Q1. Tell us about yourself?

My name is Abhishek; I am from Bangalore. I have been working as a

Software Engineer at Cisco's Could Networking business division for the last
18 months. Before that, I completed my B.Tech in Electronics and
Communication Engineering from NIT Trichy.

Although I majored in ECE, I found myself increasingly drawn towards the

fintech and crypto space during my college days. I have developed both
software and finance skills to be able to build fintech and blockchain
applications. I am currently a CFA level-1 candidate and have also completed
the CFA Investment Foundations certificate. I have won multiple high-profile
blockchain hackathons. I was a global winner at MIT's Bitcoin Expo
hackathon. I was also one of 20 recipients of the Solana India Fellowship,
wherein I was mentored by crypto industry leaders, some of whom were
CEOs and some partners from VC firms.

While in college, I was also active in extracurriculars, as I was a part of 7

clubs and communities where I made meaningful contributions. My most
notable contribution was my role as the head of media relations at Festember
- the annual cultural fest of NIT Trichy. Here, I lead a team of 36 members to
secure sponsorships and branding deals with major media corporations such
as Sony Music, Movies Now, The Hindu, Fever FM, etc, adding value worth
over 35 Lakh rupees to the fest. I was also a writer for the college magazine,
a member of the Google developer student community, a researcher at the
R&D club and an editor at the filmmaking club.

In my free time, read books on history and memoirs of political figures. I also
like to draw and create digital art. I keenly follow American politics, and I
am passionate about cricket.

I have a deep interest in the finance and technology space, and my ultimate
goal is to become an entrepreneur and build something of value in this area.

Q2.What according to you are your strengths and weakness? Mention at least
3 strengths and 3 weaknesses.
Strengths:

- I am an effective communicator. While I was the Head of Media Relations

at Festember (Annual Cultural Fest of NIT Trichy), I was accountable to our
corporate partners such as Sony Music, Movies Now, etc., the college
administration, the overall fest team, and the team I led. I learned to
communicate swiftly; I improved my language precision. I also developed a
sense of anticipating what the other party wanted and spoke such that I
directly addressed that.
- I am extremely resilient. Right from when I was 12, I have had a severe eye
allergy, which would have my eyes inflamed, itchy and red for months on
end. It makes it almost impossible to study or do any kind of work for that
matter. But I still pressed on. While I was in class 11 and 12, I was preparing
for JEE from a boarding school. I battled with this issue throughout my time
there and still managed to get a top 1%ile score in JEE mains and a top 5%ile
score in JEE advanced.
- I am a good problem solver. I break down problems into smaller problems
such that they can't be further broken down anymore, and I solve each of
them methodically and systematically. As a Software Engineer at Cisco, I am
tasked with complex tasks that land on my table that other frontline teams
have been unable to solve. Be it building functionalities for operating
systems of networking equipment that handle financial transactions or code
irregularities, I have always been efficient at solving them.

Weaknesses:

- Nervousness: I tend to get very nervous when I am at a place where I am

being judged. Be it on a stage, on an interview panel, or in a one-on-one
conversation with someone important. I tend to behave or give answers that
are not entirely representative of who I am. I have worked really hard on the
issue, but I feel there's still a long way to go.
- I can sometimes be hasty and make very basic but costly mistakes. This has
cost me in exams when doing long math problems. I have been working to
fix this.
- I tend to procrastinate on less engaging tasks. I find myself postponing tasks
that I find less intellectually stimulating, especially repetitive duties and
chores. I have been working to fix this issue too.

Q3. What are your short term and long tern career goals?
I have always had an inclination towards solving problems and building
products for the real world. Although I have good technical skills, I see that
alone won't be sufficient to build something. I need to improve my
understanding of markets and finance, my judgement, and leadership skills
and gain some experience and business acumen. So, I believe an MBA
program and a few years in management consulting would help me first gain
business knowledge and then solidify whatever I learned.

Looking towards the long term, I aspire to establish myself as a leader in the
field of fintech. My goal is to be at the forefront of technological innovation
in the fintech space, shaping solutions that are both cutting-edge and socially
impactful. I wish to drive innovation in the fintech space, possibly by leading
a fintech startup or by driving investments in the sector as a part of an
investment group such as a private equity firm.

