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At NYU Stern, students don’t just learn about entrepreneurship, they sit side by side some of the most promising startups from around the world for nine months as part of The Endless Frontier Labs (EFL) MBA course. In fact, some MBA students have been inspired to work for the EFL startups they were paired with after graduating. 
 
The EFL MBA course gives students the chance to learn about selecting, managing, and financing massively scalable startups through interactions with early-stage science and tech companies and their potential investors. The popular class is oversubscribed and part of the Endless Frontier Labs at NYU Stern, one of the world's most selective and successful accelerators for startups in breakthrough science and technologies.

Taught by Professor Deepak Hegde, Founder and Andrew Hamilton Director of EFL, the course is ideal for students pursuing careers in entrepreneurship, innovation, venture capital, and new product development.

Meet Ben McFarlin, NYU Stern Andre Koo Technology and Entrepreneurship MBA (MBA ’25), and learn more about his experience in the EFL course and why he chose the start-up route for his career path.  
 

Stern Faces of Change: Ben McFarlin, Andre Koo Technology and Entrepreneurship MBA ’25

EFL startup you worked with and have now joined: Enigma Aerospace

What motivated you to take the EFL course?
I'm driven by impact and purpose. I attended West Point for my undergrad where the values of duty, honor, and country were instilled on a daily basis, and then served in the Army as an officer on active and reserve duty for seven years. My experience as an Army officer consisted of working with incredibly talented and driven individuals to accomplish demanding tasks under ambiguity. It wasn't always fun, but I realized in hindsight that the camaraderie and purpose were addictive - and I'm grateful for that experience.

After transitioning from the Army, I realized that entrepreneurship was an opportunity to experience something similar. I wanted to dedicate my talent and work ethic to a high-performance team that was unified by a mission to make a positive impact in a very turbulent world. Endless Frontier Labs (EFL) stood out to me when I started business school at NYU Stern because of its focus areas of Digital Health, Digital Tech, Life Sciences, and Deep Tech. I viewed EFL as an opportunity to work alongside founders who shared a similar vision for how tech could address challenges in our world, and I knew immediately it was something I wanted to be a part of.

During the course, what were you working on with Enigma Aerospace?
I supported multiple initiatives including product development, data analysis, financial modeling, and business strategy. I opted to work more than the prescribed number of hours weekly because I valued the chance to work alongside an incredibly talented team. As time went on during the course, I found my position moving towards that of a Chief of Staff. The team was limited in size but was quickly generating traction, which led to me filling the gaps in evolving priorities. It’s similar to the life of an Army officer — facing new challenges daily, trusting your team, and responding decisively.

What was it like to work with Enigma Aerospace and directly with the founders? 
There were three key benefits to working with my startup. First, I was fortunate to learn from incredibly talented people. My founders had previously started, scaled, and successfully exited an autonomous drone startup and achieved first-in-history FAA certification for autonomous drone operations beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS). They’re truly experts in this exciting field, and working with them has been a privilege.

Second, I had the opportunity to witness how hands-on startups are. It’s one thing to learn about finance, corporate strategy, and product management in case studies — but it’s an entirely different experience putting these into practice daily by placing your bets on decisions that can either make or break your company.

Finally, I genuinely believe that this startup can deliver a positive impact to the world. We’re building solutions at the intersection of national defense, commercial logistics, and humanitarian aid — all of which I care about deeply. The thought of the impact we can have at scale is what motivates me through day-to-day challenges, and I consider myself lucky to wake up every morning and work on something I’m truly passionate about.

Were there any “lightbulb” or “ah ha!” moments during this experience?
Definitely — the greatest being the realization of how important it is to understand your customer. Throughout my work with the startup through the EFL companion MBA course, I was impressed by the effort the team put into truly understanding the customer and the market. The strategy was informed through hundreds of user engagements over the course of a few months, and I watched as these insights were refined into high-value capabilities through the subject matter expertise the team possessed.

The value of seeking customer input early and often became evident near the end of the course when our business development traction began to significantly increase. We began being pulled into conversations based on interest and experienced multiple sequential wins. This team didn’t design capabilities in a void and try to force them on a market — they sought extensive end user feedback, evaluated the industry, and took a scalpel-like approach to developing and refining a high-impact capability that doesn’t exist today.

At the end of the course, you pursued and accepted a job with Enigma Aerospace. Were you always interested in entrepreneurship and startups as a potential career path, or did this experience influence your choice to go the startup route? What led you to that decision and what are you excited for in your new role?
I’m drawn to the “Man in the Arena” idea from Teddy Roosevelt’s speech. I’m grateful for what I’ve been given in this life and I view entrepreneurship as an opportunity to make the world a safer and better place. 

At Enigma Aerospace, the team dynamics, expertise, and trust give me a high degree of confidence in our ability to overcome whatever challenges may be ahead. The opportunity to work alongside incredibly talented people to solve challenging yet meaningful problems is invaluable, and I’d choose this path again if I restarted business school tomorrow. 

Besides the incredible amount of personal and professional development this role provides, I’m most excited by the thought of where we may be 12 months from now. The transition from concept to real-world impact is on the horizon, and I’m excited to help make it happen.