Originally published in Carroll Capital, the print publication of the Carroll School of Management at Boston College.
鈥淭he path of an entrepreneur is often very nebulous,鈥� says seasoned entrepreneur and venture capitalist Peter Bell 鈥�86, P 鈥�20, 鈥�25. Luckily, Boston College students who aspire to traverse that path don鈥檛 have to do it alone. Through the Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) program, part of the Carroll School鈥檚 Edmund H. Shea Jr. Center for Entrepreneurship, students can easily connect with professionals like Bell who have weathered the storms of the startup world.听
During this past academic year, more than 80 students made their way to Bell鈥檚 on-campus office in 245 Beacon, bringing with them pitches for new businesses and questions about their future. Each conversation started with the same request from Bell: 鈥淭ell me about yourself.鈥� It鈥檚 a standard way to open interviews, but it鈥檚 the first step toward helping students navigate their entrepreneurial aspirations.
鈥淚 want to know the person, not just the pitch,鈥� says Bell, a senior听advisor at Amity Ventures, general partner at SSC Venture Partners, and a University trustee associate.听
Established in 2016, the EIR program aims to help 鈥渋nterject some type of entrepreneurial spirit and mindset into students so they鈥檙e willing to take some risk and they鈥檙e not afraid to fail,鈥� says the Shea Center鈥檚 Popolo Family Executive Director Jere Doyle, himself a serial entrepreneur.
The program brings professionals with entrepreneurial听 experience鈥攖ypically Boston College alumni鈥攄irectly to the students. EIRs have a campus office and hold office hours weekly. Many student founders use time with EIRs to work on developing their own business ventures, but the basic idea 鈥渋s to give students personalized, real-time support as they explore different entrepreneurial paths鈥� wherever they might be, says Kelsey Renda, the center鈥檚 associate director.听
Peter Bell 鈥�86, P 鈥�20, 鈥�25.
Last fall, Grace Landolfi 鈥�26 found herself curious about the startup industry while listening to guest speakers in her Perspectives on Management class. She had previously interned for private equity and growth equity firms but wondered what it might be like to work for a startup, or to start her own business.
To find out, she made appointments with all three EIRs on staff that semester, including Jack McConnell 鈥�24, who shared how he uses what he learned as part of , the Shea Center鈥檚 student executive board, in his current role as a financial analyst at Wayfair. 鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to connect with students who have concerns about their future. We went through very similar things just a few years ago,鈥澨齭ays McConnell, referring also to fellow EIR Alex Park, MCAS 鈥�24.听
Landolfi鈥檚 conversations with the EIRs helped her see just how many shapes entrepreneurship can take. 鈥淚 can still be part of a larger company and bring entrepreneurial elements to that,鈥� qualities such as resilience and adaptability, says Landolfi, who joined Silicon Valley Bank as an ADP associate after graduating.
Sharing their failures is a key part of what EIRs bring to the program. From shuttered businesses to backouts from venture capital firms, the EIRs show a side of professional life that students likely won鈥檛 see on LinkedIn. 鈥淭he truth is that life, especially as an entrepreneur, is just a series of failures鈥� that we learn from, says Doyle. 鈥淵ou can find advice in a lot of places at BC, but when somebody is willing to honestly share their knowledge outside of a classroom, that can be really impactful.鈥�
“ You can find advice in a lot of places at BC, but when somebody is willing to honestly share their knowledge outside of a classroom, that can be really impactful. ”
Tuna Uskudar 鈥�28 launched his startup Provenance, an AI tool that tracks changes to financial models in Excel, last winter. Throughout the process, Bell brainstormed ideas with Uskudar and his cofounder Andr茅 Assun莽茫o 鈥�28, helping them determine the product鈥檚 market. Now that Provenance is up and running, Uskudar still regularly meets with Bell for guidance on tackling new challenges like upping revenue.
鈥淏eing an entrepreneur can feel really lonely,鈥� says Uskudar, who has endured many canceled meetings and last-minute hiccups already. 鈥淭hese things are normal in this world, but having someone remind me that I鈥檓 not the only one experiencing them just makes it easier.鈥�
