September 2, 2009

Starting a Finance Forum

[Post by Sougata Basu, MBA Class of 2010]

It’s hard to believe that the summer vacations are over and the classes start this week. Time flies really fast! I was working as a financial analyst intern at a venture capital firm in Boston. The internship was pretty interesting as it involved financing startup companies who are working with some very innovative ideas. Some of the companies are working on micro-blogging, some on cleantech and some on nanotechnology.

I was inspired to start something new and was thinking about a few ideas. I discussed it with some friends at BU and they helped in transforming the idea into a proper business plan. When I was preparing for CFA Level 1 in India last year, it was difficult to get relevant resources and information. I was trying to build a career in Finance and it was difficult to understand what will be the right career path. So I felt a need for a forum for finance students and professionals, especially in India.

So I started DaulatGuru.com (http://www.daulatguru.com), with a vision to create a community of finance students and professionals who are willing to share and help each other. "Daulat" means "wealth" and this forum will try to create the real wealth of knowledge. This forum will help MBA Finance/Math Finance students and also for CFA/CFP/FRM exam preparation.

The website also features finance-related articles (http://www.daulatguru.com/blog/20-transitioning-to-a-career-in-finance-during-the-worst-economic-crisis-of-our-lives) and interviews of well-known professors and executives. Prof. Zvi Bodie agreed for the first interview and shared valuable insight on finance education. I am really grateful to him as he took out time from his busy schedule. (http://www.daulatguru.com/blog/23-interview-with-prof-zvi-bodie)

Some of my friends in Indian and in Boston are working on the technology, content development and marketing of the website. This team is working to build and market the forum and I am lucky to get their help and support. This initiative was a way of combining the Finance education with Entrepreneurship. I am not sure how successful it’ll be but at least I am happy to have tried.
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