Many MSL students bring an entrepreneurial mindset with them to the program, and many MSL students develop an entrepreneurial mindset while they are in the MSL program. Part of this is due to the MSL curriculum, which allows students to study a unique combination of law, business, and entrepreneurship courses. And part of the interest in entrepreneurship comes from the community and culture of the MSL program – MSL students tend to be creative thinkers who are interested in solving problems. MSL alum Kat Klein, a 2019 graduate of the program, traces her interest in entrepreneurship directly to her experiences as a student in the MSL program. Kat is currently the Customer Success Manager at 2ndKitchen; read on to learn more about her entrepreneurial path.
Since her graduation from the MSL program, Kat has worked exclusively at startups in different stages of development. Currently, she is a customer success manager for 2ndKitchen in Chicago. 2ndKitchen matches companies that do not have their own kitchens with local restaurants so that the kitchen-less businesses can provide food for their customers or events. For some of these businesses (think pubs or bars), maintaining a fully operational kitchen is not feasible, but being able to serve good food can enhance their customers’ experience and increase their profitability. Kat coordinates, innovates, and expands upon 2ndKitchen’s pop-up and programs across all of its verticals. She also handles a large portion of customer onboarding and account maintenance.
Kat had been interested in working in the healthcare sector until she went on the Entrepreneurship Team Project (EnTP) trip to the Bay Area in the Spring of 2019. EnTP opened her eyes to the excitement of entrepreneurship, and her interest in working at a startup developed from there. When asked how the MSL prepared her to work in startups, Kat says that the MSL has equipped her to wear various hats, which is very valuable in the startup sector. On a daily basis, she uses the skills she developed in the MSL program: business acumen, strategic thinking, persuasive communication, and negotiations. And if at some point, she starts and grows a business of her own, Kat knows how to create a business and protect an amazing idea. Kat got her first job from a listing in the MSL jobs newsletter; both of her subsequent roles came from developing and working her network. Kat notes that startup communities are very tight knit, especially in Chicago.
Kat reports that her favorite thing about working for a startup is that these developing companies don’t yet have everything figured out – they are innovating and iterating, and it is part of the job to think critically and identify opportunities to make a company stronger. Kat says that working for a startup allows her to be data driven and strategic, but also creative. A role at a startup always requires a certain level of adaptability, and that is especially important now. Kat has observed many amazing ideas and companies that have developed out of the pandemic; she is predicting some top-notch innovation moving forward.
