Andre Koo Technology and Entrepreneurship MBA | Jackson Lu

Hometown
Taipei, Taiwan & Seattle, WA

Undergraduate
NYU - Sports Business Management

Previous Industry
Digital Marketing

Student Clubs
Graduate Marketing Association - VP of Focused
Stern Technology Association (Member)
Social Impact & Sustainability Association (Member)
Asian Business Society (Member)
Stern Hoops (Member)

Intense, but in the most rewarding way because of the wide range of technical and experiential classes, exposure to classmates with diverse backgrounds and expertise, and endless opportunities to learn or networking events.

I came from a digital marketing background hoping to pivot into product, so the focused Tech MBA curriculum provides the technical foundation for me to build towards that goal. The summer semester also comes with a higher level of faculty access, so the depth of learning sets a strong momentum for the rest of the year. And even though I don't get a summer internship the way a two-year student would, the experiential learning through the immersion courses offers plenty of opportunities to translate knowledge and skills to real-world projects. Ultimately, the one-year format allows me to stay close to the recruiting market as well with fresh perspectives and new skills ready to contribute to employers.

What makes the Tech cohort special is that people show up for each other in the good moments and the hard ones. It’s a diverse group, with people coming from engineering to consulting backgrounds, and hometowns from ten miles away to countries across the globe. Academically, it shows up as curiosity and collaboration. Nobody is afraid to challenge an idea in class, and the same person pushing back on your assumption is the one sharing study notes with you at midnight. Outside of class, we celebrate everything, from birthdays to planning spontaneous trips. We've formed such a genuine, supportive bond in such a short time. I remember the big hugs and laughter on the first day of the fall semester because we all missed each other so much after just two weeks apart during our Summer break.

In July there was an inter-MBA mixer for students from a few different programs who were all interning in the city that summer. What stood out quickly was that our cohort was the one moving around the room instead of waiting to be approached, and the second someone realized a new person would be a good connection for a classmate, they went and grabbed them for the introduction. Mind you, that same morning we had all taken a three-hour-long Econ final, after a week of studying late into the night together. Even with that, by the end of the mixer we decided we would rather keep hanging out, so we left as a group for another bar, and then did it all over again the next night at our post-final party. Two nights in a row, with the same people we had been sitting next to every single day since May. That is the part I could not have researched before applying, and it was where the community feeling crystallized for me when all of us wanted to be around each other on the one night we had earned the right not to be.

I initially chose Stern’s Tech MBA for three reasons: technical training, structured immersion, and the network. Even after just the first semester, all three have held up. I wrote a PRD and built a regression model; I created prototypes of different products to present to immersion course clients; I had three alumni coffee chats in a week not long ago. But honestly, the biggest reason is the one I couldn’t have researched, which is the community, which I've leaned on to get me through several challenging moments so far.

Set your intentions and priorities before the program starts, because there are so many opportunities here at all times, and it is easy to get pulled in ten directions at once without a filter. Once you are in it though, make sure to build in moments to check on yourself and against those priorities, since what matters in September is not always what matters in May. Most importantly, appreciate the time and the people around you, because a one-year program like this flies by so fast and I already know that I will miss the cohort when this is all over.