Entrepreneurship Strategy and Innovation

Lessons learnt and Memories from the USA trip

/ Julia Devaux

In my two previous blog posts, I shared about what we did during our 10-day trip to Boston and New York. In this blog, I would like to share how this experience enhanced my student academic life and career decisions. Throughout the trip there were various instances where we were able to put into practice and further understand what we learnt in class.

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One of the interesting lessons from the trip was from the visit to Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), a private research university in Massachusetts. The motto of the university was “Lehr and Kunst” which translates to “Theory and Practice”. This was often repeated by the staff throughout our tour of the university and during the talks presented by the staff members.

This is a concept that is repeated in Entrepreneurship 101 classes where it is given utmost priority especially during the reflection essay pieces as well as assignments. We were encouraged to connect the theory we learnt in classes to the practical examples delivered by guest speakers and field trips to businesses.

Besides that, during the talks we were given more insights into crowd funding such as ‘Kick Starter’ and ‘Indiegogo’ especially the talk given by a professor in Boston University regarding the startup ecosystem in the Massachusetts Bay. Besides that, one of the professors on game development in WPI, Jennifer deWinter also shared about how one of the students in WPI created a successful business in game development using crowd funding.

This is directly related to the theme of the class in Week 16 where we learnt about alternative source of funding in startups.

We were also given valuable career advice during the trip. During our visit to Dyn, we received advice from the head of recruitment herself regarding importance of tailoring our CV’s with the values of the companies were are applying to and the importance of passion and enthusiasm for the job we are applying to. Besides that, Kyle York who was the Chief Marketing Officer of Dyn shared the importance of planning your career from the start. This was very helpful to us first years in addition to career advice that we were given during the workshop by Kat Price Edwards, Lancaster University Management School’s (LUMS) career advisor. We were also able to apply what she taught us about having an elevator pitch during the various networking sessions part of the Lancaster alumni events. Furthermore, we have also been told to open a LinkedIn account by various guest speakers in class. Robert Leggett from Omni especially stressed the importance of LinkedIn and encouraged us all to open an account. This was constant throughout the trip when every speaker from companies that we visited asked us to connect with them on LinkedIn afterwards.

This trip was also an eye opener in terms of career pathways. Coming from a business background, I did not consider a career in technology. After visiting various companies in this field such as Dyn and Acquia, I am more interested in this field and will be applying for a summer vacation scheme in this field as well!

This trip was even more memorable because of the friendship and connection I made with new friends from all the over the world! Besides networking with a group of like-minded people, the diversity in the group of students was wonderful! We were fortunate to learn about China, Norway, and Nigeria without travelling to any of these countries.

To sum up, my global exploration to USA was truly an enriching learning experience and I would recommend everyone to experience a LUSU global exploration!

Throwback

/ Thea Nygaard

I’m now back in Lancaster. Thinking back on this trip it’s still a bit unthinkable all the things I’ve just experienced. We got to do so much during these ten days. Travelling to New York and Boston as a tourist would have been great, but we got to do so much more than that.

Of all the people going on this trip I only new who three of them were. From the shared bathrooms in the hostel in Boston I learned that even though the ability to speak any words of meaning between 6 and 7 am might be challenging to some, there is no bonding like the one taking place while brushing your teeth and getting ready in the morning. Small talk is inevitable. Even though people from the PPR and IEED departments to some extent has different activities planned, we still spent a lot of time together, and I’ve gotten to know some great people from PPR as well. We for sure all have something in common. For one we’ve made some similar decisions; we’re all a part of one of these two departments, signalling that we have some common areas of interests. Secondly, of all the people in these departments we are the ones that chose to apply for this trip, and were lucky enough to experience this trip.

We have had the chance to meet some very innovative, inspiring, entrepreneurial businessmen and women. Great people I’m confident I would not have met and connected with if it wasn’t for this trip. The idea and importance of networking and creating my own personal network has become even more interesting. Even though it sometimes seems as they are a part of a different world than I am, they are really not. At this time I can probably benefit more from them than they can from me, but some day that might change, or maybe some day someone will find me a beneficial contact. By traveling with not only my own department, but with PPR, I’ve had the chance to network and get to know some people I most likely wouldn’t have met if not for this trip.

