researched so enthusiastic about our products. It for millions of other people, too. That's an designers in the New York area and changes their lives. The fact that a girl opportunity. ♦ – KT discovered Jessy Dover, an award-winning can go home, and she knows where her READ ARTICLES ONLINE AT READWNY.COM | 13 INTERVIEW

902 North Broadway in Manhattan, and then Teaching a took a fun and insightful class in storytelling. Global Community What is GA’s core value proposition? Students invest in our 10- to 12-week courses to transform themselves. They learn skills to level up in their current positions Jake Schwartz, WG’08 General Assembly teaches technology, or change the trajectory of their careers. design and business in a variety of formats We have a full-time staff whose only job CEO and co-founder that appeal to its enterprising adult students is to build a relationship with employers General Assembly and to the companies that hire them. With 11 and to help graduates on their journeys to campuses worldwide and a large presence find that job or career that will make them in New York City, General Assembly (GA) tremendously excited. That is our core value is growing by 20% per quarter. More than proposition — and we invest in it accordingly. 90% of its current base of 6,000 ‘long-form We want students to experience an course’ alumni have secured good-paying outrageous ROI on their time here, by jobs within three months of graduation, in having a successful career they love. Our hot industries, in the leading cities on the philosophy is that, when students spend 12 planet. weeks with us in a course, they are alumni CEO and co-founder Jake Schwartz, WG’08, for the next 50 years. Our mission is to build learned a ton at Wharton, loves New York a global community and provide all kinds of City and wants GA graduates to thrive. I opportunities for our alumni, for their entire interviewed Jake at GA’s campus, located at lives. That’s how we think about GA.

One on one learning at General Assembly INTERVIEW

how to scope and sell work. I had invaluable mentors, including Leslie Mitts, WG’90, who was the SBDC Director at the time. I managed to convert my knowledge into a survival strategy by helping online grocers, ebook publishers and mobile development shops. I would say that I knew how to do anything people wanted to pay me to do, and figured it out along the way. I loved New York City from the moment I first set foot here. There were all these people joining Meetups and talking about their startups in New York in a different way. I left one day per week open for entrepreneurial efforts, hoping to build up equity in something. In the process, I met Matthew Brimer and Brad Hargreaves, who wanted to build a community space for all their entrepreneur friends. Over the course of several weeks, we brought in another co-founder, Adam Pritzker, took on 20,000 Long-form course at General Assembly square feet at 21st Street and Broadway, and sold out the space to entrepreneurs and startups. Can you share GA’s secret sauce? It was one of those special situations We have skilled practitioners teaching wherein each of the co-founders brought relevant subject matter. Originally, we very different orientations, skill sets and Productivity assumed we needed professors from NYU relationships to bear. By having these four of the and Columbia to obtain that imprimatur of people focused on the company, we built credibility, but those professors uniformly more value than we could have imagined individual received the worst reviews. What we backed out of this tiny idea. Then our job became is not the issue in into was that students came to us because figuring out how to harness that momentum, we did not have professors. That was energy, cash flow and community, and turn modern society — the “aha” moment. We became a school it into something more. We began teaching of practitioners — teaching subjects that classes for the entrepreneurs and had 60 it’s the productivity did not exist 20 years ago. The education classes in one room by the time we raised system of the 20th century created an odd our Series A funding. of the team, which environment where things that were practical comes down to in nature were eschewed by academia. Describe your day as CEO. The 21st century is about making things and communication, doing things, not just thinking about them. As the CEO, my day is filled with meetings. I focus on hiring amazing people, making sure understanding and GA’s vision is consistent among these team What was your path from Wharton? members, and ensuring they are given the empathy. Upon graduation in 2008, I began working resources they need to be successful in their at a small private equity firm. I learned so roles. GA now has 260 full-time employees, much from the principals and spent time plus contractors. My job is to marshal with smart entrepreneurs in the portfolio attention to allow the organization to grow companies, but business was at a standstill, and do more amazing stuff. and there just wasn’t much for me to do. I decided to hustle for my rent money by What is GA’s approach to the enterprise consulting for all kinds of businesses in New market? There are hundreds of corporate York. I was lucky in that I had worked two training companies. years at the Small Business Development Are there really? It’s the fastest growing part Center (SBDC) while at Wharton, consulting of our company. We teach the same fields as to help local Philadelphia businesses. we do to our consumer students, leveraging My time at the SBDC was an incredibly our skilled practitioners, but in the corporate rewarding experience, because I learned context.

