Our last and final day of California served as a time to reflect. Heading to SFO airport was a weird feeling. the week had flown by so fast with the amount of great activities we took part in. However, I was also anxious as I never really enjoyed flights.
Having spent a week traveling around Palo Alto and Silicon Valley, I was able to visit many great companies, some just stating up, other already strongly rooted in success. in all cases, it seemed only a bright future was ahead of them. I am extremely lucky to have been able to take part of this trip, and I love the experience it served me. This may have been the best Spring Break trip I could have taken.
Monday, March 16, 2015
TuneIn Radio/Target
Our visits to TuneIn Radio and the Target offices marked our last day in California. Visiting both of these places in San Francisco was amazing. The city was beautiful and the coast was better than I had anticipated. It was perfect because after our visits to these places we were allowed to roam the city for a little bit and discover San Francisco on our own.
TuneIn Radio was an awesome company, and we were able to speak with Andrew, who showed us around their office space, and also gave us some great information about the company. From what I learned, this start-up company is a new technology, which through an app or the internet, connects you to different radio stations across the globe. We also learned about their purchasable app which came without advertisements which were normally in the free app.
Target was also an awesome experience as we had a great conversation with a Curry College class of 2008 Alumni Shawn. We also had the opportunity to have dinner with him earlier in the week, and were also able to have a lunch on the Bay in San Francisco that day. From our talk with him we received a great amount of information and facts about Target and how it started up, and what its potential prospects for the future are. One fascination possibility is a virtual market which customers can grocery shop without actually going to the store.
The day ended with me and a group of my friends exploring the city of San Francisco, and being able to enjoy a relaxing evening on the Bay, with Alcatraz in sight. Too bad the week was coming to a conclusion!
TuneIn Radio was an awesome company, and we were able to speak with Andrew, who showed us around their office space, and also gave us some great information about the company. From what I learned, this start-up company is a new technology, which through an app or the internet, connects you to different radio stations across the globe. We also learned about their purchasable app which came without advertisements which were normally in the free app.
Target was also an awesome experience as we had a great conversation with a Curry College class of 2008 Alumni Shawn. We also had the opportunity to have dinner with him earlier in the week, and were also able to have a lunch on the Bay in San Francisco that day. From our talk with him we received a great amount of information and facts about Target and how it started up, and what its potential prospects for the future are. One fascination possibility is a virtual market which customers can grocery shop without actually going to the store.
The day ended with me and a group of my friends exploring the city of San Francisco, and being able to enjoy a relaxing evening on the Bay, with Alcatraz in sight. Too bad the week was coming to a conclusion!
Apple/Facebook
Visiting the Apple and Facebook campus' may have been the highlight of the trip in my perspective. Having looked into the Apple campus the night before, I found it interesting how Apple is in the process of building a completely new campus, in the shape of a ring or "spaceship". Also interestingly enough, and much like what we saw at VMWare; Apple is using many recycled materials to create the new building. Another interesting fact we learned about the new Apple campus, which we were able to get a good glimpse of from the 6th floor of anther building; is that it is supposed to come up very fast and be complete in the next 2 years.
On our tour of the Facebook campus, I was blown away on how open and free the atmosphere of the campus felt. We learned that employees are able to get food for free at certain places, and there were also many accommodations such as a hair barber, so employees rarely need to leave the campus. Awesomely enough, the Facebook campus also had an arcade which was run and funded by employees! This was interesting because I have never been exposed to a work atmosphere like this one at all.
We finished off this evening with a discussion with the founder of a start up company WakaTime. This was a great experience because through our discussion I was told much about how the company came to be. What stood out the most was how the founder almost accidently came across her partner in a right-place-right-time style situation; and through that the company came into existence with the combination of her marketing skills and his engineering skills!
