After arriving in Boston on Tuesday night, we started at the crack of dawn next day to a high-powered program at Swissnex Boston. Swissnex Boston promotes Swiss interests primarily in the area of Education, Research, Innovation, Art and Design, therefore the perfect partner in Boston for Networking New York.

Attitude!

We kicked off with a breakfast meeting with Prof. Felix Oberholzer, Associate Professor at Harvard Business School. We were given the unique opportunity to discuss the differences between U.S. and Swiss education systems and the impact on business with Prof. Oberholzer. The key message we could take away was that the main difference between U.S. and Swiss students is their approach to doing business. U.S. students tend to be more upfront, positive and get to the point much quicker. The key to success is to challenge oneself constantly and strive to build a positive character.

Elevator Pitch

After this, Pascal Marmier, Director/Consul of Swissnex Boston, presented Swissnex Boston and challenged us to introduce ourselves using our elevator pitches. It was the first time we could practice an elevator pitch in the United States and it was sound preparation for the next day.

Meeting an Harvard Student

We concluded the morning with a campus tour of Harvard University, the oldest university in the U.S.. Our guide was Fabian Froehlich, a current Swiss graduate student at the JFK School of Government. We visited the Harvard Business School, and had the chance to talk to Fabian about his experiences studying at Harvard.

Alumni Networks at MIT

We resumed the afternoon at Swissnex Boston with a speech by Mr. Louis Alexander, Director Alumni Education for MIT. Mr. Alexander is not only an honorary alumnus of MIT but also a big fan of Switzerland. We were able to gain valuable insight into MIT’s approach to Alumni networks and Mr. Alexander also gave practical suggestions as to how Swiss universities could build up alumni networks more effectively.

Networking 101 from an American’s Perspective

Following the discussion with Mr. Alexander we enjoyed a session on networking in the U.S. with Mr. Craig James, the founder of Sales Solutions and an expert on the topic of networking. We learned that the way to stand out from the crowd and a crucial aspect to U.S. networking is by following up on contacts made, which is often forgotten.

Insights into the Entrepreneurial Spirit of Boston

To conclude the first action-packed day in Boston, we attended a Strategy Session organized by The Boston World Partnership and Swissnex Boston. The Boston World Partnership is an organization that promotes entrepreneurship and innovation in the surrounding area. During these Strategy Sessions entrepreneurs have the chance to present their business ideas to a panel of experts who then give professional feedback and constructive business proposals. One of the two Swiss entrepreneurs presenting during this strategy session was Hadi Barkat, Founder of RedCut. This company develops innovative board games like Helvetiq, which make learning about a country fun. It was impressive to hear experts’ opinions and suggestions on Mr. Barkat’s business strategy. He gave us a real-world insight into entrepreneurship in the U.S..

Before heading home to our hotel we had the chance to practice our networking skills with the participants of the Strategy Session.