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are incredible complexities underneath. My experience at Wharton was incredible. My training, however, wasn’t immediately relevant for me as I started this company. Now that we’ve become a real business, with all kinds of complicated problems to solve, those frameworks that I learned at Wharton have more application all the time. I still rely on my mentors, Leslie Mitts and Eric Clemons, Professor of Operations and Information Management, who helped me negotiate that journey from working at a firm to becoming my own person and having the confidence to manage uncertainty. That came from their mentorship.

How do you see productivity? I think about productivity in terms of communication and context.

Working in a team, each person has a discipline. Team productivity can break down in communications, when members have different disciplines, We offer our Digital Immersion Program, Negotiate to Achieve Your Goals in the different vocabularies and different ways in-person, which covers topics including Real World by Wharton professor Stuart of understanding the world. When you social media, mobile and big data, with Diamond. It teaches not only negotiations bring a breadth of knowledge along with all kinds of additional modules attached. but interpersonal communication inside deep expertise to a team, it increases Our clients include JPMorgan Chase, the company. The other is Great by Choice: productivity. That idea applies in most American Express and GE, as well as Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck — Why corporate and entrepreneurial settings. smaller firms. They want tocatch up Some Thrive Despite Them All, the newest The ability to speak other peoples’ with recent shifts in marketing and book by Jim Collins, which talks about languages, whether they are technical or product development. Firms want to the disciplines you need when you are creative or business-oriented, becomes build the capability to understand and growing this fast. My favorite author of all important for you to be a member of the evaluate opportunities in-house, versus time is Neal Stephenson, a science fiction team and a leader of that environment. relying on external service providers. The writer. Everything he has ever written is corporate students range from middle prescient. Productivity of the individual is not managers to senior executives. What’s the issue in modern society — it’s the wonderful is that, after they complete the Why does Wharton have such impact? productivity of the team, which comes programs, they come back and hire our down to communication, understanding GA graduates. I do my best to help these I love to meet with recent Wharton grads, and empathy. corporate clients see our graduates for to help guide them through the waters the talented resources they are. that I had to go through myself. What we are doing at GA, besides building skills in people to do the work needed Our corporate clients also asked us to Wharton has a tough job because in today’s world, is building in people a develop an online platform to serve a it has to be a lot of things to a lot of broad perspective of the other skill sets larger part of their population, delivering different people. What makes Wharton necessary to get a job done, and the those same modules. There has been so impressive is its ability to gather that ability to work together in those teams incredible engagement and adoption at diverse group of people, with diverse to do so. That’s what we do both for the companies where we’ve launched this ambitions, and still deliver a coherent enterprises and individuals. program. The students who work in these view of the world of business. corporations are the same as those who I’ve had my Wharton classmates taking come to us from other avenues. They What I personally enjoyed at Wharton GA classes in Web development, not have the same desire — to find work that was how well-thought-out the curriculum necessarily because they want to be Web they love, that gets them excited to wake was, and how those frameworks are developers, but because they want to up in the morning. We want to welcome still meaningful to me today. There is speak that language, and understand it the finance/accounting track the game them all into our community. , for whatever role they are taking on. ♦ theory turning into the strategy and statistics track, and the human capital – KT You look like a reader. and management track. If you think of I ask every GA manager to read two business through these three frameworks, books. The first is Getting More: How to it’s not that hard on the surface, yet there

16 | WHARTON CLUB OF NEW YORK | WHARTONNY.COM | FALL 2014 INTERVIEW

Speaker Series Event: The Business of the Beatles… SUCCESSFUL BROADWAY PRODUCER AND AUTHOR VIVEK TIWARY, W’95 Tiwary Entertainment Group

