We have 10 students that were admitted into the Weinert Center’s Wisconsin Fellowship in Enterprise Development program for the 2020-2021 academic year. We asked the Fellows to share how they got interested in entrepreneurship while providing some background on their past experience and future goals.
We hope you enjoy meeting the Fellowship Class of 2021!
Saurabh Bhandari
https://www.linkedin.com/in/saurabhbhandari11/
I have always had a liking for all things entrepreneurial. Early on in my career at Fidelity Investments, I started a companywide venture fund and platform called the “Fidelity Innovation Club” where we formulated strategies, formed dedicated teams & platforms for innovation realizing ~$3.5 million in year-on-year savings for more than 3+ years. Throughout my career I have always worked on several intrapreneurial ventures in my quest to be entrepreneurial. My career goal is to be a product manager in technology focused on new and breakthrough products. I strongly believe that being a product manager is like being the CEO of an entire product and product management is a microcosm of that. I want to use the fellowship to learn running entire new business from ideation all the way to successfully launching it.
Partha Bhaskar
https://www.linkedin.com/in/parthabhaskar/
I earned my bachelor’s degree in engineering, majoring in Computer Science, and started working with Infosys, an IT service company based in India. My professional experience includes a six year deputation to the US working for LexisNexis, a leading legal publishing company. I have been a part of major business transformation programs and oversaw numerous data migration projects that required strict process controls and involved multiple vendors across a variety of technology platforms. I decided to pursue an MBA at the Wisconsin School of Business to get a broader perspective of the different business functions, at the same time sticking to specializing in Operations and Technology Management, a field which aligns to my career background. I am excited to be a Fellowship student with the Weinert Center and look forward to a year of fun-filled learning with my super friendly, smart, and an incredibly energetic bunch of classmates.
Daniel Campbell
https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieljcampbell7/
My interest in entrepreneurship comes from my long-time mentor, who quit a relatively comfortable corporate job to pursue his passion of starting his own business. From him, I was able to learn the scrappiness, creativity and vision it takes to lead a startup to success. Early on in my career I was able to leverage those lessons as a Director at a medium-sized health facility in rural Florida. With a shoe-string budget and limited industry knowledge, I was able to string together a winning sales strategy toensure sustainable growth for our facility. Through the fellowship, I hope to learn more about the importance of relationship building, innovation and experimentation in business. Additionally, I look forward to learning more about entrepreneurship by networking with local business leaders, Weinert Center alumni and my peers.
Sara Klunk
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-klunk-2021/
Prior to starting my MBA, I worked on the Strategy & Business Development team at WPS Health Solutions. In this role, I had my first exposure to intrapreneurship when I helped WPS start a new health insurance subsidiary. I loved the process of bringing an idea to life and to be something that actually existed in the market. The experience overall was challenging, energizing, and very rewarding. This project really jump-started my interest in entrepreneurship, product development, and consumer insights. I amexcited to continue my journey with the Wisconsin Fellowship in Enterprise Development program and look forward to learning from entrepreneurs and business leaders in the community.
Utkarsh Kohli
https://www.linkedin.com/in/utkarshkohli/
Passionate about sustainability and finding creative solutions, I am extremely excited to be a part of Wisconsin School of Business’s Enterprise Development program. After graduating with a degree in Computer Science, I worked with one of India’s largest IT giants as a Consultant. I realized how crucial it is to find out of the box solutions for your clients and to regularly update your skill set. I soon realized that this transcends to every industry and not just IT. Having an entrepreneurial thinking gives a different perspective on how to face difficult problems. I am eager to collaborate with and learn from area entrepreneurs, researchers, and my batchmates through this program and will look to gain skills required to succeed in the corporate world. I am sure I can contribute well to this program with my past education, experience and my internship at Ingredion where I will look to learn about innovation and global challenges with supply chain.
Natalie Marinello
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliemarinello
Prior to joining the University of Wisconsin-Madison MBA program, I worked with iconic brand names in various positions from pure sales roles to business development to marketing with the goal of building a thorough understanding of the brand building process. I am motivated to achieve my MBA in Brand and Product Management in order to continue to grow my critical thinking and leadership competencies. As an aspiring Brand Manager, I have learned the importance of thinking creatively and brainstorming innovative product ideas in order to connect with consumers and I am excited to strengthen these skills in the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship Fellowship program.
Collin Masters
https://www.linkedin.com/in/collin-masters/
Following my completion of a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Bradley University, I started my career as a consultant with CliftonLarsonAllen. I worked with clients across multiple industries on tax credit & incentiveprojects.The team within the firm was small, and it afforded me opportunities to be entrepreneurial in my approach to solving problems and driving revenue.I came to WSB to continue to develop my skills in scaling businesses and pivot into another industry. The next steps in my journey include asummer internship in CPG brand management and the Fellowship in Enterprise Development (Class of 2021).
Anuj Modi
https://www.linkedin.com/in/amodi2/
After graduating from UW-Madison in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Dairy Science, I joined my third-generation family-owned business, Lotus Dairy, as the Director of Business Development where I worked ardently to explore lucrative business opportunities in India and abroad. Coming from a family of entrepreneurs, I focused my efforts on strategically growing the business based on our core competencies and strengths. My biggest entrepreneurial undertaking during my time there involved founding a subsidiary venture within the business and spearheading a go-to-market strategy to introduce an independent brand as the first dairy brand in India containing no antibiotics and other carcinogenic adulterants. In addition, I led product conceptualization and new product development for ninenew products across yogurt, cheese, and RTD beverage categories that were launched under this new brand. Regardless of whether I choose to start a new business or join my family business in a few years, I am certain that this fellowship would guide my judgment and actions as I navigate the challenges and opportunities entrepreneurs face while creating value for the business and all its stakeholders.
Amanda Perez
https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandacelinaperez/
I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology hoping to pursue a career as a medical provider. Prior to my MBA experience, I worked as an emergency room medical scribe, where I learned clinical care best practices to help improve patient outcomes. Although I did not choose to pursue the medical career path, I continued to work in the healthcare industry as a research analyst and research specialist, gaining experience in project management and data analyses. As a result, my perspective of medicine shifted, and I became more interested in business development within healthcare. I plan to continue working in the healthcare industry, helping develop innovative products, efficient clinical care models, and effective management frameworks to ultimately improve overall patient care. As an Enterprise Development Fellow, I look forward to enhancing my leadership capabilities to help hospitals move to a value-based healthcare model.
Michael Turco
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelturco/
My career path to date has been defined by several pivots, not unlike a startup finding its niche. After earning a Bachelor of Science degreein Chemical Engineering, I pivoted to apply my skills to management consulting where I worked with CIOs of Federal agencies to create solutions to technology problems facing the organization ranging broadly from infrastructure modernization to analytics capabilities. Through my experience in consulting, I learned the power of technology as a business enabler, and I pivoted to pursue an MBA focused on building businesses around great technology products. I enjoy applying my problem-solving skills gained through engineering and consulting mindsets to create innovative business models and value propositions designed to solve customer problems both large and small.The most inspiring people in my life are those with a vision and the ability to energize a team around a shared goal. I look forward to interacting with and learning from entrepreneurs, researchers, and peers who are all this type of inspiring people and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to create with the Fellows.
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