What year are you and what do you study?

Junior, Business Administration: Finance

Who is/was your employer?

Financial Technologies India Ltd.
Mumbai, India

How did you learn about your internship?

How did you learn about your internship? Please be as specific as possible. I've been involved with AIESEC since 2013, a not-for-profit organization that organizes Global Internship Programs for students. After experiences with just about all levels of its hierarchy, I decided to finally try the product itself. I wanted something very specific in the venture capital space and I easily found an attractive position at a prestigious firm using their website.

*Link to website for Americans: http://aiesecus.org/

What was the application process like?

First I was screened by AIESEC and made sure I understood all of the cultural and corporate differences in India. Then came the interview with the company. I had a 30 minute phone call with them and it went very well because I had briefed myself on the technologies the company was using. They asked me about valuation, deal flow, and structuring hybrid investment deals that involve sweat equity with their technologies. They offered me the position on the spot and I had a while to think about it.

What were your major tasks or projects at this internship?

My company was new to the venture capital space, as are most structured investment firms in India. They owned and operated stock and futures exchanges and also leased their technologies to exchanges across Africa and Asia. They brought me on for my experience in valuation and due diligence from my previous Private Equity internship in Atlanta. I ended up making a few scripts that did 95% of the analysis using Excel, Python, and MatLab. Instead of just laying back while my scripts did the work, I got more involved with other aspects of the program. This let me gain experience in management of startups, creating joint ventures, and got me at the table during negotiation at the closing stages of a deal.

Do you have any recommendations for Georgia Tech students looking to intern in the same company or country?

The obvious answer is doing what I did and go through AIESEC. They help you with almost everything from negotiating salary with the company to picking you up from the airport in the destination country and finding you a place to live during your stay before you arrive.
Anyone is free to email me at my gatech.edu address about AIESEC or contacts I have made here for employment opportunities.

Where did you live? Did you find accomodations independently or with your company's help?

AIESEC helped with accommodations. I live in an area called Jogeshwari and it's just a 20 minute Auto-Rickshaw ride to Andheri where my office was.

How has this internship influenced your career path?

Each internship I take seems to make me more and more certain what I want to do for the first part of my post-graduation career. Not only do I know I could do something like this long term, but I feel more confident while applying to big banks or funds because of my awesome experiences.

If paid, did the company you worked for pay you enough to live off of your salary or stipend, or did you have to supplement your income with personal funds?

I was paid enough to support myself comfortably and I'll have enough for the plane ticket back home.