Vivek J. Tiwary, W’95, shared his insights to an overflow WCNY Speaker Series crowd, on The Business of The Beatles, Broadway, and Beyond, based on his experience producing musicals like, The Addams Family. He also spoke about the lessons learned on his journey to write The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story, the New York Times #1 Best- Selling graphic novel. He recently completed the screenplay for the film adaptation and secured music rights. Vivek has taken a nontraditional path from Wharton, producing Broadway shows and entertainment, through his company, Tiwary Entertainment Group. In this follow-up interview, Vivek spoke enthusiastically about that path, the economics of Broadway, his family, and on his nationwide charity — Musicians On Call!

What did you first do when you came out alternative investment not connected to What I enjoy the most is the creative work of Wharton? the financial markets. The first project — putting the elements together, finding While at Wharton, I began working for that I worked on in theater production the director, finding the cast, thinking Sony music distribution as a marketing was Mel Brooks’ The Producers. They were about choreography, stage design. These rep in the Philadelphia area. After I convincing Mel to do it, and it was prior days, I don’t get involved in a project graduated Wharton, I moved back to to casting when I came on board. I was a where I just put financing together and New York City and started working junior producer on the show, kept my ears I’m not involved creatively. The days at Mercury Records as the head of open and my mouth shut — and I earned when I did do that was because I wasn’t alternative marketing, overseeing a staff my place at the table. I did raise money experienced enough. As soon as I had of 15 alternative marketing reps scattered for the show, and put my own money in enough experience, I would consider across the country. the show, which is Business 101 from myself more of a general producer than a Wharton — you need to have some skin financier. When you’re a general producer, in the game. A lot of producers don’t have financing is part of the responsibility. How did you start on Broadway? a business background. The traditional When I started my career in theater investor at that time was a wealthy How do you make money on Broadway? production, financing was something I individual who loved the arts, and could was good at, so it was a place to start. I use it as a tax write-off. Those were never While my personal tastes run more had come out of Wharton, so I understood the folks I talked to. My investors enjoy downtown, where I grew up, I do work business, and I knew how to explain that a coming to opening night, but they expect exclusively on Broadway, and exclusively Broadway theater investment was a wise to make money. on musicals. So if you want to make

READ ARTICLES ONLINE AT READWNY.COM | 17 … if you can’t find a job, then shift your thinking. Who needs a job? I’ll make my own job. money on Broadway, you need the following:

1. You make money when the show runs for many years, and only musicals run for many years.

2. The project must have some underlying marketability. For example, the Addams Family, a great TV brand; Green Day, which has multiple platinum albums; A Raisin in the Sun, a classic piece of literature; Spiderman — everyone around the world knows Spiderman.

3. Celebrity participation in the actor, director and composer — hopefully, all of the above.

4. I like musicals that have production costs of $12 million to $16 million, with running costs of half a million. American Idiot costs $12 million. Why so low? There were no major stars — the music was the star — and there were no crazy stage changes, no fancy costumes. The Addams Family production cost $16.5 million, on the higher end. We had Nathan Lane, Bebe Neuwirth and a number of stage What is your secret to success? persistence part is being able to deal with sets, and a huge squid came up and plow through heartbreak. I don’t think from the basement and did a Passion and persistence. To have dreams and to follow them passionately, whatever there is a passionate person in this world duet with one of the characters. who hasn’t faced heartbreak. Spiderman, at $80 million, isn’t they are. You might be told over and even in the ballpark! over again that, whatever it is you’re passionate about is foolish, isn’t lucrative What are you passionate about at this If you run these four criteria as a litmus or can’t be done. So you also need to be time? test, thinking of yourself as an investor, persistent. My current passions, outside of spending then you will rule out 95% of the shows, time with my lovely family, remain and for the ones you’re left with, it’s When you boil down passion and focused on The Fifth Beatle as we go difficult not to make money. persistence, you get discipline. If you are passionate about something and you’re into production for the feature film — for Regarding Brian Epstein, when he saw sticking with it you have to be disciplined. which I’ve written the screenplay and the Beatles, he saw a great band that had What is it exactly that you’re passionate am a producer. And I’m still happily a great message of love to share, and he about? Is it a certain kind of music? continuing to speak about the book and wanted to share it. In this area, in contrast Performing? Or being behind the scenes? champion the legacy of Brian Epstein at to my historical mentor, I follow my Don’t give up until you figure it out, and every chance I get! business acumen, learned at Wharton. then chase it. The discipline and the

