I would like to send out congratulations to 2017 TSS intern, Ben Consoli on his graduation with honors with a BS in Finance from California Polytechnic State University this past March. Ben is one of our superstars. Ben came to our program from a referral from two of other 2017 interns who were fraternity brothers with Ben. When he introduced himself to me in June of 2017 at the Impact Hub in Oakland, I knew I had a winner. He was confident and poised and gripped my hand with a firm handshake. He told me he was an honor student with a 3.9 GPA and was majoring in Finance.
TSS was able to place him in the summer of 2017 at Lucha Capital a Hedge Fund in San Francisco as an analyst. He exceeded expectations working there. He had one of the highest recommendations from the Managing Partner, Marcelo Desio. They both shared Argentinian heritage. It was a match that was facilitated by Kingsford Capital Managing Partner, Mike Wilkins who are peers and attend monthly meetings of Hedge Fund Managers in San Francisco.
In March of 2018, Ben was a part of the Orfalea College of Business, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo winning team for the 2018 Northern California CFA Institute Research Challenge. They went to Boston to compete in the Nationals. So proud of Ben!
In the summer of 2018, Ben worked as a financial Analyst at Yahoo Sports. While there he worked on building the revenue model for the new NFL live stream deal that Yahoo attained last year. He also did weekly financial reporting for The Vertical, and created an internet advertising industry report.
Last but not least, Ben won a $1,000 Scholarship from Latinos in Finance at their Annual Latino in Finance’s Finance Boot Camp 101.
I also asked Ben to share his experiences with The Street Smarts. Here is what he said:
“Coming into TSS I had no idea what to expect but Michael quickly reassured me that I had come to the right place to advance my career. My sophomore year, I got into contact with Michael through a good friend of mine at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. We spoke for a while and got to know each other’s goals and motives. I never doubted that Michael had a plan but I couldn’t have imagined the outcomes that occurred. He was able to get me an interview at a TMT oriented hedge fund in San Francisco as a sophomore.
At this internship, I had multiple tasks and learned about market dynamics and valuation. My daily tasks included analyzing company financials, listening to earnings calls, meeting with management, and speaking with industry experts. Working closely with the founder and portfolio manager, I was able to gain insights into the industry and build relationships that have helped me propel my career.
I cannot recommend TSS enough. The team (I would even say family), the doors that have been opened, and the connections I have made have been incredible. Thank you TSS and Michael!”
Congratulations Ben and come back and see us.
-Michael Campbell, ED
