Four students — Anh Nguyen, Camila Gallo, Júlia Vila and Ferdinand Wittmann — represented Aalto Ventures Program at the Berkeley Method of Entrepreneurship (BMoE) bootcamp at the University of California, Berkeley in January 2023. The bootcamp was filled with joy, new friendships and valuable insights regarding entrepreneurship.

Anh Nguyen: Fear and pride in San Francisco

I’m an International Business bachelor program student, and one of the other students traveling with me is Camila, a master’s student in Geoinformatics. Even if we come from different backgrounds, we share a mutual passion for entrepreneurship. That is what brought us to an international bootcamp in a faraway country: the States. We are all grateful for this opportunity and the time we spent with each other during the trip and, perhaps, will be spending after the trip. We are also incredibly thankful for the extraordinary learning experience we had.

I felt so proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone and challenging my limits.

Pitching your idea to everyone, mainly people you’ve never met, on the first day of the bootcamp? Sounds good, but at the same, it doesn’t. I was both excited and afraid. Excited because I could bring my idea with pride to international scope, and afraid because I had to speak in front of strangers — not to mention that I had to pitch my idea in just 1 minute. Later, all idea owners needed to recruit their team by presenting their idea on an A2 paper and constantly pitching the concept to everyone interested. I was so concentrated on writing down my concept that when it was time to start talking, everyone had their “stand” ready but me. So, I decided to go creatively crazy. I stuck the paper on the back of a team member (thankfully, I already had one), and I stuck a message on myself saying: “We need a programmer. Promise it will be fun :).” We got into the talking crowd; we stood in the center and danced to make sure everyone paid attention. It worked, eventually! People started to notice and laugh at us; some asked to take photos, some asked questions, and some actually joined our team. Finally, I got together a dream team. Later that night, I felt so proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone and challenging my limits so I could learn and grow. I was also very grateful to my team for believing in the idea and in me as a leader. Generally, the trip was a series of these kinds of events — full of excitement and fear but eventually also full of pride and growth.

As a leader of an international team, diverse both in cultural and educational backgrounds, I cannot stress the importance of communication skills enough. My group received education from Finland, Spain, and the U.S. Therefore, we had different approaches to the problem, not to mention that everyone had their own working style. My mission as the leader was to harmonize and leverage their skills toward mutual goals. We needed to communicate, share and listen to one another’s opinions with respect and awareness of cultural differences. Furthermore, whenever I noticed a potential problem, such as someone might feel left out, I addressed it by communicating. To conclude, sharing one’s own working style, values, and expectations in a project and aligning with the mutual ones is crucial for any teamwork to succeed.

Camila: A journey of entrepreneurship and innovation

During the last days of our trip, we dedicated ourselves to meeting Bay Area businesses and entrepreneurs. It was a super enriching experience; we never imagined they would receive us so warmly.

My group and I set off on a 5-day adventure to the Bay Area, eager to immerse ourselves in the vibrant startup culture of San Francisco. We finished the bootcamp and had five days to explore the city and visit various landmarks, including the bustling financial district, the bustling streets of Chinatown, and the tranquil beauty of Japantown.

My group and I forged new bonds and connections that will last a lifetime.

But the highlight of our trip was the two days we dedicated to meeting local businesses and entrepreneurs. We were welcomed as we took a step inside the Skydeck incubator at the University of California, Berkeley, where we learned about the role of incubators in helping startups grow and succeed.

Next on our itinerary was a visit to Planet Labs, a cutting-edge satellite company that left me, with my geography-focused background, in awe. As a student of Geoinformatics, I was especially thrilled to learn about the company’s groundbreaking work.

In the afternoon, the group traveled to San Mateo to visit Meru Health, a technology company that offers mental health support through its innovative platform. The team was greeted by Kristian Ranta, Co-Founder and CEO of Meru Health, who shared his entrepreneurial experiences and the challenges and rewards that come with it.

This experience was unforgettable, as my group and I forged new bonds and connections that will last a lifetime. We left the Bay Area with a newfound appreciation for entrepreneurship, innovation, and the spirit of community that drives it forward.

In memory of Sherry Chen, a valued team member and friend.