18 | WHARTON CLUB OF NEW YORK | WHARTONNY.COM | FALL 2014 INTERVIEW

Your grandfather helped build up the desire to defy expectations. economy of Guyana. What did you learn Also, I am of Indian origin — and from him? young people of my ethnicity The two main things my grandfather taught were encouraged to enter fields me were: (1) you need to work for yourself; like medicine or engineering. and (2) you need to do what you love. His On top of that, I come from a family came to Guyana from India, when family with a network of many he was an infant, to seek a better life. My successful businesses who grandfather started his career in fruits do nothing in the arts and and vegetables, because his father was a entertainment. At the time, I felt farmer. At a young age, he began exporting like I was this rebellious person mangos and pomegranates to the rest and turning my back on my I can happily say that of the world, which led him to importing education, culture and family. things that Guyana needed. He wound up I am the person who I One of the great things about becoming the minister of agriculture for speaking to your alma mater want to be, and perhaps the country. Soon thereafter he realized is it forces you to look back on that he didn’t like the politics of politics, to the great disappointment of where you came from, where and decided that he could make a bigger you are today and where you that rebel, I am a product of my difference in the private sector, where he are going. I can happily say that found “the sky is the limit.” I am the person who I want to family, my background and my His first businesses were in manufacturing be, and perhaps to the great education. candy, then Indian spices and then pasta, disappointment of that rebel, I which didn’t exist in Guyana but was a am a product of my family, my very inexpensive food that Guyanese background and my education. I took their some good come out of that, apply my experience in the arts and entertainment, people could afford. The insurance and best elements and pursued my dreams, the banking sectors in Guyana were and I have done so to my personal and and give back. professional success. disreputable, so he opened a marine, My co-founder in Musicians On Call, life and fire insurance company, then a Michael Solomon, came from a similar merchant bank and a commercial bank. How does it feel to get your book place. He lost a loved one when he was He saw a need for more eco-friendly cars, published? 21, a girlfriend who may have been on so he opened a Toyota dealership. He It’s been a great joy. I’ve worked on it her way to being his fiancée. We set out helped the country launch the Guyana , literally for a decade. It’s hard to talk to to do something constructive with our Stock Exchange. All this stuff might sound , your friends for years about a project and experience, and while we were trying diverse to the point of being random, not have anything to show for it So it to come up with our big idea, we were but the common thread was they were . , was gratifying to be able to say, “Look, bringing musicians into Memorial Sloan things that the country needed. For my see here it is! I wasn’t kidding for all Kettering Cancer Center where we had grandfather, yes, it was about working — those years.” Now I am also applying it a number of contacts, and we had them for himself and doing what he loved, but , into another medium film For me that’s performing in those rec centers. it was also about ethical businesses that , . , the main reason I will talk to anyone for as supported his community and extended One night, we had a musician, Kenli long as they want to talk. It’s awesome! I family, whoever that may entail. If that Mattus, playing, and afterwards, a nurse also recognize in media and entertainment meant the entire country, then that’s what came up to us and said, “You know, that that you never know how the tides of pop it meant. So I learned a great many things was wonderful, but it’s a shame. There are culture may change, so I need to do as from my grandfather, not just business a number of patients on this floor who love much as I can, when people are interested, lessons. music and couldn’t be here, because they so I am going to — travel, talk, and be at were having a treatment, eating dinner, or every conference and festival. It’s both fun whatever the reason. Michael Solomon and Have you accomplished what you set out and the smart business thing to do. I said, “If you’ll have us, why don’t we bring to, when you entered Wharton? the musician to them?” I entered the Wharton School in 1991, and You are involved in several nonprofit at the time, I fancied myself a bit of a rebel. activities. Can you speak about one You could feel the atmosphere lighten One side of my head was shaved; on the particularly close to your heart? in those rooms. It had such a profound other side, my hair was long and green. Musicians On Call is a non-profit impact on everyone involved. There were Walking around the halls of Steinberg organization that I co-founded 15 years patients in their beds who we were later and Dietrich, I got a few looks wondering ago. Its mission is to use music and told hadn’t smiled in a week who, all of whether a West Philly punk rock squatter entertainment to complement the healing a sudden, started smiling and clapping had wandered in. But the truth was I process. Being more specific, we bring live their hands. I saw young people, as I had showed up to all my classes on time; I music to the bedsides of patients. been once, whose relatives were sick in worked my ass off; and I usually finished bed. These young people not knowing the semester in the top four or five of the I will quickly tell you the founder’s story. I how to act around their sick relatives class. I like telling that story, because I lost my mom to cancer at a young age. I would connect over the music. They would think an integral part of who I am is this wanted to do something that would make say, “Hey, mom, the music. Wasn’t that

