Alessandro Baldon, is studying Economics at University Ca’ Foscari of Venice, Italy. Find out how he got on during his two month Startup Internship with Start Me Up.
What did you do during your internship?
“I worked on different projects, including several soon-to-be-launched or recently launched e-commerce startups. I got involved with SEO, market research, and social media, among other things. It was an incredible learning curve: I probably learned more here in two months than I did during my previous two years at university.”
Which skills do you think will be most valuable in the future?
“All of it. I met a lot of people running all kinds of different businesses. This experience has made me realize no one is born an entrepreneur – even the most successful entrepreneurs have made a stack of mistakes in the past.”
What was the most valuable thing about the program?
“The most valuable thing about my time here was the connections I made and all the people I met here. There are so many people with different backgrounds and skills. This is a rare opportunity to work in an environment alongside people who work in a completely different way to you.
That’s the beauty of working in a coworking space. You come with your ideas and projects and get help and support with them.”
What was the hardest thing about working in Bali?
“Life is not so hard here. In Bali, you’re surrounded by nature, and there are amazing landscapes that you can admire forever. But you have to watch out for the special guests. Yep. The monkeys! They are incredible animals but beware! They will try to get their furry paws on your food and once they do, it’s game over (for your food).
Joking aside, Bali is a great place to live for a while – even though most people back home find it hard to believe you’re actually doing any work. I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to work here and explore this amazing place.”
Do you think you’ll have your own business one day?
“I’d like to have my own business one day and I learned lots of skills that will help me during my placement.”
What did you do when you weren’t working?
“I had a lot of great weekends in Bali. Hiking Mount Batur (a volcano on Bali), going to the beach in Canggu and hanging out with all the amazing people here. It’s no exaggeration to say I’m going to miss every single Bali weekend and all the people I met.”