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2001 Interns
Please review current and previous internship projects and look at what past interns have to say about their experience:
Tom Seiler, MBA Class of 2001
“My interest in the TechStart program was based on a desire to work with start-ups. Before business school and during business school, I worked at large companies. The TechStart program provided the perfect opportunity to work in a small company environment. Another important factor in deciding to work at TechStart was my interest in technology. Each company in the program is attempting to commercialize technology and whether a person goes to a large company or a small company, being part of such a process is invaluable.
I found the experience to be very worthwhile and illuminating. One important lesson that I left the program with is that starting a business, or launching a product, is very difficult. It's not just about technology, but about customers and their needs, how the products are sold, how they are distributed, etc. Understanding how to think about these questions is why I came to business school. The TechStart experience has provided an excellent environment for practical application of classroom learnings. I recommend the program to those looking for a real world experience with small, technology driven companies.”
Tom is a graduate of the US Air Force Academy and had worked for Lockheed Martin and then at Anderson Consulting as an IT consultant prior to joining the MBA program at Michigan.
Larry LaVanway, Law School Class of 2003
“I was expecting a great experience when I first joined the TechStart Program, and that's exactly what I received. My background is very inter-disciplinary, and the TechStart Program allowed me to continue down that vein. I was able to work closely with founders of companies ranging from medical imaging to cancer therapeutics...doing everything from building their intellectual property portfolio to determining their budget and cost projections. I was also able to participate in the Ann Arbor IT Zone Boot Camp for business plans, a seminar on obtaining SBIR grant funding, and several other strategy planning meetings for area start-up companies. Most of all, however, I enjoyed being with the talented and dynamic people who worked with me every day. Exposure to people with other backgrounds such as MBA students, engineering students, and computer science students allowed me to appreciate the value of having different viewpoints contribute to a project. Overall, I'm very happy that I chose to spend the summer with TechStart program, and I would highly recommend it to other graduate level students looking for a dynamic experience involving
technology and business.”
Larry's background is in the life sciences and biotechnology. He has a BS in biology from Albion College. He has done graduate work at Wayne State University in pharmacology, microbiology and neuroscience, and has a masters degree from the Northwestern University Center for Biotechnology. Larry also has worked as a patent paralegal.
Tina Bissell, School of Information
“The TechStart program provided a wonderful opportunity to expand my professional experience particularly in the area of business consulting. TechStart interns worked in teams as consultants to UM faculty spinning off technology start-ups from their research activities. I was privileged to work with a group of faculty from computer science engineering and the School of Education who have developed educational software and related curricular materials. Among other things, I did competitive research and analysis, reviewed publishing contracts with an eye towards our clients' needs, and helped write a detailed business plan to be used in their venture capital fund raising.
I also worked on the UM Tech Transfer web site. I researched best practices in tech transfer sites, developed their information architecture, advised on navigation and labeling issues, edited content, and constructed a controlled vocabulary of research and technology terms to improve the site's organization and search capabilities.
The interdisciplinary nature of the TechStart program was invaluable. I learned a great deal from working with MBA, Law and Engineering graduate students as well as some fellow School of Information students. There was a great deal of sharing and brainstorming between the groups (plus some fun socializing!). We were invited to join several Ann Arbor IT Zone activities. The permanent staff of the Tech Transfer office was welcoming and supportive. I would recommend this internship program highly to other SI students seeking actual experience with start-ups in a great environment.”
Tina also holds an MA in the History of Art from the University of Michigan. She was the Associate Curator of the UM Department of the History of Art's Visual Resources Collections for several years and then joined the consulting firm Argus Associates, Inc. as an Information Architect.
Shesh Sharma, MBA Class of 2001
“I graduated with the MBA Class of 2001 and accepted a job offer with A T Kearney Inc, a Management Consulting Firm. My start date was postponed to 2002, which gave me a perfect opportunity to explore and learn about entrepreneurial opportunities through TechStart summer internship. My work focused on assessing the state of the Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) industry in the US, specifically focusing on the competencies of the state of Michigan in this area. A portion of the study included developing commercialization strategies for Michigan to compete in this MEMS landscape. We interviewed directors of various MEMS research organizations, the CEO of Ardesta and others to obtain their perspectives and inputs regarding the challenges of commercializing MEMS.
