Venture Scholar Profile: John Fusi
One Venture Scholar has taken the opportunities of graduate school to wholeheartedly pursue his interests in entrepreneurship and venture capital.
John Fusi is a Professional Evening MBA concentrating in strategy and innovation and a member of the winning team representing BU at the regional (New England) Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC), which took place just last weekend at Dartmouth, New Hampshire.
His involvement in VCIC had led him to the G51 Venture Scholar program. He had taken the International Entrepreneurship class the semester before and had heard about the two programs from Professor Gregory Stoller, who encouraged students to apply.
“I think it’s the perfect opportunity to combine a lot of things I’ve been doing. The analysis that I’ve done, leveraging my experiences in working at the BUzzLab – applying an entrepreneurial mindset to the investment process and being a part of the start-up community here in Boston and finding a way to support these enterprises,”
John’s involvement in the entrepreneurial scene extends outside of his academics. He began working with Professor Ian Mashiter (Director of Entrepreneurship Activities at the School of Business); at the BUzz Lab on sponsorship development, supporting entrepreneurship among the student body through initiatives like the Pitch & Pizza competitions.
I talked to John about how his extracurricular involvements like G51 complemented his academic learning in the classroom.
“With VCIC, we’re playing the role of the venture capital investors in a competition setting. So what we do is practice the methodologies we learn in school, in a simulated environment. G51 is real. It’s a great way to gain real-world experience in this field and work alongside people with over 20 years in this industry” I asked John about the deal he was currently working on.
“I’m actually working with a local start-up based here in Boston to get them connected with G51”
Organic deal origination from Venture Scholars is very much encouraged by the G51 partners, who welcome the recommendations of the Scholars in introducing promising ventures interested in seeking funding through their network. True to the flexibility and breadth of the program, Scholars like John are not limited to reviewing the deals assigned by G51, but are free to grow their own way and review deals they found on their own.
“What I attracted me to this company is their unique technology, which is complex and has just lots of potential. I think the opportunities they have to scale it are great and the management team behind it are very experienced.
Looking forward to seeing where it goes,”
-Written by BU MBA candidate Joanna Ghazali
