– Duyen Nguyen, BS’22 Accounting
– Chukwudi Ukonne, MBA’24 & MS’24 Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Duyen and I (Chukwudi) both participated in the inaugural cohort of the Blackstone LaunchPad Bridge Venture Fellowship (BVF). After a 3-week period, where we both received training, mentorship, and resources centered around the startup and venture capital industry, we met in person at the concluding event; a mixer that took place at Capital Factory in Austin.
At this event, we got to interact and network with fellow BVF participants from other UT System institutions, our mentors, and sundry industry professionals. It was great fun, and we returned to Dallas the following day to resume our regular academic schedules and put what we had learned into practice.
A few days ago, Duyen and I reconnected to talk about what we had been up to in the months since the Fellowship ended, and whether we had the opportunity to put what we had learned into practice. We spoke about her extremely busy schedule; how she balances her academic life with a promising professional career she just started with a multinational company.
“It’s been so busy,” she said. ‘I started my internship as an auditor a few weeks back and I’m also taking three summer classes, with assignments and exams upcoming. But everything’s working out great nonetheless.”
I told her about my marketing internship with the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, an opportunity I was able to leverage because of my participation in the Bridge Venture Fellowship.
“It’s been really tasking, but it’s been incredibly insightful so far. I’m learning a lot, working with excellent people, and being exposed to the world of innovation and entrepreneurship. Also, as a beneficiary of the programs offered by the IIE, I’m able to offer some insights on how the institute’s processes can be improved on what students expect from such programs.”
We also spoke about how we had each been applying our learnings from the BVF in our current roles. Duyen mentioned that though she hadn’t found an opportunity to directly apply what she had learned, the BVF was opening doors for her in different ways.
“Just having this Fellowship on your resume makes for a great talking point and has definitely given me access to a lot of professional opportunities. It also shows potential future employers that I’m motivated and driven, so it gives me a professional edge.
I’m also better able to network more effectively and strategically, a skill a learned as a Fellow.’ I still have plans to immerse myself in the world of VC and startups after I graduate in a few months, but the fellowship is already proving valuable to me in other ways.”
For me, one of the most impactful ideas behind the BVF was the diversity. Our cohort had such a diverse background of academic and professional experiences; from people in the medical sciences to engineering students and English majors. I saw people who took unconventional paths to entrepreneurship and was inspired to believe I could too.
About the Bridge Venture Fellowship
The Bridge Venture Fellowship is a 3-week paid learning opportunity for historically excluded students to learn about venture capital and network with peers and industry professionals. The virtual bootcamp is open to 20 students across the UT System schools and culminates in an in-person recruitment mixer in Austin with Texas-based venture capital firms.
The Bridge Venture Fellowship program supports students who have not previously had opportunities to learn about venture capital and encourages Black, Latinx, women, LGBTQ+ students, and those who support them to apply. BVF hosts inclusive, accessible programming that facilitates all individuals, including members of the disability community.
