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The LEL Venture Fellowship is a three-month seasonal internship program designed for undergraduate, graduate students, previous founders, or the ones who want to shift their careers from the corporate to the startup, tech, or VC world. You get a chance to learn from founders and investors by helping them with real-world tasks as well as supporting LEL in its day-to-day operations.
The program offers you an opportunity to get a taste of the startup world, build a diverse professional network, get exceptional insights from founders and investors, and prepares you for the next career stage with an industry-specific portfolio.
“Working with LEL was an incredible and eye-opening experience! I learned the most through sourcing and conducting due diligence on companies. The highlight of LEL was the open and collaborative culture of the investment team, enabling me to talk directly with founders and discuss my perspectives alongside partners. Even while online, I had a wonderful time getting to know both the team through projects and lunch chats.”Annabelle Xing
“Lair East Labs provides a level of experience you would never have gained in a typical startup accelerator or fund. Our weekly pitch meetings were a great way to prepare you for the real world of Venture Capital by sourcing deals from your own channels which enables you to think outside the box in terms of building a network. Venture Fellows have the opportunity to work on due diligence projects and hop on calls with founders to learn more about what they’re building. I found being able to interact with these founders to be the highlight of my fellowship experience while providing my own investment recommendations based on these interactions.”Griffin You
“It was a great experience interning at LEL and learning more about investing in early-stage startups. I especially enjoyed our weekly pitch meetings, where we gave each other feedback and better understand what factors make a good startup. The most valuable point of the internship has been learning from other venture fellows. Whether through the pitch meetings or working together on due diligence, I learned from other fellows who have experience working in various fields.”Amy Moon
“At LEL, Venture Fellows were given the autonomy to conceive of new strategic ideas and execute them. The leadership trusts the Fellows to interact with founders and represent the firm externally. I really enjoyed learning about new industries, growing my professional network, and gaining a new skill set to better evaluate investments. Most importantly, the culture of LEL and its Venture Fellows is very unique and helps foster a real sense of community and collaboration.”Noah Truwit
“Our weekly pitch meetings were a fun way to connect and a great exercise throughout the internship to evaluate early stage companies. I learned the importance of thinking both like an investor and as a founder, and felt encouraged to share feedback from day one. I particularly enjoyed working on projects that took a deeper dive into our investment prospects and with LEL’s portfolio companies. Going through due diligence and working directly with founders on their presentations gave me the chance to contribute my own perspective on live investments. It was rewarding to see my work used in actual investment decisions.”Helena Lustig
“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. ”Jocelyn Zheng
“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.”William Wang
“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.”Daisy Wu
“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.”Charles Lee
“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.”Norman Ye
Will is a rising junior in the Management and Technology Program at Penn, studying Finance and Systems Engineering. He grew up in New Jersey and has previously worked at an on-campus startup called Order In and as a research assistant with the Weitzman School of Design. In his free time, he likes reading, hiking, and spending time exploring Philly with his friends.
Helena is a recent graduate of Barnard College of Columbia University, where she studied Economics. She is starting work at Accenture and joined LEL prior to consulting in order to learn more about investing and VC. Helena grew up in NYC and enjoys reading, baking, running, and swimming.
John is an MBA candidate at Columbia Business School. Previously, he worked at American Express as a Senior Financial Analyst where he worked on customer profitability strategy and analytics as well as P&L management for the US Small & Medium Enterprises segment. He further has experience in E-commerce operations and economic consulting and most recently has become involved in venture capital as an Investment Scout at GoingVC Partners and as a VC Fellow with Lair East Labs focused on sourcing, ad-hoc analyses, and program operations. John graduated from Columbia University in 2016 with a B.A. in Financial Economics and will prospectively be graduating from Columbia Business School in 2022. In his free time, he enjoys learning about different things: startups, coding, cooking, etc. and is a gamer interested in the growing e-sports industry.
Amy is a recent graduate from Columbia University. She studied Political Science and Business Management. She has experience working in the fields of consulting, real estate, and art. She also has worked with various start-ups and joined LEL to learn more about VC and investing.
Charles studies machine learning at the University of Pennsylvania and is presently a Senior VC Associate at Lair East Labs. He spends most of his free time trying to recreate foods he grew up with in California: Hong Kong style Macaroni Soup, Hawaiian Spam Musubi, and more. When the opportunity presents itself, he is also a big fan of taking in the local nature, exploring museums, and visiting the symphony.
