Alumni Stories: Katie Mulligan
As an organization focused on students and ventures’ entrepreneurial growth, we wanted to take a step back and focus on a special alumni member who has represented IDEA in Boston’s greater venture capital space. Katie Mulligan, who graduated in 2018, works at Pillar VC, a venture capital firm in Boston. She joined IDEA in 2015, and not long ago we had the opportunity to speak with her about her time as a student at Northeastern, the career path she has decided to take, and advice she has for those who want to launch a startup, but aren’t sure whether they should pursue it.
Katie’s journey with IDEA began with the Rotational Program in 2015. This project was a great opportunity for her to integrate with the community as a sophomore and work for a month with each different team. After completing her first year, she chose to move forward on IDEA’s Venture team, and ended up becoming the team lead by her senior year. Her team focused on turning the network between different founders into a community where they could come together and provide each other with feedback on different projects. Katie spoke highly of the people she had the chance to work with, and she emphasized how one of the most valuable lessons she took away from the organization was the tradition aspect that began to run through IDEA. Having such a diverse group of students from many different backgrounds allows our organization to be truly unique, not only in what we do but who we are.
As she reached the end of her time in IDEA, she and the other directors gathered to discuss the organization’s long-term goals, and how the team structure and processes could be improved. New roles were developed and the structure within the Management team changed, which ultimately allowed for more proactive thinking. Expanding the team was the next goal, which meant bringing in people with specialized talents so that IDEA could offer its ventures a wider set of tools to work with. This way, startups would have the opportunity not only to grow their businesses, but also to receive feedback in specific areas of business development like marketing, copyright consulting, or even prototype development.
At Pillar VC, as a Senior Associate, Katie focuses on what goes on after the investment has been made. She is part of the Platform team that focuses on business development as well as providing resources to help founders grow their business. She has also brought a great addition to the company that comes from her personal experience: building a real community for these founders.
By being part of IDEA, Katie developed unique skills that helped her work with founders better. She understands the lifestyle of running a newly-founded business, which helps her connect with Pillar’s clients better. The first five years of starting a business are the most crucial for development and expansion within the desired target market, which is where Katie feels her expertise comes in the most valuable and allows her to work with Pillar’s ventures better.
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