This summer I ventured out to the Bay Area to pursue an opportunity in biotech, interning with Geltor in a strategy and operations role. The position wasn’t listed among the thousands of postings on Booth’s job board, nor was it available via any traditional mediums. In fact, Geltor had no official internship program in place. I was put in touch with the CFO, a Booth alumnus, through mutual connections, and after months of correspondence he reached out with a few high priority initiatives for me to spearhead over the summer.
As a chemical engineer, having spent six years as a Technical Account Manager in the chemical industry prior to Booth, working with the CFO of a biotech startup in a strategy and operations role was uncharted territory. It offered an incredible opportunity to stretch myself and apply newly developed knowledge and tools, while allowing me to explore new industries and geographies. I joined Geltor’s FinOps team, composed of engineers with MBAs; a powerful and agile group that immediately felt like a cohort that I was humbled to be a part of.
This summer was challenging, enlightening, and it absolutely flew by! Geltor had developed a novel method of replicating animal collagens and proteins with plant-based sources. The opportunities for the company were nearly limitless, but with this came the challenge of prioritizing projects and evaluating long-term market potential.
As part of the FinOps team, I put my head down to roadmap a top-down and bottom-up market approach. Over the course of 10 weeks, we cut through the ambiguity of limitless opportunity with analytical rigor. Our team developed a defined growth strategy for the company by conducting market sizing and competitive analysis within the beauty, food & beverage, and nutraceuticals industries. Ultimately, the CFO will use our assessments of the corresponding markets to guide the company’s valuation for its subsequent fundraise. Simultaneously, the team constructed financial models and frameworks to establish the NPV of various product launches, aligning departments in making key corporate decisions and enabling the prioritization these product launches. Our analysis directed the commercialization of PrimaColl, a novel, animal-free collagen for the food & beverage space.
My summer internship provided an unparalleled opportunity to apply newly developed skill sets, to grow both personally and professionally, and to explore new facets of the business landscape. The experience sparked a sense of imposter syndrome, but I was astonished at the professional toolkit Booth had armed me with after one year. With the momentum of this experience, I’m excited to continue growing my professional arsenal, applying accrued knowledge, and embracing the next opportunity that Booth provides.
