Why did you choose the Copenhagen MBA?
I am originally from China. I moved abroad alone when I was 15 years old, and I am now a Singapore citizen. After my first post-covid trip to Europe, I felt strongly that Europe was calling, and gaining an MBA experience came to my mind as an option.
Before learning about the CBS MBA, I was looking at some programs in Spain because I speak some Spanish but then I met an admissions manager from CBS and I was intrigued by the sustainability aspect of the program. I realized that it was super important for me to learn about business within a sustainability context. I care a lot about mother nature, especially for marine conservation as diving is one of my hobbies.
Another reason why I chose the Copenhagen MBA is that I discovered my “idle” startup project had earned some recognition and free PR. The app was featured in Cosmopolitan as one of the best breakup apps and in Trendhunter with a surprisingly high freshness score. I felt very excited and motivated, yet I didn’t feel confident to fully run my startup because I was lacking holistic business knowledge since my background is in design.
What the venture capitalist investment competition experience like for you?
The practice of being a VC has given me a better insight of what venture capital firms are looking to invest in early-stage startup companies. It’s a chance to peer into the whole ecosystem of startups of and VCs. I now have a better understanding of business plans, startup pitches, due diligence, and term sheets. All this knowledge is valuable for me in the future if I seek funding.
The VCIC experience was particularly interesting to me because I have been on the other side of the table. I founded my own startup, a breakup app called Halmos. I used to pitch to secure some soft funding and not specifically to a VC fund but it’s a scenario that I can definitely relate to.
After winning the VCIC round in Denmark, our team felt well prepared for the Cranfield VCIC competition thanks to the support from CBS. At Cranfield, we evaluated three startups and by the time we got to our third case we were told that our due diligence was near perfect. Making an investment decision at the VCIC competition was a challenging experience but our team spirit was high throughout. We were happy with the results, we placed 2nd runner up and were very close to placing 1st overall.