My Unforgettable Summer in Silicon Valley

“There’s nothing better you could do during your freshman summer.” “You’ll meet your closest friends and so many amazing people.” “I can’t explain it but you’ll learn so much more by being in the Bay Area.” These were just a few of the recommendations I heard from Duke in Silicon Valley alumni when I was considering the program. Now that

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Love Letters to DSV

Our First Evening Together. From the beginning, we were all about building community. Whether it was dinners, pool parties, or completely necessary Ross runs, we were always together, trying to get to know each other better. We had no idea where the next 4 weeks would take us, not just academically but also emotionally. Our First Visit. We hit up

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POV: Images From Silicon Valley

Is that my bestie in a Tessie? Following our tour of the Tesla Factory in Fremont, the group was given the opportunity to sit behind the wheel of the Showroom vehicles. We later met with Duke Alum Charlie Haley, who gave us the inside scoop of Tesla and their business. San Francisco has a lot of interesting little nooks and

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Behind Every Play Button: The People and Culture of YouTube

On Wednesday, May 22, we had the opportunity to visit the powerhouse behind digital media, YouTube! Pulling up to the location, I had no idea what to expect. I, as many others, use YouTube everyday, but I had never taken the time to actually search up the headquarters and see where the magic happens. Outside, the building looked like just

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So… Y does this work? Site Visit to Y Combinator

On our third day, we visited a startup accelerator and venture capital firm, Y Combinator – abbreviated as YC. As the Bus pulled into SF’s Pier 70 shipyard at 1:46 PM, quaint warehouse-like buildings greeted us – we quickly learned these were Y Combinator’s new campus buildings that recently opened to provide collaborative work spaces for start-up founders. Inside, we

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Discovering a new love for ThirdLove

“To know, love, or deeply believe in” your problem is one of the most important aspects of being a successful entrepreneur, Heidi Zak told us. On Wednesday, Heidi, the co-founder and CEO of lingerie company ThirdLove came to speak about creating a better bra-shopping experience for women. As soon as I heard she was going to visit us, I became

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