README for Paul Grech
Hi I am Paul Grech! I am the new Growth-Strategy Intern and in the Elemental EDICT Program.
Who am I?
Away from work
I am going into the second year of a full time MBA program at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh but am in the Hudson Valley, NY for the summer, my wife and I are staying with my parents (sometimes you may hear my dad in the background as he is also working from home and always speaks loudly on calls). My wife and I got married a year ago in June, we had met in Hoboken, New Jersey during covid and are excited to be back in the NY area to enjoy family, friends and the nature the Hudson Valley has to offer. We love to take quick walks with my dad around lunch time and do runs down to the river after 5pm.
My parents are from two islands, Malta and Puerto Rico, and my wife is from Medellin, Colombia. Food is a very important part of our culture and I love to cook. I have been cooking on my own since I was around 7 years old. Cooking is therapeutic to me and I love to cook everyday. Recently I have been focusing mostly on Peruvian and Mexican cuisine, and am looking forward to making more ceviche and aguachile now that I am back in a location closer to the ocean and have fresher seafood.
With my parents being from two islands the ocean holds a special place in my heart, and many of my childhood memories are in and around the ocean. From snorkeling and freediving to cliff jumping and wakeboarding, I love everything to do with being in the water.
At work
Prior to Carnegie Mellon I was at Bloomberg LP in Manhattan for 6 years, my last role was a UX project manager in the engineering department, most of my experience was in sales where I placed a big focus on relationship building. Since starting my MBA I have been involved with an angel syndicate through the school, focusing on managing deal flow, due diligence, operations, and investor relations. I also have been interning at a non-profit in Miami called Miami-Dade Innovation Authority who works with the mayor’s office and economic engines within the county to source innovation from startups to solve problems the county is facing.
In all of my experiences my favorite type of work has been that where I can analyze a problem then conduct research and go down the path of solving it.
Goals
Learning goals
Given my prior work experience was at a larger corporation I am excited for the opportunity to learn more about how startups operate and go through fundraising. With the experiences I have in CMU’s angel syndicate as well as VC competitions I have been a part of I have gotten exposure to due diligence but this will be the first time I am part of a team working to raise a round. I look forward to contributing through researching investors and competitors as well as to learn more about how the fundraising process
Career goals
Given my love for the ocean I am pursuing an MBA as a way to enter the ocean conservation technology space, so I can make my own impact on ensuring future generations can enjoy the oceans as I have. Post Carnegie Mellon I am focusing on launching or joining an ocean tech startup so I can dive directly into the making an impact.
Ways of working together
You can lean on me to…
Always happy to discuss my past experiences and offer a different perspective on a problem or task, as well as help out with anything I can.
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Feedback preferences
I appreciate candid feedback and what areas can be improved on. It is not something that I constantly need but is helpful especially in the beginning of a role to get a baseline on how to improve to be in line with expectations. Either on comments or in short 1-1 sessions works great, slack DMs also is a great way to send feedback.
Schedule and availability
I am in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) will be online Mondays - Fridays 9-5pm, I occasionally will do work later in the night or weekends as well depending on things that come up during the week. I am also in the Elemental EDICT program which has meetings/events every week on Wednesdays and Fridays, and I am the lead MBA partner for an angel syndicate through my school for which I run meetings and handle operations, I will make sure my calendar is up to date Giving feedback on this document.
Giving feedback on this document
Please feel free to reach out to discuss any of the topics mentioned or if you have any questions/areas I can help with!