When Martim Gois entered a master’s program in finance, he likely envisioned a career in banking or bonds. However, his co-founded company, Valpas, recently raised €1.6mn in seed capital to expand its business of providing a tech-based, pesticide-free solution to tackling bed bugs. “Managing cash, so you don’t run out of money, is a crucial function at a start-up and the master’s in finance has helped us develop and scale to more than 30 destinations,” says Gois. “It would have been really helpful to have had more practical help with fundraising and bootstrapping — and maybe bringing in, as professors of practice, a few entrepreneurs who have exited, or even failed!” Graduates with a master’s in finance aren’t just working for large financial corporates anymore. Many are inspired by start-ups like Stripe and Revolut and move toward careers in small to medium-sized firms. Recent financial downturns and the COVID-19 pandemic have also prompted many finance graduates to rethink their career plans.
Business schools have started to offer entrepreneurship modules to their master’s in finance programs. There are also incubators that help graduates launch their own businesses. However, some individuals like Alexandre Prot, co-founder of Qonto and an MiF graduate from HEC Paris, believe entrepreneurship should be a fully integrated part of courses. “There are many ways these courses could encourage an entrepreneurial mindset,” he suggests, “from entrepreneurship contests and campus meetups to conferences for interaction with successful entrepreneurs who could share their stories and experiences.” Future financial leaders must have a wider vision, as revenue-based finance, blockchain technology, and environmental issues are leading to environmental footprint accounting. Business schools need to address these issues in their curriculums to give their graduates a competitive edge. Nonetheless, a career in “big finance” can, in a sense, be the place to incubate a business idea.
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