The comprehensive business education and networking opportunities

provided by an MBA will be crucial in achieving these long-term objectives,
allowing me to build a robust foundation for my future career.

Q4. Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

Post-MBA, I see myself starting in a strategic role, such as a Fintech Product

Manager or Strategy Consultant in a leading multinational corporation or a
dynamic startup. This role would ideally blend my technical background
from Cisco, my insights into blockchain, and the business acumen and
leadership skills I have honed through my MBA.

In the next five years, I see myself growing into a leadership role, where I
can drive innovation and strategic decision-making in fintech. This could
potentially lead me towards entrepreneurship, where I could implement my
vision of integrating technology and finance to create solutions that are not
only efficient and cutting-edge but also accessible and beneficial for a wider
audience.

Q5. What has been your greatest achievement till date?

I believe that my greatest achievement to date was my position as a Global
Winner at the MIT Bitcoin Expo Hackathon. The hackathon had over 2000
applications worldwide, and 100 were shortlisted to take part. My colleague
Arvinth and I built a blockchain-based social media application that does
fact-checking through crowdsourcing. It concurred with the track we were
competing in - DApp and DeFi. Most of the innovation happened in the fact-
checking algorithm. To establish facts, we developed a mechanism in which
a fact is established if enough people who have historically disagreed on
related facts agree on the one in question. We presented the project to a panel
from MIT's Bitcoin club and were awarded first place in the track. Later that
week, Arvinth and I were approached by a New York based VC firm named
SOSV to take the product to the market potentially. They suggested that in
order for the fact-checking algorithm to work well, we will need many users.
And that would involve building a community around our project - social
media presence, discord server, and also fundraising. The two of us were not
experts at this, and given that this was an extremely time-intensive process, it
would mean that our academics would take a hit. We suggested using an
Oracle service, but then the MSP of the project went away. Considering all
these factors, we had to say no to the money because we couldn't do what
they expected. It became clear that if we didn't move now, our projects would
be copied as the presentation we made was a public one. Although this
endeavour was not a complete success, it was enough of a success and
nudged me towards my eventual goal - entrepreneurship.

Q6. What according to you are the 3 most important values that you have in
you? Values are principles which you stand for and live by.

- Belief in positive impact: My role in distributing over one million COVID-

19 safety kits to frontline workers was more than a volunteering effort; it was
an embodiment of my dedication to making a tangible difference in society,
no matter how small. A small piece of help from one person could be life-
changing to another.
- Integrity: So far in my life, I have not done anything to enrich myself at the
direct expense of others. Money does not drive me; maybe it does to meet
some basic needs, but that's the extent of it.
- Purpose: I always have a reason behind the things I do. Earlier, I followed
the paths that most people around me followed without thinking for myself.
But over the years, I have cultivated the habit of reasoning the things I do.
This has enabled me to make better life choices. Staying at Cisco no longer
made sense to me from a long-term standpoint, so I have decided to pursue
an MBA. I did not follow what others around me did - which was to pursue
an MS or look to grow in the same role - because it wasn't for me.

Q7. Enlist some important skills you have. How have these skills helped you
in doing well in life? :

Technical Skills:

- Algorithmic Programming: during my college days, it became increasingly

clear that being able to solve complex algorithmic problems can give access
to some of the most coveted jobs in the field of software engineering. And so
I began to nurture that skill. I applied to my college's coding and R&D club
and was selected. There, I found like-minded peers with whom I could
upskill in algorithmic programming. It made me a much better problem
solver. This skill played a huge role in my getting a job offer from Cisco.
- Financial Markets: Initially, I tried to understand the world around me and
why things were the way they were. I completed the CFA Investment
Foundations certificate, and I am currently a CFA level-1 candidate. This
effort has helped me hugely in building better blockchain applications. Not
just that - at Cisco I was tasked with developing operating systems for
switches catering to High-Frequency Trading (HFT) firms. In this case, I had
to possesses both algorithmic knowledge and finance knowledge, leveraging
the latter to enhance the design and functionality of the operating systems.
- Blockchain: The first products I ever built were decentralized blockchain
applications as submissions to hackathons. I built smart contracts and
understood how the decentralized economy differs from the conventional
one. Building them was also a good exercise for solidifying my learnings in
programming and financial markets.

