Hi, my name is Declan and I’m a first-year MBA working on a
TI:GER project to commercialize a robot for testing autonomous-driving equipment
and algorithms.
There have been many benefits from the program, but at a
recent career fair, I found one I hadn’t realized before. I had been waiting in
line quite a while to talk to a recruiter for one of the major car companies.
We chit-chatted for a few minutes and then I mentioned my TI:GER experience—“I’m
also working with a multi-disciplinary team to commercialize research related
to autonomous driving.” His jaw dropped. TI:GER skills are in demand by more
companies than just start-ups.
The first thing people notice about the TI:GER program is how
great the experience is for learning to start your own business, but there is
much more to it. This recruiter was intrigued because he was looking for new
hires that have an entrepreneurial mindset. The skills that we learn are
valuable everywhere—not just in a startup. Large, small, new and old companies
know that it’s not enough to keep doing the same things they’ve always done.
They need employees that think big and are willing to take risks. If a company
doesn’t keep coming up with novel ideas in their market, then a competitor
will. This is the type of work that a TI:GER graduate can do.
Therefore, corporate intrapreneurship is another path that
is opened via the TI:GER program. You could be an employee of a Fortune 500
company innovating around a problem that doesn’t even exist yet, or you could
be a founder of an internal startup (think Waymo within Alphabet). The
possibilities are endless; the only limits are ones you put on yourself.
