The Lehigh@NasdaqCenter Startup Academy fosters the next generation of great entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders by immersing Lehigh students in the startup environment. The three-month summer internship course places Lehigh business students in early stage startups in Silicon Valley. This enables them to apply their classroom lessons to real-world business problems, instilling confidence, boldness, and the desire to make an impact.
Support for the Startup Academy gives students the resources they need to make the most of their experience. Here are those students’ stories in their own words.
“I really wanted to step out of my comfort zone and experience the different work environments around the country. After my experience with Startup Academy, I have a better idea of the type of company I’d like to work for and would love to get a job back in Silicon Valley. I wouldn’t have been able to get this experience if Startup Academy hadn’t provided resources I need. Living in San Francisco was an amazing experience and I want to thank everyone who provided me with this opportunity. Without the financial support, I would never have been able to go and wouldn’t have discovered my love of the West Coast.”
—Lyle Chamberlain ’21
“The Startup Academy was an eye-opening experience for me both personally and professionally. I had the opportunity to live out in San Francisco, one of the greatest places for entrepreneurship across the globe, and learn a lot while I was out there. I was able to get a better sense of what I wanted to do later on after college and talk to professionals in numerous industries on how they were able to succeed and get to where they are now. Because of this I would like to thank everyone who made it possible for me to have this wonderful opportunity. From the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center to the generous Lehigh Alumni allowing us to advance our education, thank you!”
—Evan Chinman ’21
“The Startup Academy has been a great experience for me to grow both personally and professionally. During the ten-week period, I worked as a summer data analyst at Deliverr Inc., and my job was to identify, analyze, and interpret data using SQL, Python, and Excel. This internship program helped me to develop my data analytics skills as well as communication and interpersonal skills, and I really learned a lot from this experience. I would like to say thank you to all the organizations and persons that helped me through this great journey. Thanks Lehigh University and Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center for organizing such a great Startup Academy Program for us and allowing us to explore the entrepreneurial ecosystem in San Francisco. Thanks to company Deliverr and every colleague, especially my manager Teddy, for the valuable insights and help. Finally, special thanks to the generous Lehigh donors who made this journey possible; without your help, this summer couldn’t be so amazing! I will bring what I learned during this summer and keep moving forward!”
—Jiaming Yao ’21
“My experience with Startup Academy was a great learning and networking opportunity. I was able to experience life in San Francisco while working at an amazing tech startup (Crunchbase). I had the opportunity to visit different startups, explore Yosemite National Park, and tour most of San Francisco all in just 8 weeks. This was an incredible experience that I could never have had without the Lehigh business school and Lehigh’s fantastic and generous donors. Thank you to all donors and alumni that were kind enough to contribute to this incredible program. I hope Lehigh continues to expand their reach into the West Coast and pursue Startup Academy for the coming years.”
—Abbhi Sekar ’21
“I never could have anticipated that one summer experience would change my life. Through Startup Academy, I got the chance to meet so many incredible people who gave me a newfound confidence and inspired me to start my own business. I adopted an entrepreneurial mindset that transformed the way I think every day. Living in the heart of San Francisco changed my definition of home, and today I aspire to explore as many cities as I can in my lifetime. None of this would have been possible without the generosity of the Lehigh donors, so for that I say thank you.”
—Paige Sottosanti ’21
Supporters of the Lehigh@NasdaqCenter Startup Academy help provide students like these with immersive and life-changing experiences that prepare them to tackle challenges, take risks, and lead as only Lehigh people can. Thank you!