Day in the Life — NYC Start-up Trip Edition

Hello, HackCville! My name is Shirley, and I’ll be showing you what a typical day is like on the New York City startup trip. Read on to see what a day can look like in any of our three tracks:

• Female Founders, where you can chat with women in leadership about their journeys from undergrad to today, securing funding and respect in male-dominated spaces, and what’s next for their industries
• Sustainability, where you can tour the companies and learn about the technologies that are fighting back against climate change
• Diversity in Tech, where you can see how new initiatives are championing inclusivity in the workplace and learn what resources exist specifically for you to find and secure opportunities in the tech industry

9AM 🌤:

It’s breakfast time! After leaving the hotel, my friends and I grab some classic New York bagels from Liberty Bagels Midtown. This place sells rainbow bagels — just as good as Bodo’s but definitely more Instagrammable.

10AM:

Our track heads out for our first company visit. We tour the office space and have a Q&A session with some of the workers to learn more about their responsibilities and projects.

12:30PM:

We have a quick lunch break and continue onto the next company. This startup was founded by a UVA alumna, and she’s incredibly proud of her diverse staff. She walks us through her hiring process and gives us insights about the value of diversity and inclusion in the tech industry.

3PM:

Our last startup visit of the day is a tech company that prides itself on its inclusive work environment. The staff we meet are from various personal and professional backgrounds and gave us a presentation about how to highlight our unique traits in the workforce. We also take a tour of the office and learn about the new projects they’re developing.

5PM:

After finishing up our company tours, my friends and I are on a mission to eat dinner and spend the rest of the night exploring NYC. To truly capture the essence of NYC’s bustling nightlife, we decide to hop on the subway and visit Times Square.

5:30PM:

When in New York, eat New York pizza, and so we head to John’s Pizzeria. The restaurant is in the heart of Times Square, which is super convenient. The place is massive and completely packed with people. I order a classic pepperoni pizza and split it with friends.

6:30PM:

For dessert, we head to the M&M store. I have never seen so much candy in one place. It’s insane! My friends and I buy a few bags of candy and take pictures of the M&M statues around the store for some laughs.

8PM:

For the rest of the night, I walk around Times Square and soak in the kaleidoscope of lights around me. I occasionally shop at souvenir places and take pictures of the scenery. We end the night by getting drinks (only do this if you’re over 21!) and head back to our hotel.

Overall, it’s quite an eventful day and definitely not your typical Monday.