We’ve had talks that relate to my course in entrepreneurship, but also my minor; design and my major; management and organisation. We’ve met people for whom concepts as business plans, start-ups, crowd funding, business models, angel investment is a part of their daily working life, not just something you read about in a book or an article. But it’s not just relevant to me academically, but to me in general, to me personally. Being a student, every activity I do, whether it’s directly linked to my studies or if it’s doing sports, or travelling, it’s all a part of who I am.

All the events and happenings have given me such inspiration. I sit here now back at Lancaster University with ideas; ideas and thoughts that have turned into plans for what I want to do in the future or with my future. It makes me see what I need to do now to make those plans happen. I don’t necessarily need to do everything that I have planned to (written or non-written), but being aware of some of the things I want to do, and to dream, for me leads to the act. My plans may change as I go. It does not mean that my initial plans or planning was bad, just that things happen and things change and no matter how much we try to control different aspects of our lives we will never fully be in control.

TN SOLThis is how I feel right now; free and ready (not green) to make my dreams come true. It’s cliché, but true.

To travel and experience new things in general makes me realise all the opportunities I have here at Lancaster University – everything from attending different talks and events, to meeting new people, to networking and in general gain new experiences. Also all the opportunities they offer for me to be able to step outside of campus to gain new experiences to travel, just like this trip. Money and time spent has been a more than worthy investment (included shopping).

I’ve met some truly wonderful people, and this trip will stay with me as long as my memory may stay intact.

Adventure in the City That Never Sleeps!

/ Julia Devaux

New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made
 of. There’s nothing you can’t do, now you’re in New York.

As our coach driver announced that we are in New York, Alicia Keys and Jay Z’s ‘Empire State of Mind’ was on replay in my head! We were finally in New York City after a 4 hour-long coach journey. Our hotel was right in the middle of Midtown opposite Madison Square Garden. Soon after checking in our rooms, we headed out for a stroll down Times Square. The brightly adorned billboards and skyscrapers felt like dejavu for the countless times these streets were featured in blockbuster movies.

Times Square

The first day in New York was a free day and we had a lot planned out! We explored the whole of New York City with the Big Bus Tour. It was a hop on hop off tour; therefore we could stop over at any points of interests. We started our adventure by stopping at a river cruise to see the famous symbol representing the United States, the statuesque Lady Liberty herself! The river cruise included a magnificent view of the Brooklyn Bridge and magnificent Manhattan skylines. Central Park was our next stop. It was indeed a breath of fresh air in the hustle and bustle of New York City! The calm blue lake by the Strawberry Fields was my personal favorite spot of the day.

On day 2, we visited one of our own Lancaster alumni, Gian Fulgoni – the founder of ComScore, a digital marketing company. He shared about how ComScore was founded and one of the interesting takeaways from his message was for us to understand the importance of leveraging technology and constantly think of how to leverage it regardless of which field we are pursuing. Besides that, he talked about the importance of bias for action for entrepreneurs. We were indeed proud of his achievements and were inspired by Gian’s startup story.

Later that evening, we were invited to a Lancaster alumni event at the New York Times Building. We were thrilled to be at the 43rd floor overlooking the stunning view of New York’s famous buildings. We had the opportunity to interact with Lancaster alumni from around New York. Being an accounting student, I was thrilled to meet a Lancaster University Business Economics alumnus who is currently working in assurance at PwC. She was generous to share insights and advice about the world of accounting and the Big 4’s.

Day 3 was another exciting day visiting Kaneka, a leading technology oriented Japanese manufacturing company involved in chemicals, functional plastics, synthetic fibers etc. We were given insights into the company culture besides an overview of what they manufacture. It was interesting to hear about the corporate culture of a Japanese company based in New York.

Later on, we visited the 9/11 Museum and Memorial, which was emotionally overwhelming especially witnessing the personal stories of friends and families of victims as well as the personal belonging of victims such as the dusty shoes from the day of the event. One of the quotes on the wall of the memorial that struck a chord with me was Virgil’s ‘No day shall erase you from the memory of time’. Later that afternoon, we visited Santander who was the main sponsor of our trip. A representative from Santander Universities shared with us the inspiring work they do with Borough of Manhattan Community College.

