One of the unique experiences of the Cambridge MBA is the Cambridge Venture Project (CVP), an
opportunity to consult for an external organisation, on a live case, in a field distinct from one’s
background and along with a diverse group of batch mates during the first term of the MBA. And
this has been an incredible journey for me!
This is one of those exciting experiences where you do not mind being pushed into the deep end
of the pool because the learning curve you have from figuring out the project along with your study
group is invaluable. I am new to consulting and this provided me with an opportunity to interface with clients, learn best practices from my peers and work with them to come up with actionable results for our clients.
I am far removed from the semi-conductor industry since I am a civil engineer by training who
worked with a real estate development firm. This project allowed me to understand a new industry
and gain insights into the nuances of the industry, the different markets in play, the technologies
involved, and so on. The distinctive way in which we approached the problem statement, where we
covered various continents of the globe in our market research, helped all of us understand the
overall industry and its future better.
Given the fact that my prior work experience involved working with diverse people within India, this
was one of my first opportunities to work with people from diverse nationalities. It added
complexities, since none of us come from native English speaking countries and we all have had a
different career trajectory up until now. The fact that we all had to work as equals without a
hierarchical structure did pose another exciting challenge as well. The team diversity also introduced
huge learning experiences for each one of us, not only with respect to work, but outside of it as well.
This included understanding each other’s cultures, thought processes, priorities and philosophies as well. As a group, we spent extra time in conversing about our prior work experiences, how we go
about completing tasks, how we schedule our meetings and work days, etc. We built confidence
and comfort within the group to share concerns and hurdles we faced individually and sort them
out amicably. I can confidently say that I have built some strong friendships through the CVP that
I will cherish for the rest of my life. There is a support system in my CVP team that I can bank on
for the rest of my MBA journey. I can’t thank Keon Min, Miguel Valderrama Devescovi, Sirayaporn
Chavanayarn and Whitney Tu enough for this!!
Advanced Furnace Technology, Zoe Tolkien and Magnus Linklater have been amazing
clients, giving us a detailed initiation into the industry, being available throughout to support us,
patiently listening to us and helping reform our knowledge and research continuously. I hope our
broad-based research, encompassing almost the entire globe, on the growth opportunities for
Silicon Carbide Semiconductors and the subsequent short-term and long-term recommendations,
will help our clients strategise their organisation’s future. I thank our clients for being genuinely
invested and supportive throughout the project.
In addition, I could not have asked for a better mentor than Peter Hiscocks. He supported our team through constant positive reinforcements, energy and suggestions to approach the problem in newer ways. His knowledge and his connections provided us the strong backing on which we knew we could rely on. My sincere thanks to Peter for making our project a success.
In conclusion, I strongly feel that the Cambridge Venture Project (CVP) is a pivotal experience of the
Cambridge MBA, ideally scheduled during the first term of the programme. It not only allows one to
gain knowledge of a new industry/sector and consult for an external client, but also helps in
experiencing team-working dynamics in a diverse setting and more importantly, propels the
students to plan and balance the one year of the MBA programme better. These, in my belief, are
the larger and more critical learnings coming out of the CVP.
For more about live consultancy projects on the Cambridge MBA programme, visit our web pages here>