On our tour of the Facebook campus, I was blown away on how open and free the atmosphere of the campus felt. We learned that employees are able to get food for free at certain places, and there were also many accommodations such as a hair barber, so employees rarely need to leave the campus. Awesomely enough, the Facebook campus also had an arcade which was run and funded by employees! This was interesting because I have never been exposed to a work atmosphere like this one at all.
We finished off this evening with a discussion with the founder of a start up company WakaTime. This was a great experience because through our discussion I was told much about how the company came to be. What stood out the most was how the founder almost accidently came across her partner in a right-place-right-time style situation; and through that the company came into existence with the combination of her marketing skills and his engineering skills!
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Google/Criteo/ Boxfish
Again, today was a great experience at Silicon Valley. We visited the Google campus, a very successful start up, Boxfish, and we finished up the day at the Paris based Criteo company.
Though we were unable to receive a tour on the Google campus, we were able to explore around. Highlight of our Google trip was being able to cruise around on the "Google Bikes" and explore the campus much more efficiently. Since we didn't have a tour, Google Security was quick to identify and address us.
Our trip to Boxfish was a great way to see a small successful star-up company. What stood out to me the most was how the founders of Boxfish came from Ireland and due to the Silicon Valley atmosphere and work motto's; they were able to succeed, more than they could have anywhere else in Europe. Another interesting point to mention was how Boxfish's idea is completely unique, and due to that their revenues have been growing exponentially since it was started nearly 3 years ago.
We finished up our tours today with a trip to Criteo, which is a Paris based company. This was a rewarding experience as a Curry Alumni, Amber Rice, was able to speak with us a little bit about what Criteo does and how they operate. We were also able to talk to Criteo's Director of Technical Solutions Dennis Dominigo, and their VP of Engineering, Dimity Pavlov. From our talks with these individuals they gave us good insight into the functions of the company.
What seems to stand out the most with all of the conversations we have with individuals, with almost all of these companies, state that this can only really happen in Silicon Valley, and not many other places in the world are as welcoming and risk orientated when compared to here.
The day was concluded with an amazing dinner at Trellis, which is a superb Italian restaurant. Here we were able to talk to a couple Curry Alumni who live and work in the area. More to come today, with a tour of Apple and Facebook!
Though we were unable to receive a tour on the Google campus, we were able to explore around. Highlight of our Google trip was being able to cruise around on the "Google Bikes" and explore the campus much more efficiently. Since we didn't have a tour, Google Security was quick to identify and address us.
Our trip to Boxfish was a great way to see a small successful star-up company. What stood out to me the most was how the founders of Boxfish came from Ireland and due to the Silicon Valley atmosphere and work motto's; they were able to succeed, more than they could have anywhere else in Europe. Another interesting point to mention was how Boxfish's idea is completely unique, and due to that their revenues have been growing exponentially since it was started nearly 3 years ago.
We finished up our tours today with a trip to Criteo, which is a Paris based company. This was a rewarding experience as a Curry Alumni, Amber Rice, was able to speak with us a little bit about what Criteo does and how they operate. We were also able to talk to Criteo's Director of Technical Solutions Dennis Dominigo, and their VP of Engineering, Dimity Pavlov. From our talks with these individuals they gave us good insight into the functions of the company.
What seems to stand out the most with all of the conversations we have with individuals, with almost all of these companies, state that this can only really happen in Silicon Valley, and not many other places in the world are as welcoming and risk orientated when compared to here.
The day was concluded with an amazing dinner at Trellis, which is a superb Italian restaurant. Here we were able to talk to a couple Curry Alumni who live and work in the area. More to come today, with a tour of Apple and Facebook!
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Stanford Universtiy/Hacker Dojo/Contastic
Day three in Palo Alto was just as rewarding as the first two. Not only was the weather beautiful, but we were able to visit the breathtaking Stanford University campus. Our tour of Stanford was awesome, and we learned much on the history or the university, along with the Stanford family who founded the school. What stood out the most about our tour was the architecture and detail of each building. It was truly amazing.
