Coupond, New York, NY
This summer, I worked full-time as an intern at Coupond, a quickly accelerating SaaS startup based in New York City that combines promo planning technology with point-of-sale data and deep learning, allowing brands and retailers to optimize promotional activity. While I had all kinds of duties and responsibilities throughout the four-month internship, my main role was to assist the founding team on an ‘as needed basis’ with various operational tasks such as preparing for pitches, constructing decks, offering insight on daily video calls, and engaging deeply in the process of Coupond’s $2.5MM Series A. The highlights of my summer were a result of incessant exposure to the brilliant founding team and their constant barrage of wisdom and paradigm shifting ideas. Spending time with such an accomplished and enthusiastic group of serial entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, career artists, industry leaders, and executives instilled in me a craving to build similar communities, and to reap the benefits of serial entrepreneurship. This internship has solidified my determination to pursue a career as an entrepreneur.
Midway through my internship I was invited by Coupond co-founder, Ashesh Shah ’92, to contribute in a unique capacity at The London Fund (TLF), a startup factory, venture capital firm, and merchant bank rolled up into one. TLF specializes in solving problems no one else can—leveraging numerous domains of expertise to rack up patents in the process. While at TLF, fellow interns came to understand the goals, pains, incentives, and biases of all stakeholders within the entrepreneurial ecosystem, as each day we were encouraged to view the startup landscape through many, many lenses. This exercise transformed the way we saw the world, and especially changed the way I engage with innovative initiatives and global news.
Speaking with peers at other internships, it was clear that my internship within TLF was quite uncommon. While others were gaining mastery in one discipline, I was being taught entrepreneurship through a Williams-style liberal arts approach. I was able to operate as a VC, entrepreneur, graphic designer, writer, investment banker and legal attorney all in one summer! This experience left a lasting impact, particularly with regard to how I plan to approach my sophomore year. I feel motivated to delve into creative opportunities within both academic and extracurricular areas. In addition to majoring in political economy and environmental studies, I hope to buttress these primary areas of study with history, psychology, computer science, linguistics, and English courses. Outside the classroom, I’m eager to contribute to the entrepreneurial community at Williams, explore screenwriting, study music and culture, and skate for the Men’s Ice Hockey team.
I conclude by thanking Mr. and Mrs. Case for their generosity and support, enabling me to commit to this experience and gain valuable insights from the time spent. I am also grateful for the invaluable services provided by the Alumni Sponsored Internship Program, and am extremely appreciative to the ’68 Center for Career Exploration for opening up so many doors for me and my classmates.