Two words: be curious. I’ve always heard to ask good questions and learn as much as you can but this summer Josh Kline ‘99 and Aman Brar ’99 have shown me curiosity on another level. Venture capital is full of sharing, networking, and trying to think about things from every possible angle. From doing due diligence on a founder and their startup to trying to think about a new startup ourselves, curiosity earns you the right to keep asking questions and earn your seat at the table when interacting with others.
Spending the last 12 weeks at Ground Game Ventures has opened my eyes to the world of venture capital. I experienced a unique perspective, given that this is their first time creating a fund. I attended networking events and even began the initial research for the next fund, which I’m excited to continue during the school year. I felt like much more than an intern, as I was involved in many aspects of the fund’s day to day processes. Not only was I exposed to high-level professionals every day, but we were also able to foster a new coworking space in Indianapolis. I worked alongside other aspiring peers, including Vaughn Taylor ’25 and Gavin Ruppert ’26, while they focused on selling for startups. Being in the same room as people working hard motivated me to work hard and consult back and forth to be there while we celebrated our wins and consoled each other during our losses. Like Josh says, “Outbound isn’t dead. It’s just not meant to be done from your mom’s basement.” I almost feel like I can be a sales intern now just from the tidbits of information I picked up throughout the summer.
I want to lastly thank Dr. Dunaway for the introduction to Josh and Aman. It truly was a great way to wrap up my last summer at Wabash College. One of Aman’s friends commented on a LinkedIn post telling me “This will be closer to MBA level learning this summer than an internship” and I could not have summed it up better myself.