Day 4 was my personal favorite! A trip to the United Nations including a tour and a guest speaker sharing insights into working in the United Nations. Working for UNICEF has always been one of my dreams and this visit particularly strengthened that aspiration. We were also able to stamp our passports with a United Nations stamp, which we were all very excited about.

On the last day, we spent our time shopping and exploring some more of New York City! It was truly an incredible experience and Lancaster University Student’s Union (LUSU) ‘Your Global Exploration’ made it happen! Part 3 of this blog series will share my personal favorite moments and the lessons learnt from this trip.

New York, New York

/ Thea Nygaard

Finally, New York! I’d be lying if I say I’m not excited to be here. Not just the fact that I personally have gotten to experience “The Big Apple”. We’ve been behind the scenes; visited companies, interacted with people living and working here and experienced and seen more than we would if coming here as tourists.

We stayed in Hotel Pennsylvania, just across Madison Square Garden and a short walk from Times Square. It’s strange to personally see and experience this city, as it’s a city I as so many others have seen and experienced only through different media. Some girls and Iwent on a guided bus tour, Uptown, Downtown and a ferry out to see The Statue of Liberty. It took a couple of hours, or more like a day, but we got to see a lot more of New York, geographically speaking, than we would’ve by walking. The view from the ferry was magnificent! You got to see the city from a distance and see how all the buildings just were set on a perfect line with the water right below. Still walking around is one of the best ways to get to know a new place.

TN NYC

As in Boston we’ve been very lucky with the weather, so sunny, and perfect for walking. Before going back to Lancaster we had some free time. I decided to take it easy and solely enjoy the city, walk and have good food. My favourite thing is the High Line, a public park built on an old rail line elevated above the streets. The special view, you get to walk through the city in a different way, with a industrial feeling surrounded by trees and spots of grass and flowers. Also a trip to Central Park, and pancakes on the steps of Metropolitan Museum of Art made my trip complete. There is still so much I could have done, but I don’t think it’s possible to get though all the things you plan to while in New York, there is so much to see and do. Even though I tried, there would not have been enough time, and there might never be. Surprisingly enough I did very little shopping, for the same reason as just mentioned; there was so many others things I’d rather do.

We visited some more companies; Kaneka, a producer of chemical products, comScore an Internet technology company, paid a gratitude visit to Santander and went to a event with alumni from Lancaster University now in New York. Still the companies and people delivered. I love the way we get an insight into the world that we in not too many years could be a part of. We also had some more “touristy” activities planned, as the 9/11 Memorial and to the United Nations Visitor Centre.

Our days in the US are coming to an end. I’ve seen some great buildings, met some great people, had great food, experienced so much I never thought I would, and best of all I got to share all this, all these moments, with the great group of people I travelled with. Coming to a city as famous as this comes with some expectations, and New York definitely delivered!

Boston – No regrets so far

/ Thea Nygaard

We’ve now spent 5 whole days in Boston. It has been a great couple of days. It’s been busy; all the planned activities, all the places we’ve been, and last but not least all the things planned to get through during the set free time. Looking back the hassle is definitely worth it.

I was a bit concerned about the seven hours long flight. Even though it was split up because we went through London, it’s still the longest flight I’ve ever been on. To be fair I enjoyed it. Got time to do everything I usually try to fit into a normal 2-hour flight. I slept, ate, listened to music, did some schoolwork, watched the halves of some films, some TV episodes of ‘Friends’ and ‘Live at the Apollo’ (a small screen with a choice of media did help the time pass by). To not seem too antisocial I should mention that I also had time to get to know some of the other people going on this same trip.

The view from where we stayed; 40 Berkeley; a hostel in South End, Boston, fairly centrally located. The rising sun at 6am.

TN Boston

My favourite activity so far is definitely our visit to Dyn and Acquia, both companies working in a sector dealing with web content management/ infrastructure. We were given some insight into how they ended up where they are today, some individual stories, entrepreneurial ups and downs, also into the sector and how the companies are run. One of the offices felt like being inside a small scale Google workplace. It was set in an old industrial building in Manchester, New Hampshire. Free, unlimited amounts of coffee, innovative and creative working space engaging the employees, a gym, a small indoors golf court, a corner showing off the newest of the company’s newest merchandise, and the next upcoming thing; a meeting room with a climbing wall. What is there not to like? Now there is hope for the existence of the workplace of my dreams.

