This spring break, a select group of ambitious student entrepreneurs from the Charles D. Close School of Entrepreneurship traveled to New York City for a high-impact immersion into one of the world’s most sophisticated business ecosystems. From the Brooklyn Navy Yard to the heart of Soho, our students set out to engage with industry leaders. Through exploring the diverse business models, they gained firsthand insight into the mechanics of innovation at scale.

The Student Perspective

Our attendees brought a diverse range of goals and entrepreneurial ventures to the experience:

• Sophia Lin (1st Year): Focused on the balance between creativity and planning, Sophia used the trip to evaluate her own business concepts against the high-level competition and collaboration found in NYC.
• Sandy Nguyen (2nd Year): The founder of Sandy’s Cozy Kitchen, Sandy explored the logistics of the food and hospitality industry, from local mom-and-pop shops to large-scale operations, to help scale her own Asian cuisine venture.
• Garrett Johnson (3rd Year): With a focus on media production and venture technology, Garrett investigated media financing frameworks to bring resilient operational strategies back to his own production affiliates.
• Namita Parekh (1st Year): Namita prioritized understanding product-market fit and early-stage funding, seeking to translate classroom theory into real-world execution through direct dialogue with founders.

Networking In Action

Close School immersion trips aim to give students active and engaging opportunities to see how businesses run in the real world. By providing out students with the network and knowledge to lead the next generation of innovative ventures, the Close School prepares its students for greatness. 

Read about the full trip HERE.