Blake Chasen
Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business and Dietrich College of Humanities & Social Sciences (Double Major)
Hometown: Chevy Chase, Maryland
High School: Phillips Exeter Academy (New Hampshire)
Major: Business Administration and Creative Writing
Favorite Business Courses: Business Communications, Business Presentations
Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College: President of Student-Athlete Advisory Council; selected to the Fifth Year Scholars program; Captain of Men’s Basketball team (Academic All-UAA all years eligible, named to NABC Honors Court all years eligible); Member of Project Rwanda (Going to teach in Rwanda in May 2016); Team Leader for TeamIMPACT (partners college sports teams with children with life-threatening diseases); Member of University Student Affairs Council; Member of English Department Student Advisory Council; Student Mentor for the Tepper School of Business; Dean’s List; University Honors
Where have you interned during your college career? MV Financial (Bethesda, MD) S&P 500 Data Analyst; Chrysalis Editorial (NW Washington, D.C.) Manuscript Editor/Accounting Intern; ChasenBoscolo Injury Lawyers (Greenbelt, MD) Pareto Principle Analyst; flagtag (Pittsburgh, PA) Co-Founder and COO
Describe your dream job: To use my experience as a startup founder to evaluate and pick winning ideas by winning teams that can improve the way we live our lives.
What did you enjoy most about majoring in a business-related field? I enjoy the work and collaboration that goes on while transforming a concept into a product. I love working with words to figure out the perfect way to explain and present an aspect of a business to potential/current customers and investors.
Where would you like to work after graduation? I’d like to continue in my role as a Co-founder and COO of my mobile application startup, flagtag.
What are your long-term professional goals? My long-term professional goal is to work in venture capital and help to find and grow disruptive technologies in order to innovate markets that are complacent because of comfortable margins.
“I knew I wanted to major in business when…I realized that companies like Facebook and Google can bring tangible benefits to society in many ways beyond how they operate in their traditional markets.”
“If I didn’t major in business, I would be…a novelist… and maybe I’ll still be one, anyway!”
What was the happiest moment of your life? When my nephew was born because my brother and his wife were so authentically happy, and the love in the room was palpable.
Which academic or personal achievement are you most proud of? When my startup, flagtag, received $25,000 for 5% from AlphaLab, a nationally recognized startup accelerator.
What animal would you choose to represent your professional brand? The elephant because they are intelligent, and they form deep family bonds.
Who would you most want to thank for your success (and why)? I’d thank my parents, because I think business takes courage, and my courage comes from their unwavering support.
Fun fact about yourself: I’m 6’8”
Favorite book: The Razor’s Edge by Somerset Maugham
Favorite movie: The Remains of the Day
Favorite musical performer: Drake
Favorite vacation spot: Barcelona, Spain
What are your hobbies? Playing basketball, playing tennis, researching startups and markets ready for disruption, writing fiction (I’m currently revising a novel), and competing in fitness races.
What made Blake such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2016?
“The abilities and interests of our undergrad Business students are quite wide-ranging, and Blake is a great example of that. All business students must complete an academic minor, but through hard work and creating opportunities, he has turned a minor in English into an additional major in Creative Writing. I look forward to seeing what Blake will be doing five years from now.”
Stephen G. Pajewski
Executive Director of Tepper School Undergraduate Business Program
“Blake is the perfect example of the ‘modern’ Carnegie Mellon student. CMU is more interdisciplinary than ever, and Blake has embraced that with his double major – he is both a Poet and a Quant! — and his community involvement. In essence, Blake has taken to heart what I tell every recruit: There is nothing you can’t do at Carnegie Mellon. You can be whatever you want to be and do whatever you what to do.”
Tony Wingen
Men’s Basketball Coach and Associate Athletic Director
Carnegie Mellon University
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