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great?” They would all of a sudden have joke that we started our non-profit when to work at a major publishing company something to talk about and connect over. we didn’t have our two pennies to rub but can’t get a job there. OK, maybe together. Fast-forward 15 years, and you should start a publishing company. I saw nurses who were working these Musicians On Call is in Miami, Nashville, Publish one of your friends’ books and insane shifts who were tired, all of a Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Boston, and get it out there. Start somewhere. Find sudden, start laughing, smiling and other cities. We’ve been supported by a non-profit organization that supports singing. Doctors — who are often not musicians as varied as Bruce Springsteen publishers in some way, and do pro bono the most gregarious or lighthearted, nor and Britney Spears. Today, I’m still an work as a way in the door. should they be on a cancer floor with a active board member. serious job to attend to — all of a sudden, For those who are determined to be team would be poking their heads around the players, and want a job, then my advice What’s your advice to college graduates corner and smiling, laughing, dancing and would be to just stick with it. You are seeking to find a job in this economy? singing. It was a remarkable experience. coming out of Wharton, which means, To top it off, when we walked out of the My advice is to stop trying to get a job right off the bat, you are educated. You hospital that night, Kenli said that was the and create one. Figure out what your will find a job. It just might take a minute, most rewarding musical experience he passion is, and chase it with persistence. so stick with it. Although my first line of ever had. We knew that night, this is the If you want to work at a record label, and attack would be, if you can’t find a job, organization we need to start. no record label will hire you, then go start then shift your thinking. Who needs a job? a record label. Or publishing, another I’ll make my own job! – KT Neither of us had reached any major industry in big trouble right now. You love ♦ success in our fields. Michael and I would books, you love literature, and are dying

