Street: What school are you in at Penn? (Wharton, College, Engineering, Nursing) Talia Goldberg: I individualized a major that combines various classes from departments in the College and Wharton to explore how emerging technology and marketing strategies impact business models and communities.
Street: Where did you work last summer? TG: Foursquare
Street: Paid/unpaid/class credit? TG: Paid
Street:How did you get it? (Through Pennlink, independent application, a family friend, etc) TG: Independent application
Street: What sort of work did you actually do? TG: I worked on the business development team to optimize and scale foursquare’s offerings for businesses. I worked to form partnerships with everyone from small local merchants to large CPG companies, mobile carriers, and sole proprietors. I also worked to build the merchant loyalty program and to evolve product features for business uses.
Street: Anything you would recommend doing as preparation for this internship? (classes/books to read/things to study) TG: I would definitely read as many articles and blogs about the industry, its key players, competition, and challenges.
Street: What did you gain from the internship-- professionally or personally? TG: I learned more in 3 months than I could have in 3 years of school. Diving right into a very fast paced environment and being given responsibility taught me a lot about how to take initiative and how to communicate both with coworkers and with business partners. I learned how to balance thinking about short-term goals and longer-term initiatives.
More importantly, I gained a network of people who are extremely passionate about entrepreneurship and people who really took time and interest in teaching me.
Street: What was the best part of working there? Any perks? TG: My favorites parts of working at foursquare include the extremely relaxed dress code (in fact I’m pretty sure suits and business attire are banned….), the unlimited snacks and food, frequent team lunches, dinners, and happy hours. Also, the people are funny, passionate, and welcoming.
Street: Any particularly cool or memorable experiences? TG: Going on a beach trip for a company day. Many memorable nights of Karaoke after work.
Street: Did you meet any notable people? TG: The founders of foursquare are pretty cool — Dennis and Naveen! They were the coolest and most notable people. Aside from them, I spotted Ashton Kutcher and Ron Conway in the office very briefly.
Street: Do you use foursquare? TG: All the time
Street: Are you the mayor of anywhere? TG: Bui's!!!
Street: Where's the coolest place you've checked in? TG: Checked into the top of a mountain while skiing
