Big thanks to Rebecca Rescate, Founder of CitiKitty, for speaking with us this evening! Rebecca discussed the importance of fostering connections in college. Additionally, she emphasized that a lot of work goes into a company before it can be presented to investors in any forum, such as Shark Tank.

Special thanks to Alain Ferry, CEO & Founder of RaceMenu, for speaking with us this evening. Alain stressed the importance of living frugal and bootstrapping. His advice to the club was to only seek out venture funding if absolutely necessary.

A big thanks to Lee Hower, Co-Founder & Partner of NextView Ventures, for joining us this evening! Lee shared his experiences as an entrepreneur and a venture capitalist. One key piece of advice that he shared was “it’s more important to pick your boss than pick your job. Think about someone you can do well with and collaborate with, and you’ll love what you do no matter what because of that.”

Huge thanks to Jordan Fliegel, CEO and Founder of CoachUp, for coming out to speak with us this evening. Jordan shared his fundraising tips and tricks and shared one key piece of advice: “The best thing is to build good relationships with good entrepreneurs, and the best way to do that is internships and opportunities in college.”

Special thanks to Roger Berkowitz, CEO and President of Legal Sea Foods, for speaking with us tonight! In order to focus on the next generation of customers, Legal Sea Foods released a series of controversial advertisements that even caught nationwide media attention. Roger ended the meeting by saying “The one thing I’ve really learned is that you have to look at what you truly do best, what you have not yet done and to fully exploit the opportunities you have”.

Special thanks to Derrick Cheung, CEO and Founder of Green Street Vault, for speaking with us tonight! Derrick addressed that it is important for entrepreneurs to be flexible, as external forces will often throw wrenches into your business (In Derrick’s case, the mobile permit for his truck), but if you are able to handle the challenges, your business will inevitably reach even greater heights (He ended up touring with ASAP Rocky!).

Huge thanks to James DiSabatino, Owner of Roxy’s Grilled Cheese, for coming out to speak with us! James drew on the metaphor that entrepreneurship is a chess match, and entrepreneurs constantly have to be watching their opponents and prepare to outwit them. James left us urging us not to fear failure, as settling for mediocrity is far worse than failure.

Special thanks to Chris O’Donnell, Director of Product Management of Hubspot, for speaking with us tonight! Chris highlighted the importance of not only finding good ideas, but is more important to decide which ones to pursue, by working with customer and delivering what they want. Chris left us saying, “Product management isn’t about going off in a corner and building some huge spec. It’s about going off those around you and building something great one piece at a time”.

Special thanks to  John Harthorne, CEO and Founder of MassChallenge, for coming out to speak with us! John began by telling his about his journey as a consultant to an entrepreneur. In order for a student to become a successful entrepreneur, he or she must be crazy enough to do something impossible for it to become possible. Students are good at that, he pointed out, but he added that it was more important to work on something they are really passionate about and to stay true to their values, “which is the best thing we have ever done”.

Special thanks to Jules Pieri, CEO and Co-founder of The Daily Grommet, for coming out to speak with us tonight! After working at major retail corporations, Jules mentioned that some products would never see the light of day because “companies weren’t willing to take a risk on a product that might not work out”. That is where the idea for The Daily Grommet was born, a platform where risky ideas could gain exposure and where undiscovered products were given a chance.

In following the story telling theme of The Daily Grommet, members were tasked to come up with the stories behind the objects placed at their tables.