TOP STUDENTS GLOBAL STARTUPS ELITE NETWORK

Transcription

1 Think globally. Promote entrepreneurship. Develop a professional network. Contact Sage Corps Sage Corps /sagecorps Sage Corps

2 The Founder s Story In May 2003, I graduated from an ivy league university with honors and a double major. I thought employers would line up to hire me. Not quite. With 0 job offers, I did what every other unemployed college graduate would do: I hopped a flight down to South America. Just after arriving in Buenos Aires, I knew I had to stay. Resume in hand, I went door-to-door looking for work at every multinational company, hotel, and restaurant in the city. Three months later, I accepted an offer to work as an unpaid intern at a local startup newspaper. To pay the bills, I made $5/hr teaching English to corporate executives. At the time, I did not know how this experience could help me, either professionally or personally. But my gut said it would. And It did. Armed with this unique international experience, I was accepted to Northwestern Law School for the following year. I returned to school as a fluent Spanish-speaker, and went on to develop a niche litigation practice representing Latin American companies at one of the most prestigious law firms in the world. My "investment" paid off, to say the least. Now, I want to pay it forward. Sage Corps began as an idea on a legal pad in Two years later, we are expanding our programming to three continents. We are looking for top students to connect with global startups and corporate partners. If you want to think globally, promote entrepreneurship, and join an elite professional network, we would love to meet you! Join me. Matt Meltzer Founder & CEO, Sage Corps Join Sage Corps.

3 Program Overview Sage Corps is an elite experiential learning program that sends top students to work with foreign tech startups for 8-12 weeks. Our students, Sage Corps Fellows, explore company-building and professional networking on an international scale. Through our programming, we are building the next generation of business leaders who will think globally and promote entrepreneurship. Prior to departure, Sage Corps Fellows receive cultural information and literature related to building a startup (e.g. the Lean Startup method, Google analytics, digital marketing, etc). We also connect each Fellow with a Sage -- a young, successful business leader in the United States who provides career guidance and mentorship. Apart from the experience at a startup, Sage Corps also immerses its Fellows in the host country s entrepreneurial and business ecosystem. Fellows attend a roundtable discussion with Google executives or venture capitalists, in addition to presentations at government ministries or startup incubators. Fellows also participate in professional networking events and demo days, where entrepreneurs pitch their startups to prospective investors. Finally, Sage Corps provides Fellows with 24/7 in-country support, housing, airport transport, travel medical insurance, and where available, meal plans and cell phones. Upon their return, the Fellows connect with their assigned Sage to prepare for future career exploration and job opportunities. Sage Corps also provides further networking assistance, resume feedback, and letters of recommendation. During the abroad experience, Fellows will work closely with foreign startups on projects that match their skill set, including: Web and mobile design & development Market research Social media & marketing strategy Sales/business development Investor pitches Product development (hardware/software) Once accepted to the program, Fellows remain part of Sage Corps for life. Once accepted to the program, Fellows remain part of the Sage Corps for life.

4 The Startups Through its elite network of venture capital and angel investors, entrepreneurs, corporations, and foreign governments, Sage Corps ensures that its Fellows work with carefully selected startups. Currently, Sage Corps has partnerships with hundreds of startups around the globe. Typically, these companies have good traction, seed capital, and a strong English-speaking team who will lead the startup into a high-growth phase. The opportunity to host US students for internships in Buenos Aires provides an excellent benefit. The students learn and we receive new talents to enrich our team. Sage Corps has made this process simple, fast, and without any complication. This is our second year in the program, and we will continue to support it. -Ariel Di Stefano CEO - Shopperception The Sage Corps Program was a fantastic experience for us. Our two Fellows had an instantaneous impact. In two months, they developed our data visualization platform and dashboard, which is now live and used by industry professionals. We hope to participate in Sage Corps for years to come. -Daniel Bloor Co- Founder - The CloudMiner Our Sage Corps Fellow has been a great contribution to the team. He's eager to work on the project and absorbs the new technologies well. Thanks to our Fellow s output, we published the website redesign and will implement a back-end service API. -Bart Verkoeijen Lead Developer - SurroundApp Sage Corps interested us, not only because it incorporated a foreign student into our team who possessed knowledge relevant to our company, but also because of the cultural exchange. This is a great initiative and one that we recommend to other startups. -Paula Ambrogi Co-Founder - Retargetly

