EEG: Creating a New Wave in Business

Written by Lev Gedrich

As you stroll through Tisch Hall at precisely 12:30PM during the weekdays, you’ll see a flurry of activity. Besides a bit of shuffling from classroom to classroom to steal some food from another club, students are typically making their way to clubs such as Finance Society, Investment Analysis Group, or Quantitative Finance Society.

It makes sense; each of these clubs is well-run and respected and offers a variety of programs. From stock pitches and lectures to casual nights out and mentoring programs, each club has a lot to offer. But, what they offer in resources lacks a bit in diversity.

As this year’s applicant class begins to decide where they’ll be spending their next four years, it’s important to note that Stern is more than just a finance incubator. Stern is a top-ranked, well-located, and respected school because of the diversity that students have to bring to this university.

Part of that diversity is the motivation, excitement, and passion that students have for entrepreneurship. Part of that diversity is Entrepreneurship Exchange Group (EEG).

Every week at 12:30PM, EEG meets in UC-24 and hosts speakers like AOL’s CEO Tim Armstrong and creator of the cronut, Chef Dominique Ansel. At each of our meetings, we bring creative and inspirational leaders to speak about their experiences to motivate students interested in entrepreneurship.

But, EEG is so much more than that. Every few weeks, we organize office visits to reputable firms to give students a chance to mingle with recruiters and experience established firms that had humble origins.

On April 10^th, for example, we took a group of 25 students to visit Appnexus, a real-time online advertising firm that has grown enormously since its founding in 2007. The goal was to show students that organizations with the right leadership, guidance from experienced entrepreneurs, and a bit of luck can be successful.

Through all of our events, we want to convey that internships at reputable start-ups are excellent career steps, and that coming to Stern places you into a community of thinkers that are equally motivated to build companies and products.

At the end of the day, even if you’re going into finance, computer science, or art history, there’ll always be room for innovation and leadership. A few management or entrepreneurship classes can give you a different perspective on business while teaching a valuable lesson at Stern: business is so much more than just banking!

So, if you have a few spare moments during Thursday’s common hour, then we suggest you drop by and check out Entrepreneurship Exchange Group– and if you’re still not convinced, then we promise that we’ll let you have some food anyway.