[Continued from page 10] monitor progress and record work. We bring When you have someone who was a CEO technology to the interaction between client of a major company for that long tell you to and consultant, which results in multiple ignore the naysayers, and that he would have efficiencies. For example, someone can used it, it's liquid motivation. It will keep you look at a consultant's LinkedIn profile and going when you are working on your birthday use that to hire him or her. This person will and Thanksgiving. When people do that for ask, "How many people I know, know this me, I try to pay it forward to undergraduates person?" That's real-world social validation, asking for advice. online! This generation wants an interface When where they can go online, filter it and get it Wharton Professor David Bell invested in straight away. you have SkillBridge and gave us a lot to think about. He talks about the digital experience of real- They trust it. They know what to look for, someone world dynamics. Consulting has a real-world and they want to directly do it themselves, face-to-face element. How do you translate not wait for HR, or after two or three weeks who was a CEO of that into a digital experience? of meetings for coffee or drinks. We are consulting for the Internet Age. Consultants a major company And we have been lucky to serve companies love SkillBridge. They tell us, "Just getting for that long tell founded at Wharton, like ChargeItSpot, Lead paid on time, and not having to talk to clients Edge Capital and Warby Parker. about money, are worth the 20% fee." you to ignore the My observation on Wharton is that, naysayers, and whereas Stanford startups tend to focus on What is your experience with the WCNY? consumer products, like a skateboard with First of all, I think it's fantastic! Our team has that he would electric power, Wharton is perfectly suited to attended WE-EARN events, and on June 25, I focus on B2B issues like finance, business pitched at the Club's Wharton Angel Network have used it, it's development and marketing, which may not Demo Day. These bring together the Wharton liquid motivation. be as sexy as consumer products, but are alumni in New York City who are building ripe for innovation. new businesses and are able to exchange It will keep you ideas, capital and advice. The experience What is SkillBridge's value proposition? was helpful as practice for pitching an idea going when you Elite consultants quickly and in bite-sized to new people, and was informative in seeing are working on chunks! The typical SkillBridge project can be what questions people had — more prompt kicked off within two to three days and lasts and constructive feedback would make it your birthday and about four weeks. Our algorithm and filters even better! It's also a great way to see what choose the right consultant for your project. other Wharton entrepreneurs are working on Thanksgiving.” and how you can help each other. ♦ – KT Our communication tools allow you to CLUB MINDFULNESS IS POSITIVELY POWERFUL!

Due Quach, WG’06 Founder of Calm Clarity

WCNY’s Special Interest Speaker then to Wharton. This was “the why” behind her own Series hosted an event titled search to create tranquility from trauma. “Calm Your Mind, Think Clearly Due is currently teaching her Calm Clarity program in Philadelphia high schools and colleges to show and Be a Better Person” on July young people how to manage stress in healthy 24. A sizable crowd attended, ways and improve focus, resilience and well-being, confirming the notion that New to give back. She also Yorkers may indeed feel stressed wants to teach executive teams in New York to clear out! Due Quach, WG’06, of Calm their minds, create calm, Clarity energized attendees think clearly, improve their through several exercises. focus and be better people, and thus better leaders. First, we partnered up to share four positive experiences, such as your favorite food and your Due compared and favorite song. I learned that Idehen (I.D.) Aruede, contrasted executives and WG’06, Chief Financial Officer of the Whitney West Philly students: “Both Museum of American Art, likes nothing better than are faced with chronic to have a leisurely meal, sitting by himself in an stress. They experience outdoor café, to read, think and watch the world go triggers throughout the day by. that keep them in a fight- or-flight state. This takes Next came exercises such as smiling, which makes a toll on their cognitive us happier. It works, as Due explained, because, functions and emotional “Thinking doesn’t just happen in your brain — it regulation, which leads happens in your body as well. You can’t isolate to difficulties controlling thoughts from emotions and sensations!” impulses and increases the risk of depression, The main attraction was ‘compassion meditation’, substance abuse and other which is named thus, “Because you generate compulsive behaviors. The difference between feelings of loving-kindness and compassion. The these two groups is the triggers themselves and way the meditation works is, you are going to the buffers available to them. The challenges most start by verbalizing positive wishes for yourself, executives face are usually not life-threatening, the people in your life and then all people. Then and they have access to a wealth of resources you try to have a feeling comparable to what an that buffer stress. West Philly kids are exposed ideal mother would have for her child. The wishes to dangerous situations and have very thin or are very benevolent.” After being guided in the nonexistent buffers.” meditation with eyes closed, for about 10 minutes, everyone was smiling — and no, nobody snored. Listen to Due lead a 12-minute meditation, and read an extensive profile and interview with her at Due also shared her personal journey from escaping www.readwny.com under the Social Impact tab. ♦ Vietnam with her family in a boat to refugee camps, to inner-city Philadelphia, to Harvard College and

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JAY BAKHRU, WG’04 Affinity Chair of Wharton Education Network

Jay Bakhru, WG’04, was recently asked to be the Affinity Group Chair of the Wharton Education Network (WhEN). WhEN brings together New York- metropolitan-area alumni who are working in the education sector or have an interest in that area. Jay was the 2010 Co-Chair of the WCNY’s Wharton Alumni Business Plan Competition . Jay is enthusiastic in getting the word out about WhEN to interested alumni.