5 Host Countries Sage Corps carefully selects its host countries to ensure that its Fellows maximize the potential for their abroad experience, both professionally and culturally. Specifically, Sage Corps offers opportunities in countries with smaller consumer markets and developing startup communities. While U.S. entrepreneurs typically target their domestic market, many foreign entrepreneurs must build startups that serve a broader international market. To that end, Sage Corps hosts programs in startup communities that focus on building global companies. Separately, countries with younger startup communities offer Fellows the opportunity to make more impactful contributions to their host companies. In 2014, Sage Corps offered summer programs in Buenos Aires and Hong Kong. For 2015, Sage Corps will launch winter programs in these markets, in addition to Brazil, Colombia, Ireland, and Singapore. We are also exploring programs in other European, Asian, and South American markets. For updated information about Sage Corps programs, or if you have suggestions about new countries, please contact us. We would love to hear from you! Please visit or us at info@sagecorps.com.` Ireland Hong Kong Colombia Singapore Brazil Argentina

6 Sage Corps Fellows Sage Corps recruits students from diverse backgrounds with varied interests and professional skills. Whether college freshman or MBA candidate, techie or marketing enthusiast, they all seek international experience and the opportunity to make impactful contributions to a startup. Due to overwhelming demand, Sage Corps is highly competitive. In our 2014 cycle, over 500 candidates applied for 23 spots. Historically, successful applicants are ambitious self-starters and creative thinkers, maintain at least a 3.0 GPA, and study at top universities across the United States: Mike Justus Sage Corps 2014 Fellow, Michigan Sage Corps was life-changing. I went into the program thinking I was destined for Wall Street. But given an opportunity in which I was valued as an asset to a business at my age, helped me realize the excitement for a career that went beyond the pay or the title. -Martin Moon, Dartmouth As someone with a business background, I found the experience incredible. The fast-paced environment of a startup allowed me to not only utilize my finance to help the company raise seed capital, but also assist in their day-to-day operations. - Shaun Lee, UPenn - Wharton Sage Corps provided me with an opportunity to build my business and Spanish skills during the day and dive into Argentine culture at night. My internship was engaging and my home stay mom was wonderful. I would highly recommend this experience to anyone. -Andrew Hausdorf, Wash U. My internship at FormaFina has broadened my understanding of the Latin American business world. Each day brought different scenarios and circumstances, and I had the opportunity to make decisions on my own and learn from my successes and my failures. -Brenda Walsh, Northwestern

7 The Sage Network and the Sage Corps Community Sage Corps is not merely an 8-12 week program. We work with our Fellows well beyond their abroad experience. Upon their return to the United States, Fellows join the rapidly-growing Sage Corps Alumni network, and Sage Corps helps them pursue their next professional opportunities through the Sage Network. Sage Corps tasks its Sages with assisting Fellows to leverage their experience abroad into a future career. By tapping the Sage Network, along with its larger community of host startups, supportive companies, and foreign governments, Sage Corps connects its Fellows with incredible career opportunities. As our Sages can attest, prospective employers think highly of the experience provided by Sage Corps: Sage Corps is an incredible opportunity for businesses and students alike. For startups, the ability to access the best and brightest young minds in America speaks for itself. For students, the opportunity to make an impact on a funded startup all while living abroad is completely rare and invaluable. -Omri Agam, Founder - Endgame Partners College students: finance, consulting or grad school are not the only career options. Sage Corps offers invaluable real world experience for creative, entrepreneurial thinkers who want to be part of building and learning a business from the ground up. I only wish I had a program like it when I was in school. -Bo Hurd, Business Development - Groupon Sage Corps gave me the opportunity to pay it forward. As a Sage, I offered career advice and helped connect my assigned Fellow, Shaun, with an internship opportunity at an investment bank. Shaun and I remain in touch, and I am confident that an incredible career lies ahead for him, thanks in part to Sage Corps. -David Yadegar, Founder - Maybrook Capital