It was a unique industry review project that was challenging and educative as we were forced to develop arguments on how MEMS is different from integrated circuits (IC) and why it has not been successful commercially like the IC industry despite its development about 20 years ago. The project helped shape our thinking and understanding of the MEMS industry structure. It gave me an opportunity to work with students from non-business background. As part of the Ann Arbor IT Zone Boot Camp, we were also involved in helping early stage start-up companies develop successful business strategies. This gave me an opportunity to network with the growing entrepreneurial and VC community of Ann Arbor.
Anyone with an entrepreneurial interest in the short or long-run should consider working in TechStart to get a first hand experience at commercializing a business idea or project and to develop the business community network. Working on start-up projects that are so close to ground zero and have very little definition is very challenging and pushes one to think beyond the skills and talents one has developed through the business school education and any prior work experience.
The TechStart team is very friendly and easygoing and it is fun working with them. It was great working with program coordinator Mark Maynard, who was very supportive and helped us in our projects besides treating us to the occasional free lunch!”
John Tozzi, MBA
“The TechStart internship allowed me to actively participate in the creation of a new business. I worked with the company founders and a team of other graduate students developing the strategy and writing the business plan for Thinking Bridges, an educational curriculum and software development company. We learned first hand about the ups and downs of an early stage start-up company.
Throughout the summer I was able to meet and work with a number of local entrepreneurs and businesses. The TechStart program provided real world exposure to start-up companies and the Ann Arbor business community.”
John holds an Economics degree from Santa Clara University and previously worked as an equity analyst for Cambridge Investments Ltd, a hedge fund with approximately $1 billion in assets under management.
Jonathan White, MBA Class of 2001
I entered business school with the intention of gaining some first hand knowledge of the business formation process. My internship with UM Tech Transfer allowed me to do just that as I became a member of the TechStart program that brings together student interns from different schools on campus to work with campus inventors who are examining the possibility of starting a business based on the intellectual property they have created or licensing their intellectual property to an existing company.
Overall, I had a valuable experience that I do not think I would have gotten working within a functional department of an established company or even within one start-up. I practiced many of the skills (both quantitative and qualitative) that I learned during the 1st year of the business school's MBA curriculum. I had a meaningful impact on several newly formed companies of which I am quite proud, including helping one company create a business plan and acquire its first paying customer. I also made many friends and contacts within the Office of Technology Transfer, the other TechStart interns, the Ann Arbor IT Zone, several local start-ups, and the Zell-Lurie Institute.
Francis Man, PhD Engineering
I really enjoyed the experience in TechStart. I had chances to work with students from different disciplines. We worked like a team, and played like a team. At the same time, I was exposed to a lot of business issues, like how to do market analysis, work on a business plan, explore business ideas, and networking with people. These experiences are valuable to me.
Michael McCorquodale, PhD program, Engineering
Mike has a BS with honors in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois and an MS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan. He has worked with the Hughes Space and Communications Company in both their commercial payload systems engineering group and their high speed signaling group. His doctoral research at the University of Michigan is in the area of RF MEMS design and fabrication, specifically of RF oscillator circuits for wireless integrated Microsystems utilizing SOI CMOS technology. In addition, Michael is the CEO of Mobius Integrated Systems, a Michigan-based Microsystems start-up company.
Mihir Mahan, School of Information
“The TechStart internship was a wonderful experience, it offered great networking opportunities, interesting projects and introduced me to the world of start-up businesses in America. VCs, Angels and such were part of the vocab, that I steadily got used too. Learning process involved working on business plans, presentations and going through legal documents and contracts. Our teamwork was excellent, with help and guidance from the UM Tech Transfer folks.
Casual talk in late evenings often veered to interesting topics, and diverse international experiences made many an interesting story. Our varied backgrounds helped us put into perspective the various technologies and business ideas we were considering. Overall, it made an enriching job experience and a great summer.”
Mihir is a graduate student at the School of Information. Before joining the graduate program he worked for Citicorp.
Yunyao Li, School of Information
Yunyao has two undergraduate degrees from Tsinghua University: Engineering in Automation (a combined course of computer science, electronic engineering and automatic control) and Business Administration. She is specializing in Information Economics, Management and Policy at the School of Information. She has worked as a data analyst, computer programmer, software and database designer and developer.
Printed from: http://www.techtransfer.umich.edu/resources/students/interns_2001.php