The second stop we made today was at the "incubator" company Hacker Dojo. This was also a rewarding experience as we were exposed to a different type of business which is non-profit, and its main purpose it to serve as a collaborative environment for individuals, or groups of people to discuss ideas, and to have a platform and environment where they can start their own businesses.
The final stop of the day was at a start-up company called Contastic. What stood out the most during our visit was the advice given to anyone who aspires to start up their own company; and what I took from our discussion was that networking and forming strong relationships is key. On that notion, especially in Silicon Valley, building up trust with clients, peers, and in general everyone is a strong foundation for success in any company. Another key point that came up was removing distractions that would delay success for yourself, and instead focus on what truly matters.
Another great day in Palo Alto, California! More to come and discuss about!
The second stop we made today was at the "incubator" company Hacker Dojo. This was also a rewarding experience as we were exposed to a different type of business which is non-profit, and its main purpose it to serve as a collaborative environment for individuals, or groups of people to discuss ideas, and to have a platform and environment where they can start their own businesses.
The final stop of the day was at a start-up company called Contastic. What stood out the most during our visit was the advice given to anyone who aspires to start up their own company; and what I took from our discussion was that networking and forming strong relationships is key. On that notion, especially in Silicon Valley, building up trust with clients, peers, and in general everyone is a strong foundation for success in any company. Another key point that came up was removing distractions that would delay success for yourself, and instead focus on what truly matters.
Another great day in Palo Alto, California! More to come and discuss about!
Monday, March 9, 2015
VMWare/NetApp
Today was a rewarding experience visiting both VMWare and NetApp. Both seem like very exciting companies and are extremely successful.
Our tour at VMWare was led by Jeff Goodall who is a great guy, and full of energy and enthusiasm for the company. What stood out to me the most about our visit to VMWare was how open the campus was in terms of walking from building to building. Also, what was amazing was how green and eco-friendly the campus was. Overall, the atmosphere seemed very mellow and relaxed, for example employees are allowed to bring their dogs to work.
The tour of NetApp was also a unique experience. Justin Rowland and Evelyn Saleh led our tour and showed us the various buildings on their campus. We learned that this company, much like VMWare is also very green and eco-friendly. NetApp is a international company with over 150 locations. We also learned that NetApp is listed as a fortune 500 company by Forbes, and 77% of the other fortune 500 companies use NetApp's services.
Our tour at VMWare was led by Jeff Goodall who is a great guy, and full of energy and enthusiasm for the company. What stood out to me the most about our visit to VMWare was how open the campus was in terms of walking from building to building. Also, what was amazing was how green and eco-friendly the campus was. Overall, the atmosphere seemed very mellow and relaxed, for example employees are allowed to bring their dogs to work.
The tour of NetApp was also a unique experience. Justin Rowland and Evelyn Saleh led our tour and showed us the various buildings on their campus. We learned that this company, much like VMWare is also very green and eco-friendly. NetApp is a international company with over 150 locations. We also learned that NetApp is listed as a fortune 500 company by Forbes, and 77% of the other fortune 500 companies use NetApp's services.
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Palo Alto Day 1
So far Palo Alto has been amazing. Though it has only been day one, our class was able to see much of city. We did not specifically visit any companies, however I was able to get a sense of what the atmosphere is in this city. I was amazed at how clean the Palo Alto is, along with how diverse the population seems.
The hotel we are staying at is also beautiful, and what has been the best part (so far), is the warm climate and the fact that there is not one flake of snow as opposed to Massachusetts!
More posts to come throughout the week! I cannot wait to visit VMWare tomorrow and fill you in on how it was!
The hotel we are staying at is also beautiful, and what has been the best part (so far), is the warm climate and the fact that there is not one flake of snow as opposed to Massachusetts!
More posts to come throughout the week! I cannot wait to visit VMWare tomorrow and fill you in on how it was!
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