IC SPOTLIGHT FEATURE — SEPTEMBER
IC Feature of the Month: Hemant Agarwal
Hemant is a Commerce graduate from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata (2020), and CFA level 3 Candidate (Dec’20). Currently, he is interning with Bytedance as a Strategy and Operations Intern. He loves to discuss random things going on in the business community. This habit led him to start his own community and podcast Channel- Infokoala where he shares business insights and interviews with industry leaders.
He has been fortunate enough to win various Business Competitions at the National Level and has represented India at a couple of international forums. He is also passionate about sleeping a lot. While he is not doing any of these- he watches cricket, the premier league or binge watches shows on Netflix.
How did you discover your inclination towards Finance and Startups?
I think my inclination towards finance and startups came rather naturally to me. The simple reason I chose to pursue my career in the commerce stream in class 11 was a method of elimination. I knew I never enjoyed Chemistry or History even though I was relatively good at them. I think YouTube & Netflix certainly has played the biggest role in developing interest. For quite a long time, I have been following the YouTube Channels of CNBC & World Economic Forum along with business-related documentaries. I used to get blown away with the quality of content out there and I knew that was it for me.
How did being a part of Enactus and EDC, SXC (college clubs) help you?
I think being an active part of clubs and societies at the College level has turned my life in terms of both Soft Skills and connections. Being a part of EDC opened a myriad of opportunities. Suddenly, I was there negotiating with the companies on financing events, connecting with investors, incubators, professors from IIM-C. Looking back, I feel my stint with the E-cell of the college gave me the right confidence to back myself in any situation life throws at me. I got the opportunity to lead almost 100 students which I wouldn’t have got the chance otherwise.
For me, the only takeaway from the college was the EDC family. My college began at 6 am and ended at 10 am. The class environment was far from ideal.
You were a part of Jagriti Yatra (2018–19), what did that teach you?
Jagriti Yatra is something that is close to my heart. The thought of applying to it was something that I had for years. My cousin was part of the Jagriti Yatra 10 years ago. He used to tell me the stories and the experiences he had. It somewhere stuck with me (Although we never discussed it for the next 8 years) and I made up my mind to apply for it the year I am eligible for it. It was one of the best experiences that I ever had (I wish I can rewind the clock and relive it again) I was one of the youngest Yatris on the train and I have never experienced such an environment where everyone is from such different background yet on the same wavelength with the idea of Making India for India by Indians. I found a network/mentors/ friends for life whom I can call up at 2 am in the night. I would highly recommend it to apply for it
Jagriti Yatra taught me a lot. It made me realize it is indeed the truth that one’s network is their net worth. Out there I was a sponge trying to absorb each and everything. The most important thing it taught me is that what does it actually take to start a startup. Everybody talks about funding and how to raise funding but one would hardly see discussions on how to split the stakes initially between the founders or how to ensure your Co-founder is actually working if he has lost interest how can one show him/her the door respectfully. Nowadays, we can see on LinkedIn that every second person is an expert but hardly many have done what they preach. We were facilitated to be Zebra Startups rather than Unicorns- Solve Real Problems out there.
Walk us through your internship interviews at Ogilvy, Qrius, and Bytedance. What were your key takeaways?
“You don’t know the taste of tea until you taste it”- A line which I have used in all the three interviews. I am a CFA level 3 Candidate (Dec 20) so I come from a hardcore finance background.
My roles in all the three internships were nowhere related to finance. Ogilvy & Mather was for Marketing, Qrius was for content writing and the one at Bytedance is for Operations and Strategy. I think the reason I was able to clear these interviews is that I try to have a conversation with the interviewer. The one question they always ask me is why am I applying to a different domain other than finance. My response is that Why not? The only reason I have applied is that I want to learn. One more technique I use is that sometimes I take control of the interview.
For example, in the Bytedance Interview, they told me that they are planning to enter a sector and my role would be to be a part of the Pre-Launch team. I instantaneously asked them why have they selected that particular sector and not other sectors out there (No existing synergies where there). I also gave them some of my own ideas on how they could market their app post-launch which I think showed my enthusiasm and my ability to speak my mind. A similar thing happened in the Ogilvy Interview. I would say the recipe to clearing these interviews is anticipating the questions that would be asked before the interview and be ready for it.
For an Internship, an Interviewer doesn’t look for the most talented kid on the block but rather a person they can connect with and would like to spend time with because at the end of the day the kind of work we do at these companies is totally different than what we are taught at our colleges so everyone starts at the same level.
You co-founded InfoKoala in Dec ’19. For a student who wants to start something on his/her own (side project, startup), what advice would you have?
A piece of advice I would give to students wishing to start their own side projects is just going for it. If you fail then no worries- the learning curve is much much valuable than the quick buck you could potentially earn. A regret that I have is that I could have started Infokoala way early, but I didn’t. Don’t run after the perfect idea or the perfect product- Just go for it and make your hands dirty- It will all be worth it. I promise.
A myth regarding starting projects that I would love to bust is one can start a project even for free/bare minimum costs. If you feel money is a constraint, then there are ways to overcome it. Have some side hustle to fund your side project. Money isn’t a problem your mindset is.
Having been abroad twice, what impact did those experiences have on you? Should students opt for exchange semester programs in college?
My trips abroad have had a massive impact on me. My first trip was a student exchange program, It was my trip abroad ever. I had never lived alone. So it helped me a lot personally. Three years ago, if someone would have said to me that I would walk the streets in Chicago all alone on a solo trip- I wouldn’t have believed it.
I think it has massively changed the way I think. There was a huge cultural shock in the way we do things here and the way things are done out there. Small things that I never ever cared to think about. It broadened my horizons exponentially.
My second trip was to Romania- (a program where around 25 students across the world were selected for a 10 day Bootcamp) I got to meet and interact (on a one on the basis) with the professors from Harvard, Stanford, and Georgetown (the best ones out there). The workshops that were conducted by them just blew my mind I don’t think I would ever get that kind of massive diversity where my roommate is from Germany, my teammates in the program are from Albania, US, and Romania.
The kind of network and international contacts you make would help one a lifetime. Even post these experiences one often reaps the benefits because in an interview I go to it always comes up and we can discuss my terms which helps me in clearing most of them. Lastly, I got a chance to take part in a finance competition held at Dhaka. We were the only Indian team to have made it to the final on-campus round. Although we did not win it- the failure taught has more than the win could.
I don’t think it is necessary to go for a student exchange program per se. If you can latch onto any opportunity — just go for it. There are many opportunities- conferences, summer schools, international internships, competitions. The kind of exposure one gets is unparalleled. There is a notion that only ultra-rich people have the luxury to opt for it but that’s not the case there are many opportunities out there where one has to pay only the flight tickets. There are also opportunities out there that pay the entire expense (end to end). One just needs to apply.
Even just by applying- the process of learning starts. The things that you learn about yourself by introspecting while answering questions is on its own worth it. While researching one often comes about new ideas.
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