Q&A with TechNexus' Summer Undergraduate Interns

TechNexus's summer undergraduate interns share their experiences at the intersection of venture capital and corporate innovation. From Notre Dame to hands-on venture work, hear how early-career professionals are shaping their path in the startup ecosystem.

Maya Malackowski is a rising sophomore at the University of Notre Dame studying Finance with a minor in Collaborative Innovation. At Notre Dame, Maya is heavily involved at the University's IDEA Center, the on-campus innovation incubator where she serves as both a Fellow and Startup Coach. As a Startup Coach, she advises entrepreneurs in the University's ecosystem at the undergraduate, graduate, and faculty levels on their startup from product ideation to investor-focused deck creation. Maya is interested in pursuing a career in the venture capital space with an emphasis on intellectual property monetization and strategy. Bella Chen is a rising third year at the University of Chicago studying Economics with a specialization in data science. She is originally from the Bay Area in California. In her free time, she loves baking with her friends, playing video games, and watching cooking videos. Vik Nandigama is a rising third year at Northwestern University studying Economics and Entrepreneurship. In the long run, he wants to go into the world of Venture Capital. In his free time, you’ll probably see Vik exploring Chicago’s many amazing restaurants, playing Spikeball on the NU lakeshore, or just going to a movie with friends. Josh Haskell is an incoming junior studying business analytics at Notre Dame. Last year he worked for a glamping startup, and he has enjoyed seeing the startup world from a different angle at TechNexus. In his free time, he enjoys skiing, swimming, reading novels, and spending time with his family. What was the most beneficial piece of advice that a TechNexus member has given you since starting at TechNexus? Maya: Ever since I started at TechNexus, I have been encouraged to ask questions. I think that the best piece of advice that I've received was to never apologize for asking questions and to always try and gain as much knowledge and experience as possible from every task that I complete. Bella: The most beneficial piece of advice I've received

By Kelly McGowan (Wyman) at TechNexus Venture Collaborative