“I enjoyed working with the Lair East Labs team during my internship when I was just starting to learn about the VC/startup ecosystem. Most valuable to me was probably that I got to see how LEL analyzes very early-stage startups. I enjoyed working on these investment analyses the most out of my internship as well as learning from the team and also building relationships with the Batch 6 founders and portfolio companies.”

“In joining LEL, I had the opportunity to deep dive into the climate tech landscape and learned tremendously about the opportunities that existed to address climate change. In learning how to evaluate startups in this space and then getting challenged on my assumptions when evaluating startups, I developed a lot more perspective on how investors viewed opportunities. I truly enjoyed working with my peers and learning from their varied perspectives, backgrounds, and interests, all of which helped broaden my exposure into industries that were outside of my immediate interests. On top of all this, it was particularly valuable in watching the LEL team operate and how driven they were in supporting founders on their journey.”

“My experience with LEL absolutely opened my eyes, and I was able to get a comprehensive view of the sector. I now know the different stages that a startup goes through, how various agencies play a part in the process, and how portfolios and investments are being managed. Deal sourcing was arguably the most essential skill that a VCer should develop, and I had equipped myself with stronger acumen for deep tech and CPG startups from the weekly pitching process. My mentor, manager, and peers were all very supportive in guiding me throughout the 3-month fellowship.”

“I engaged mainly in deal sourcing, such as finding potential 5~6 startups and introducing them to other capitalists a week. It was a crucially important task for me to nourish my skill to become a good VC in the future, and it also helped me have better eyes to pick up excellent companies in the world. Other than this task, I was engaged in a basic due diligence process. I summarized team members and the business model of the targeted healthcare company and leveraged my knowledge and experience developed in the healthcare management consulting career.”

“I’ve always worked on the operation end of a startup and found the fellowship program a fruitful experience. Although the learning curve was steep, the amount of experience and valuable insights were really helpful especially the weekly deal sourcing discussion. It’s amazing how much I’ve learned this past few months!”

“I love my experience with LEL, as it introduced new possibilities and interests to me. Working with a fantastic cohort allowed me to see what founders, investors, and mentors are thinking during an investment process. Seeing first-hand how a mission drives the founding team to contribute to the betterment of the society is extremely inspiring.”

“I loved being able to work more directly with portfolio companies, focusing on verticals outside of DeepTech and EdTech, and gaining more experience with evaluating Pre-Seed and Seed stage companies. Perhaps the most memorable aspect of this internship, however, was the genuine nature of the Investment Team. I will always remember and appreciate how open the Investment Team was to hearing my concerns.”

“I had a great time working with the team, and the experience was valuable. I learned how to evaluate deals, prepare marketing materials, conduct market research, do due diligence, and communicate with founding teams. I would highly suggest anyone interested in starting a career in the VC industry join the fellowship program – the support and learning experience I gained through the process was beyond my expectations.”

“Working with Lair East Labs has been an amazing experience! Even though we were completely virtual, the opportunity to work with and learn from the partners and mentors was extremely valuable. I worked on projects that were meaningful and useful to LEL and its portfolio companies, and learned about so many different industries and technologies.”

“I really enjoyed my time at LEL, especially as I was able to experience the entire process of sourcing, performing due diligence, and seeing an investment to fruition for Batch 8. Getting a glimpse into how LEL evaluates startups has refined the way I think as an investor and how I view different business models. During the internship, I was offered a lot of constructive feedback and was also encouraged to share my opinions. Ultimately, I learned a great deal from the investment team as well as from my fellow venture fellows. ”