Experience Stern | News & Events

Class of 2025 students in NYU Stern’s one-year Andre Koo Technology & Entrepreneurship MBA Program embarked on a two-week trip to Silicon Valley, Seattle, and Los Angeles  – the heart of the West Coast tech ecosystem –  this January. As part of a three-credit course, students gained first-hand insights into what drives innovation in these global tech hubs through corporate visits with industry leaders – many of whom are Stern alumni – as well as alumni networking events in each city.

The immersion is a required experiential learning course and was led by Professors Vasant Dhar and Melissa Schilling. Interim Dean J.P. Eggers also joined students onsite. Students had the opportunity to visit the corporate campuses of several industry-leading companies, including AirBNB, Amazon, C3.AI, Calm, Hulu/Disney, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Palantir, Roku, Starbucks, T-Mobile, Upside Foods, and Waymo, among others.

During the trip, students also met with Stern Executive Board member and Stern Tech Advisory Board Member David Ko (BS '93), CEO and Board Member at Calm; Stern Tech Advisory Board Member Jeff Teper (BS ’86), President, Microsoft 365 Collaborative Apps and Platforms, as well as many other alumni in tech.

Below, Andre Koo Technology & Entrepreneurship MBA Veronica Quiroga Basanez (MBA ’25) shares insights from the experience and the impact it had on her: 

How has this experience prepared you for the next step in your career?

You get an insider’s perspective on the companies you visit and a chance to ask yourself what the culture is really like? Can you see yourself working there? You meet people who tell it like it is, and your network naturally expands. Plus, you get to explore new cities! (Seattle was a first for me, and I loved it!)

This experience also gives you the confidence to follow up with the people you met, opening doors to opportunities in your areas of interest. It gives you visibility and a clearer sense of direction—who to talk to and where you might want to go next.

What do you want candidates who are considering this focused MBA program to know about the value of this immersion trip?

I think my main takeaway is the people. I didn’t think it was possible, but I got even closer to my cohort. Spending two weeks together, 24/7, does that to you.

It’s similar to any “Doing Business in…” course in terms of experience, but because we’ve been on this continuous journey together, it deepens those connections even more. On top of that, we got to visit some incredible companies.

What was it like to be onsite and interact directly with industry leaders -- including some NYU Stern alumni?

It was incredible to hear from rockstars at companies like Microsoft, NVIDIA, Airbnb, and Waymo. They painted such a clear picture of how they see the future and how they’re making it happen within their organizations.

But what really hit home was meeting Stern alumni. That felt even more relatable. It’s a mixed feeling. How am I going to reach their level of success? But the moment they start talking to you, there’s this sense of relief. You realize they’ve got your back, and they’re willing to help you take that next step. It’s the kind of hope and push you didn’t even know you needed!

See photo highlights from the immersion below: 

Andre Koo Tech MBA students with Stern Executive Board member and Stern Tech Advisory Board Member David Ko (BS '93), CEO and Board Member at Calm, in Calm’s office in Palo Alto

Andre Koo Tech MBA students with Stern Tech Advisory Board Member Jeff Teper (BS ’86), President, Microsoft 365 Collaborative Apps and Platforms, on Microsoft’s campus in Seattle
 

C3.AI in Redwood City

LinkedIn in San Francisco