JAY BAKHRU What is the goal of WhEN? months. In June, we co-hosted an event Education is the second biggest sector on public-private partnerships with the in the U.S. economy and continues to Government Relations Committee, and Jay Bakhru is Director of Strategic grow. New opportunities arise every day, are planning a social on September 17 Marketing at Educational Testing and we want to support Wharton alumni (keep an eye on the Events Calendar on Service (ETS). In his current role, to thrive in this sector. Our goal is to be the Club website). Readers interested in he focuses on the intersection a network for ideas and knowledge that finding out more can contact me atjay. of business strategy, marketing will help our members better run their [email protected]. and public policy in the education companies, identify new opportunities, industry. or obtain better results from their Why are you interested in education? Prior to ETS, he worked in a variety investments in the education market. My interest in education is longstanding of strategy and marketing roles: — it is a root cause sort of thing that, Founder and CEO of Language How has the response been to your if you start with education and get it Tailor, Senior Vice President outreach? right, then it can have this outsized of marketing in Citigroup’s effect on solving some of the most Global Consumer Division, and The response has been terrific so far. management consultant in We have about 30 active members and significant challenges in the world. I Deloitte’s corporate strategy are looking to grow the group over the started my career as a middle school practice. next few months. The individuals in the English teacher in Osaka, Japan. The group are phenomenal — personally and role was a natural extension of the ESL Jay has a BA from Brown professionally — and are very passionate teaching and tutoring I had done as University and an MBA from the about the education sector. It’s also an undergraduate student at Brown Wharton School at the University a diverse group with professionals University. I enjoyed my time as a of Pennsylvania, and is pursuing working in financial services, publishing, teacher and grew to appreciate how an MA in education policy from higher education, non-profits and so important it is for students to have great Teachers College at Columbia on. So far this year, we’ve sent out a teachers (and how truly difficult it is to University. Jay lives with his wife survey to potential members to better be one!). The opportunity to work with and two-year-old son in Princeton, understand their interests, and we plan like-minded Wharton alumni is a natural New Jersey. on hosting an event about every two outgrowth of that interest. ♦

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SOCIAL MARKETOLOGY — A FRAMEWORK FOR SOCIAL THE INEVITABLE CITY: THE RESURGENCE OF NEW MEDIA MARKETING STRATEGIC PLANNING ORLEANS AND THE FUTURE OF URBAN AMERICA Digital Marketing Speaker Series Event Speaker Series Event Wednesday, September 10, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, September 17, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. Location: Midtown (address emailed to all registered Location: Midtown (address emailed to all registered guests prior to the event) guests prior to the event) Ric Dragon, author of Social Marketology: Improve Your Scott Cowen, President of Tulane University, speaks on Social Media Processes and Get Customers to Stay Forever, his book, The Inevitable City. provides a framework that creates a customized social LOCATION IS (STILL) EVERYTHING media marketing strategy that has a business’s desired outcomes at its core. Speaker Series Event Thursday, September 18, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. SPECIAL AND SOCIAL EVENTS COMMITTEE PRESENTS SEPTEMBER HAPPY HOUR Hear Wharton Professor David Bell speak on his book Location Is (Still) Everything: The Surprising Influence of the Monday, September 15, 2014 at 6:30 p.m. Real World on How We Search, Shop, and Sell in the Virtual 230 Fifth Avenue (between 26th and 27th Streets), New One — which is about how the real and virtual worlds York, NY 10001 connect. Register at www.whartonny.com/article.html?aid=2227. 2014 JOSEPH WHARTON AWARDS DINNER Thursday, October 2, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. Location: Metropolitan Club at 1 East 60th Street, New York, NY Come honor Robert Crandall, WG’60, Alex Gorsky, WG’96, Durreen Shahnaz, WG’95, Neil Blumenthal, WG’10, and David Gilboa, WG’10, GEN’10.