Start-Ups Make Their Pitch
Krishna Mahesh (MBA ’05) not only traveled the longest distance to arrive on campus for the final round of judging in the inaugural Alumni New Venture Contest, he also figured he had the longest shot at winning. The seven finalists, representing five domestic and two international HBS Clubs, made their start-up pitches to a panel of judges in late April. To his surprise, Mahesh, representing the HBS Club of India, took top honors and was awarded a $25,000 cash prize for his plan to manufacture low-cost medical beds for Indian health-care institutions.
“I expected to lose because most VC money today goes to telecom, high tech, or software,” said Mahesh, founder and CEO of Sundaram Medical Devices in Chennai.
Mahesh trained at Stanford as an engineer and worked for McKinsey and Toyota before attending HBS. He plans to apply engineering and cost control techniques he learned from the auto industry to the production of mechanical (“dumb”) and electronic (“smart”) beds. Eventually, he expects to develop an entire suite of compact hospital room furnishings.
The Alumni New Venture Contest was created with two goals in mind: to identify promising new business ventures among the School’s entrepreneurial graduates, and to create a mechanism to connect alumni with HBS faculty and the global HBS network of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and angel investors.
More than seventy teams entered the March regional competitions at the seven participating HBS Clubs. In addition to Sundaram Medical Devices, the regional finalists were:
Boston: iSpecimen (Mike Pierce, MBA ’01, interim COO) is building a network that connects clinical laboratories and hospital electronic medical record systems at leading institutions. The system will provide researchers with a platform they can search for desired specimens in real time.
Chicago: Cinekin (Constance Freedman, MBA ’06, chief strategy officer) uses people’s movie preferences to predict the compatibility of couples.
London: Qtara (Steve Berry, MBA ’79, chairman) is developing cutting-edge intelligent virtual assistants (sometimes known as avatars) for use by both organizations and individuals.
New York: TwoChop (Mo Lam, MBA ’05, founder) is a microgaming platform that plans to deliver “quick-engagement” games to users throughout the day.
Northern California: Redbeacon (Ethan Anderson, MBA ’03, CEO) offers a Web site designed to help consumers locate a business or person to handle local service needs, get price quotes, and book appointments.
Southern California: Kiwilimón (Deborah Dana Beyda, MBA ’08, cofounder) is a food and recipe Internet portal for Spanish-speaking users.
An Encore for the MBA Oath
PUBLIC PLEDGE: Students attend oath ceremony.
Photo by Stuart Cahill
The student-initiated MBA Oath, a pledge not to advance personal interests at the expense of an enterprise or society, has graduated in one year from being viewed as a “fad” to a “movement.” That was the upbeat message student leaders presented to about 300 members of the Class of 2010 who gathered in Burden Auditorium on Class Day for a pledge ceremony. The students were joined by several hundred family members and friends.
Last year, roughly half of the Class of 2009 signed the oath, an event that generated widespread media attention for the School and inspired over 4,000 MBAs in the United States and around the world to participate.
The MBA Oath grew out of concern over the widespread criticism leveled at business schools and MBAs regarding the global economic crisis. The oath is an attempt to set business graduates on an ethical path and restore public trust in business institutions. Read the complete oath at www.mbaoath.org.
Popular Series Returns
For the fourth year, HBS Club members can dial in to hear a faculty member speak on a topic of current interest, followed by a Q&A session. The Virtual Learning Series resumes September 15 with a talk on social networking by Associate Professor Mikolaj Jan Piskorski; on October 19, Professor Geoffrey Jones speaks on his new book, Beauty Imagined (see excerpt, page 36). To view a complete list of VLS topics scheduled throughout the year, visit www.alumni.hbs.edu/vls/.
Global Get-Together
On nearly every continent and across many time zones, October 20 marks the day when HBS alumni will gather for an evening of informal networking. The second HBS Global Networking Night aims to provide a low-key, fun event for alumni to participate in social, business, or career development conversation. Events are planned at more than thirty locations around the globe. For details, visit www.alumni.hbs.edu/hbsgnn/.
James Has New Role
James
Photo by Susan Young
Ralph James (MBA ’82), who previously headed Executive Education at HBS, became executive director of External Relations in July. In his new role, James is responsible for development and alumni relations.
“As an HBS graduate, I know how important staying connected to the School is,” says James. “I’ve spent a majority of my professional life at HBS, and I’ve seen firsthand how committed our alumni are to the School and to helping it maintain its leadership position. I’m really looking forward to reinforcing that.” After earning an MBA, James served in various administrative posts at the School for fifteen years, ending as Associate Dean and Senior Executive Officer. He then worked in the private sector as President and COO of The First Marblehead Corporation until 2005, when he returned to HBS.
Finnegan Heads HBS Fund
Finnegan
Photo by Susan Young
Paul Finnegan (MBA ’82) recently assumed the role of HBS Fund Chair, the School’s chief fundraising volunteer. “When you look at the major problems society faces — financial reform, global health, education in-equity, the challenges of business globalization — HBS is there,” says Finnegan, a longtime volunteer. As cofounder and co-CEO of Madison Dearborn Partners, a Chicago-based investment firm, Finnegan attributes much of his success to HBS. “It would have been impossible for me to get a position in private equity without having the HBS experience,” he says, adding that volunteering for HBS allows him to support its mission. “I feel tremendous gratitude toward the School.”
Webinars Offer Career Advice
Looking for sound advice on how to use social media for career advancement, or how to get on a corporate board? These are two of nine topics covered by the fall lineup of a yearlong Webinar series presented by Alumni Career and Professional Development. Last year’s inaugural series of ten Webinars was such a success, attracting over 3,500 alumni, that the offerings this year will double. Additional topics for the fall lineup include “Tapping the Hidden Job Market,” “Networking Tactics,” “Moving from Corporate to Nonprofit,” and “Managing Your Brand.” For a complete schedule, or to view last year’s Webinars, visit www.alumni.hbs.edu/careers/.
C’mon Back
Some 100 members of the MBA Class of 2009 and their guests returned to campus in mid-April for the first-ever HBS one-year reunion program. Participants attended a career session, took part in a case discussion on Skyhook Wireless led by Professor Tom Eisenmann, gathered informally, and had a class dinner at the Boston Harbor Hotel. Alumni Relations is planning a similar event for the Class of 2010 on May 14, 2011. For information, visit www.alumni.hbs.edu/reunions/2010.html.
Photo by Emile Bellott (MBA '78)
RARE SIGHTING: Four HBS Deans, past and present, share a lighthearted moment at the June 1 luncheon celebration in honor of Dean Jay Light, who retired June 30 after four decades at the School. From left, Kim Clark, Light, Nitin Nohria, and John McArthur joined a crowd of faculty, staff, and friends for the festivities.
Photo by Neal Hamberg