One day we did a guided tour around Boston University, including a very delicious lunch in their big cafeteria. 2 stories of food and people; think I’ve never before seen so many different foods and people in one place at the same time. We also paid a visit to Worcester Polytechnic Institute, about one and a half hour bus ride from Boston. They focus on science and engineering, but also mixes it with entrepreneurship, which is a very interesting mix. Got to see some of their on-going robotic projects as well. In the end we had a nice lunch with talks from staff and also got introduced to the president and vice president of the entrepreneurship club (as student societies in the UK).

During our stay we also had a formal dinner and networking event with alumni from Lancaster University. A great way to see where we might be some years ahead. Have had some time to be a tourist here as well – seen some attractions, visited parks, done some shopping, visited a food market, and last but not least paid Harvard University a visit. The weather has been lovely too. It’s been cold; as in mittens and down jacket, even though some felt a t-shirt would do! But the sun’s been out most of the time, and I wore sunglasses for the first time this year! Our visit to the Cheesecake Factory should also be mentioned. A lot of cake in one piece! Some of us also went to a basketball game, Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat. There is a lot going on and it’s a great experience, even for those not to fond of watching “normal” sports.

I have met so many fun, lovely people on this trip. Before going I’d only met three of them, and now I have gotten to know so many more. The staff and business people we’ve had the chance to meet has provided me with more theory and practice relating to my studies, but also for me personally. The places we’ve seen, all the nice buildings, everything has been very good. It has all inspired me very much, and now on my way to New York I’m eagerly scribbling ideas and future plans. I can’t wait to see what this famous city has to offer.

Exploring the Athens of America

/ Julia Devaux

A bundle of mixed emotions engulfed me as I made my way to the train station en-route to Manchester airport for our flight to Heathrow. I was nervous, as I did not know anyone travelling on this trip except for a few familiar faces. As soon as I reached the train station, there were already a few fellow travellers. As we began chatting, the nervousness slowly turned into excitement as I realized all of them were in the same boat as me! It was a relieving to find out that most of them were very friendly!

After a good long 12 hours, we landed in Boston and were greeted by a very chilly evening. Another hour long journey until we reached 40 Berkeley- home for the next 5 days! We were all really tired and it was not until the next morning it hit me that we are finally here!!

Having always wanting to visit this country, I was grateful for this opportunity. This trip was a bonus as not only it is a chance to visit America but also learn about entrepreneurship in the most innovative country in the world!

The first day of our trip was a visit to Boston University, a large private university in the heart of the city. In the United States, education system is different from the United Kingdom where most universities are private. We were given a special tour around the university during which the staff shared more about Boston University. We were told that about half of the student population in Boston University engages in study abroad programs, which was impressive! It was fascinating to observe the diversity of old and new buildings around the campus. After the university tour, we had the opportunity to have lunch at the student cafeteria. There was an array of dishes from Asian cuisine to Mexican dishes served there and we were left free to indulge our taste buds!

Later in the day, we were invited to a Lancaster alumni event, which was held at the Boston University Castle. We heard an engaging talk by a professor in Boston University on the startup ecosystem as well as venture capitalists. He highlighted the recent technological ventures around the area and some of the technological developments he finds interesting such as educational technology. It was such an honor meeting Lancaster alumni who were so generous in sharing their experiences with us!

Day 2 was another university visit to Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Before visiting the actual campus itself, we visited an outstanding innovation space, Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives (MBI). MBI provides affordable office and lab spaces, support and potential for commercialization for innovators. WPI is one of the pioneers in project-based learning and it also offered the first robotics-engineering program in the United States being the epicenter of robotics in the nation! It was truly a thrilling experience in WPI to witness the intersection between entrepreneurship with biomedical sciences and robotics! We also had the opportunity to interact with the President and the Vice President of the Entrepreneurship Society at WPI over lunch where they shared more about how student life is in the US and entrepreneurship events at WPI.

