The Fireside Chat Project - Bringing the Silicon Valley to HEC Paris
Fayed Al Rashid grew up in a small town in Bangladesh, but as a teenager he moved to France with his mother - a big change in terms of culture and way of life. He successfully completed his high school studies in France and then went on to study Economics and Management at the University of Montpellier. After his degree Fayed interned as a product manager at SAP, the world-renowned in German software company. He is now following the Master in Management program at HEC Paris, where he has launched the Fireside Chat project - a monthly open webinar that enables the HEC Paris community to gain invaluable insights from some of the top investors and entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneurial Spirit
Fayed's interest in the internet environment and the world of business began at a very young age and he grew up admiring entrepreneurs like Tim Ferriss, author of 4-hour workweek, and Naval Ravikant, co-founder of AngelList. Initially it was more a question of deep diving into internet content, being active on online forums and exchanging with people from all over the world. But when he was at high school, he began to launch his first entrepreneurial ventures – ranging from selling sneakers to collectors to sourcing luxury clothing from Japan and then selling them on the American for European markets.
These business ventures not only connected Fayed with like-minded individuals but also taught him important business lessons. They have enabled him to develop both his business acumen and entrepreneurial mindset. Fayed's commitment to entrepreneurship continues, and he is currently combining his studies at HEC Paris with various side projects.
Why HEC Paris?
Initially Fayed had not even considered applying to a Business School, but one of his clients sparked his interest and encouraged him to take the leap. He quickly realized that joining a prestigious school like HEC Paris, made sense for several reasons. The rich entrepreneurial ecosystem, influential network and international dimension of the school were all particularly appealing.
Fayed’s long-term ambition is to start his own company. His program at HEC Paris will enable him to learn both the theoretical and practical aspects of business principles through courses, internships, a gap year, and an exchange program. It will also give him the legitimacy, skills, and insights to realize his entrepreneurial ambitions.
Inspiration for the Fireside Chat Project
When he arrived at HEC Paris Fayed was inspired by everything that the students from previous cohorts had implemented around entrepreneurship and venture capital. But he wanted to go that little bit further. Drawing inspiration from the vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem of Silicon Valley, Fayed conceptualized the Fireside Chat project.
The idea being to create a platform that facilitates dialogue between leading investors, working in San Francisco based funds, or entrepreneurs raising capital from these funds and the HEC Paris community. The culture and approach to entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley is very specific, so the goal is to gain key insights into their thinking processes, how they operate and their take on the new trends in the tech environment. For students who would like to launch their own company and expand internationally, these practical insights are particularly useful.
Format and Objectives
The Fireside Chat project is a monthly webinar series, which invites leading figures from Silicon Valley to share their perspectives with the HEC Paris community. Each session offers invaluable insights into the inner workings of Silicon Valley's venture capital ecosystem, emerging trends, and a unique opportunity to learn from seasoned professionals. By facilitating direct interaction with industry leaders, Fayed aims to equip his peers with the knowledge and confidence to pursue their entrepreneurial ambitions with clarity and purpose.
The first season of Fireside Chat included investors from Sequoia Capital, Lightspeed Ventures, General Catalyst, Y Combinator and Seedcamp.
Future ambitions for the project
Season 1 of Fireside Chat attracted over 500 participants in the webinars. Moving forward, Fayed would like to continue this ongoing series with a Season 2. His ultimate goal, however, is to have the project become an elective course at HEC Paris and to create other initiatives that connect the HEC Paris community with top investors and operators.