Evan is a combined B.S./M.S. student at Johns Hopkins University studying Biomedical Engineering and Engineering Management. His experience centers around medical device design, and he has worked on two start-up teams from the JHU BME department. His current team is developing a smart treatment option for supplemental oxygen patients. Evan is pursuing a career in patent and IP law and enjoys biking, triathlon, cooking, and eating in his free time.
Liz is a recent graduate of Emory University, majoring in Business and Political Science. She now works in the management consulting field in the D.C. area, where she could see her favorite Washington Monument every day. In her spare, Liz enjoys swimming, cooking, and exploring local restaurants!
Zishen (Norman) Ye is a Master’s student in International Affairs at Columbia University’s School International and Public Affairs. During his time at the LEL, Norman thoroughly enjoyed deal sourcing, market research, competitor analysis, due diligence, and outreach efforts. He is also interning for the China Practice at the Eurasia Group, a leading political risk consultancy, where he analyzes how China-related geopolitical risks and policy changes impact private businesses. Prior to that, Norman graduated magna cum laude from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a B.A in Urban Planning and a B.A. in Political Science. In his free time, Norman enjoys driving, photography, playing competitive e-sports, and exploring New York City!
Bam is a recent graduate at Penn state, where she studied Economics and Math. She will continue to manage her family run audit firm remotely and is pursuing her passion in data science. In her free time, she enjoys video editing and snowboarding.
Noah is a Research Associate at Harvard Business School, researching modern Chinese businesses. Prior to HBS, Noah worked at the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, where he developed business programs for its corporate members. Noah graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with double majors in Chinese and Economics & Strategy. In his free time, Noah enjoys cooking, following the NBA, and trying out new restaurants.
Daisy Wu graduated from Michigan State University with a master in accounting degree. With a diverse background in venture capital (LEL/ GoingVC Partner), financial services (Deloitte/ PwC), and management consulting (The Barthwell Group), Wu dedicates her experience and knowledge to help businesses and individuals achieve their missions and generate economic growth.
Takayuki Nakagawa is currently studying as an MBA student in Columbia Business School’s Class of 2022. Before starting his MBA, he worked as a management consultant in A.T. Kearney’s Japan Office, advised leading organizations in various engagements all over the world, focusing mainly on the healthcare industry, such as big pharma, medical appliance companies, and public agencies involved in healthcare. Mr. Nakagawa graduated from the University of Tokyo and got a master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Science before starting his career as a consultant.
Yulin Zhu is currently a deferred MBA candidate (Silver Scholar) at the Yale School of Management. He recently graduated from the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering with a BSc in applied mathematics and statistics and a minor in (pure) mathematics. He is interested in the application of data science to biomedicine.
Calixta received her undergraduate degree from NYU's Stern School of Business, with concentrations in finance and information systems. She has worked at various buy-side firms and government agencies, focusing on research, analytics, and technology innovation. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering, traveling, going to Broadway shows, and watching NBA basketball.
Kelvin is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Toronto, researching about precision medicine approach for rare gastrointestinal diseases. During his Ph.D., Kelvin gained experience in VC by working on Canadian early-stage deals in the healthcare and life sciences industry. He joined Lair East Labs to learn about VC investing in the US and other regions. In his spare time, Kelvin enjoys playing spikeball, making cocktails, hosting friends, and trying new hobbies.
Minh is a mechanical engineering student at Northeastern University with an ambition to work in climate tech and tackle climate challenges. Minh enjoys working with startups and supporting the founders on their journey and has experience in fundraising and business development. In his free time, Minh enjoys food hopping around the city, going on long runs, and cooking with friends.
Annabelle is a sophomore at Yale University studying Computer Science & Economics and Energy Studies. She is an avid debater and hackathon organizer curious about social entrepreneurship, sustainable finance, and global affairs in East Asia. In her spare time, Annabelle loves baking, food photography, and writing poetry.
Griffin is an undergraduate studying Management Information Systems at San Diego State University. He has worked in sales at a litigation finance startup and financial planning at a large entertainment company based in Los Angeles. During his free time, he loves to draw, play the acoustic guitar, cook, and create stories.