WPI

Our trip continued on day 3 with a visit to two outstanding businesses in this area; Dyn and Acquia. New Hampshire is an area with rich entrepreneurial history and one of the most successful being McDonalds that was founded here by Richard and Maurice McDonald! Both these visits provided us with massive insights into the technological companies Massachusetts is renowned for. Dyn focuses on traffic management as well as works on creating an optimal user experience on the internet. Their impressive client list includes the likes of Twitter, Spotify and LinkedIn. We also were fortunate to receive career advice from the recruitment leader as well as the chief marketing officer of Dyn over lunch. Acquia, another successful business is a company that provides support for open source web content management platform, Drupal. This essentially means they allow large operation launch websites such as Olympics, Al-Jazeera, Grammy’s and even Lady Gaga’s website! We were also given an in depth talk on how Acquia started from the initial phase market research to pricing criteria – a real example of how a software company develops and expands.

Day 4 was a fun-filled free day to explore the city of Boston!

A trip to Boston would not be complete without walking down the Freedom trail, which was a 4.0 km path through Boston that passes by 16 significant historical locations. We had so much fun being our own tour guides walking down the Freedom trail and taking turns to read about the historical significance of each location along the way.

We later had lunch Faneuil Hall that was part of the Freedom Trail which now operates as an indoor/outdoor mall and food eatery. The wide array of selection was a delight that includes dishes from every part of the world!

Day 5 was a relaxing day for us where we started with some shopping at Newbury Street- a street lined with historic 19th century brownstones with hundreds of shops and restaurants! We later visited one of the most famous universities in the world- Harvard University! The picturesque view of the buildings along the Harvard Yard was a magnificent sight and we later stopped by at the famous Harvard Bookstore.

All in all, the 5 days in Boston was truly an exciting learning adventure filled with picturesque views, valuable business insights and certainly great fun! Our USA trip continues with Part 2: Adventure in the City that Never Sleeps!

Pre-departure, destination USA

/ Thea Nygaard

Tomorrow I’ll be taking my first step on the American continent; a small (invisible) step for mankind, one big step for me. The trip goes under the name ‘Your Global Exploration’, and is arranged by Lancaster University Students’ Union at the beginning of the Easter vacation. I’ll be traveling with a group of other students from the Management School and the Departments of Politics, Philosophy and Religion, to Boston and New York, taking advantage of the contacts Lancaster University has to offer as a global university. Yes, it does not get much better than that.

I have never been presented with so many opportunities as I do here at Lancaster University. I remember being overwhelmed by this the first term, but at the same time I see how a great thing it is, that I get the chance to try basically anything I could dream of. This opportunity was one of those that just lit up. Straight away I knew; I needed to get on this trip. This is an amazing opportunity for me as a first year student, the chance to get real life insight and experience within my academic department to enhance my academic experience in the company of fellow students. I’m excited to experience the country, the people and the cultures(s) (food, shopping, and the list goes on). Even just going to a place like New York, which you so many times have seen on the screen, it seems unreal. It’s like when you meet a celebrity on the streets and you’re reminded that they live amongst us. Now I get to see and make up my own opinion about the city and all that comes with it.

I have been on a similar academic related trip before, to Brussels. I remember how inspired I was, how it fuelled me; gave me further insight into business life, international companies, and made me realise the importance of communication and connections (international network) across borders. The insight I gained back then also helped me with making decisions regarding my choice of future studies and carrier. This is what I expect this trip will do to, that it will let me peek into the world of business people and their businesses. I can already picture myself, all excited and bubbly after returning to Lancaster. (Hopefully the buzz will energize me through summer term revision and exams.) Before I’d think: yes, I might go to the US some time during my lifetime, but most likely no time in the near future. Mostly because of the expenses like the flight and the shortage in nulls displayed on my bank account, but the fact that the trip is sponsored (by Santander) changes the whole picture. It makes this an affordable trip, not forcing me to live on oats for the next year.thea 1

Packing and planning is to some extent a necessary phase to every trip. I started the day before; not my best idea so far. Because I leave straight from Lancaster Uni, there’s certain things that’s just gonna be more of a hassle than usual. Had I planned a bit more in advance the chances for a functioning luggage scale and money saved on a cabin bag, would probably been increased. Still the hassle is worth it. When the biggest downside is living in the unknown of how many kilos I can add to my suitcase on the way back from the US, without crossing the 23kg limit, I would say I’m doing all right. Note to self: start packing and planning before the day before. Same rule applies to coursework.

Very much looking forward to these next following days of my very own ‘Your Global Exploration’, and to share these with the group I’m traveling with.

United States of America; here I come!