SumZero Founder Combines Technology & Finance (w/ Divya Narendra)

TL;DR

Divya Narendra shares his journey from studying medicine to co-founding SumZero and working in finance.

Transcript

JUSTINE UNDERHILL: This week on How I Got My Start in Finance, Divya Narendra, the co-founder of SumZero, tells us his story of studying at Harvard, the early days of Facebook, and his ultimate pivot into finance. DIVYA NARENDRA: So my parents are doctors. They're immigrants from India. My mom's a pediatrician. My dad is geriatrics, so he takes car... Read More

Key Insights

• 🌱 Divya Narendra initially had plans to pursue a career in medicine, but his interests shifted towards quantitative fields during college.
• 🥶 The lack of entrepreneurial opportunities during his time at Harvard led Divya to experiment with online tools and ultimately co-found ConnectU.
• 😀 Divya later shifted his focus to finance after ConnectU faced competition from Facebook and gained experience in the industry with a job at Credit Suisse.
• 💍 The financial crisis prompted Divya to start SumZero, a platform for professional investors to share ideas and engage with like-minded individuals.
• ❓ Divya's background in applied math and experience in finance provided him with the analytical skills necessary for success in the industry.
• ✋ The success of SumZero relied on creating a community of qualified professionals and fostering engagement through high-quality content.
• 💗 Divya's experience with ConnectU and Facebook influenced his approach to building and growing SumZero, emphasizing the importance of a focused and engaged community.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did Divya Narendra transition from studying medicine to finance?

Divya originally planned to become a doctor but switched to studying applied math at Harvard. During his time at college, he started an online tool called ConnectU but shifted to finance after realizing entrepreneurship was a career choice and facing competition from Facebook.

Q: What inspired Divya to create SumZero?

Divya noticed that senior investors in finance were not paying much attention to Wall Street research, leading him to create SumZero. He wanted to create a platform for professional investors to share ideas and connect with others who had skin in the game.

Q: How did Divya grow the SumZero network during the financial crisis?

Divya initially recruited beta testers from his network of friends in the financial industry. He relied on word-of-mouth referrals to attract more users. As the network grew, SumZero received press coverage, leading to an influx of applications.

Q: Did Divya learn any lessons from his experience with ConnectU and Facebook?

Yes, Divya applied lessons from his experience with ConnectU and Facebook to SumZero. Similar to how Facebook initially focused on universities, Divya made sure to review each application and accept only legitimate buy-side professionals to ensure high-quality content and engagement within the community.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Divya Narendra initially planned to pursue a career in medicine but ended up majoring in applied math at Harvard.

• While at Harvard, he came up with the idea for an online tool to connect people, inspired by his experiences with Myspace and online dating.

• Divya and his roommates, the Winklevoss twins, launched ConnectU, but it didn't succeed due to competition from Facebook. Divya later pivoted to finance.