News
Prestigious SVB Trek again chooses FSB student
October 2018
For the second year in a row, a Farmer School student has been selected to take part in a highly-regarded, immersive experience within the venture capital ecosystem in San Francisco.
Kat Mena, junior marketing and entrepreneurship major, was chosen as one of only 25 students from top business schools across the nation to participate in the Silicon Valley Bank University Trek program during the first week of January. The program connects the students with successful founders and institutional investors to help the students expand their professional networks and to inspire entrepreneurship among the group.
Mena already has considerable experience in venture capital and entrepreneurship. She is co-founder and president of CleatGuard, a startup that provides a low-profile rubber guard that protects athletes’ cleats when off the field. She has worked as an investment analyst at Chicago-based Hyde Park Venture Partners, and is portfolio manager for Redhawk Ventures, a student-led venture capital fund, that invests in Miami University student and alumni founded startups.
"I was very excited to find out that I was selected for the program!" she said. "Being from Chicago, I never thought that I would get the chance to experience the ecosystem out there. The SVB Trek program is not only giving me the opportunity to experience Silicon Valley, it is also allowing me to learn from some of the smartest and most successful entrepreneurs and venture capitalists to date. I cannot wait!"
Mena was also an analyst for the Miami University venture team that competed in the Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC) and finished third in 2018.
The Farmer School’s Institute for Entrepreneurship is a partner in the SVB University Trek program.
“Silicon Valley Bank invited Miami University and the Institute for Entrepreneurship to join the selective SVB Trek program as a University Partner two years ago and Kat Mena is the second Miami undergrad selected by SVB to participate," institute director Dr. Tim Holcomb explained. "This will be an exciting opportunity for Kat to connect with entrepreneurship students from some of the top business schools around the world.”
Prestigious SVB Trek again chooses FSB student
October 2018
For the second year in a row, a Farmer School student has been selected to take part in a highly-regarded, immersive experience within the venture capital ecosystem in San Francisco.
Kat Mena, junior marketing and entrepreneurship major, was chosen as one of only 25 students from top business schools across the nation to participate in the Silicon Valley Bank University Trek program during the first week of January. The program connects the students with successful founders and institutional investors to help the students expand their professional networks and to inspire entrepreneurship among the group.
Mena already has considerable experience in venture capital and entrepreneurship. She is co-founder and president of CleatGuard, a startup that provides a low-profile rubber guard that protects athletes’ cleats when off the field. She has worked as an investment analyst at Chicago-based Hyde Park Venture Partners, and is portfolio manager for Redhawk Ventures, a student-led venture capital fund, that invests in Miami University student and alumni founded startups.
"I was very excited to find out that I was selected for the program!" she said. "Being from Chicago, I never thought that I would get the chance to experience the ecosystem out there. The SVB Trek program is not only giving me the opportunity to experience Silicon Valley, it is also allowing me to learn from some of the smartest and most successful entrepreneurs and venture capitalists to date. I cannot wait!"
Mena was also an analyst for the Miami University venture team that competed in the Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC) and finished third in 2018.
The Farmer School’s Institute for Entrepreneurship is a partner in the SVB University Trek program.
“Silicon Valley Bank invited Miami University and the Institute for Entrepreneurship to join the selective SVB Trek program as a University Partner two years ago and Kat Mena is the second Miami undergrad selected by SVB to participate," institute director Dr. Tim Holcomb explained. "This will be an exciting opportunity for Kat to connect with entrepreneurship students from some of the top business schools around the world.”