Soft Skills:

- Communication: While I was the Head of Media Relations at Festember

(Annual Cultural Fest of NIT Trichy), I was accountable to our corporate
partners such as Sony Music, Movies Now, etc., the college administration,
the overall fest team, and the team I led. I learned to communicate swiftly; I
improved my language precision. I also developed a sense of anticipating
what the other party wanted and spoke such that I directly addressed that.
- Leadership: While I was the Head of Media Relations at Festember (Annual
Cultural Fest of NIT Trichy), I led a team of 36 highly skilled individuals.
We were faced with tough choices and tradeoffs every day. Negotiating
deals, setting terms, tailoring branding efforts for specific partners, etc,
required great decisiveness and leadership. I successfully played the role of
the leader and brought in a value of 35 Lakh rupees.

Q8. Which extra-curricular activities have you participated in?

While in college, I was very active in extracurriculars, as I was a part of 7

clubs and communities where I made meaningful contributions. My most
notable contribution was my role as the head of media relations at Festember
- the annual cultural fest of NIT Trichy with a footfall of over 15,000. Here,
Led and mentored a team of 36 members highly skilled in corporate
communication and deal-making. Formed associations with media
corporations on different platforms (TV, radio, newspaper, magazines,
theatres, etc.) and secured media deliverables and sponsorships worth INR
35,00,000+. Our notable partnerships include Sony Music, Romedy Now,
MNX, Radio One, Fever FM, Tinkle, etc. As head, I helped the team conduct
industry research, identified potential partners and branding avenues, and
directly handled media executives and celebrity artists. I organized weekly
meetings and planned and executed multi-platform, economically viable
branding strategies.

I was also a writer for the college magazine, a member of the Google
developer student community, a researcher at the R&D club and an editor at
the filmmaking club.

Q9. Who is your role model in life? Why do you admire him or her?

My role model in life is Brian Armstrong, the CEO of Coinbase. I admire

him not just for his significant achievements in the cryptocurrency space but
also for the values and principles he embodies, which resonate deeply with
my own professional journey and aspirations.
One of the key values I admire in Brian Armstrong is his visionary approach.
He saw the potential of cryptocurrencies early on and worked towards
making them accessible to a broader audience. His vision for Coinbase as a
platform that simplifies and demystifies cryptocurrencies aligns closely with
my belief in the power of technology to make complex financial systems
more accessible and efficient. This is particularly inspiring to me, given my
background in the fintech space.

Another aspect of Armstrong's character that I find compelling is his

resilience and commitment to innovation. The cryptocurrency market is
volatile and often faces regulatory challenges. Despite these challenges,
Armstrong has successfully navigated Coinbase through various market
cycles, showing remarkable resilience. His ability to stay committed to his
vision, even in the face of adversity, is something I strive to emulate in my
professional life, especially considering the dynamic nature of the tech
industry.

Brian Armstrong's visionary approach, resilience in the face of industry

challenges, and exemplary leadership style make him an ideal role model for
me. His journey and the values he upholds in leading one of the most
successful companies in the cryptocurrency space offer valuable lessons and
inspiration as I navigate my career in technology and finance.

Q10. If you could not do MBA, what will you do?

My end goal is to venture into entrepreneurship in the fintech space. If I do

manage to get into the MBA program, I will finish the course, and then I will
spend some time in management consulting to get a broad and robust
understanding of the business world. I will then leverage my experiences to
break into the fintech space and possibly venture into entrepreneurship.

If I do not manage to get into an MBA program, my immediate option would

be to wait for another year and appear for the selection process again. Given
that I already work at Cisco in a role somewhat relevant to the roles I would
want in the future, staying there for an additional year wouldn't really hurt
me.

Now, if the situation is such that I cannot do an MBA at all, I would first
upskill myself in programming and finance. Then, I would apply to roles like
product management or strategy in relevant companies. I will add value in
those roles and look to gain as many varied experiences as possible and if, at
any point in time, I feel that I have an idea I can execute as an entrepreneur, I
will venture out. Otherwise, I would look to stay in the firm can continue to
do meaningful work and grow.