"Fast-paced and deeply rewarding."Venture analyst intern shares more about his first two months with Brown and White VenturesBy Gabriel Kiekenbeck

From day one, I was welcomed into the investment team—sitting in on founder pitches, asking questions, and contributing to internal conversations about deal opportunities.

What made the start of this internship particularly meaningful was being involved in the deal sourcing process from the ground up.

In May, we began identifying and evaluating a diverse pipeline of early-stage startups. After narrowing the list to our top prospects, I had the chance to dig into detailed diligence—analyzing business models, financials, market positioning, and founder dynamics.

Presenting my findings and helping inform the team’s investment decisions has been both challenging and energizing.

Working in data rooms, engaging directly with founders, and drafting investment memos gave me a front-row seat to how decisions are made in venture capital. Asking whether a company can scale—and whether a founding team can actually pull it off—is a hard question, but one I’ve come to really enjoy wrestling with as I build my own intuition.

One of the most valuable parts of the experience has been learning from the partners and board members at the firm. Seeing how experienced business professionals assess risk and long-term upside has been a crash course in how real world decisions are being made.

What makes this internship especially meaningful is working alongside fellow Bona alumni who share my values and are genuinely committed to pushing the University and its students forward.

As we move into the next phase of the investment cycle, I’m excited to continue contributing and taking on more strategic work across our growing portfolio.

Gabriel Kiekenbeck is a recent graduate of St. Bonaventure University, where he studied Business Administration and Management.