PRINCETON: The Class of 2015 celebrated Senior Dinner at The Hun School of Princeton on Wednesday, May 27th. Alumnus Jonathan Marbach ’11 delivered the keynote address, which focused on trust and networking. Mr. Marbach made waves in 2011, when he was one of the youngest students in the nation to earn a $100,000 Thiel Fellowship for technology entrepreneurship. Mr. Marbach founded and sold the company Glider, before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in computer science at Wake Forest University. Hosted by the School’s Alumni Board, Senior Dinner is a celebratory occasion that serves to formally welcome seniors into the School’s Alumni Association.
Mr. Marbach explained how taking advantage of The Hun School alumni network early in his career offered him an advantage over his peers. As a young entrepreneur, he met fellow alumnus Andy Monfried ’87, founder and CEO of Lotame. The men discussed Mr. Marbach’s business plan and ideas. Mr. Monfried offered advice and important introductions to venture capitalists. By leveraging the connection, Mr. Marbach’s network expanded to include industry experts who provided further assistance and support.
“Here at Hun you’ve received an education that has given you the tools to discover who and what to trust, and a close community for quickly developing your network,” Mr. Marbach said. “More than an idea, more than capital, more than smarts — if you don’t have trust and a network (and you need both), you will struggle to get anything substantial done. Advisers to help refine an idea, relationships to help raise capital, recruiting and hiring talented people; these all require trust and a network beforehand. And the reason you need both is because one isn’t worth very much without the other.”
This summer, Mr. Marbach is moving back to the Bay area to accept a role at a startup company called Tsumobi. Tsumobi is working to build a messaging and file-sharing service aimed at developers, and Mr. Marbach will work as a UX (user experience) designer.
“As you go forward…raise your hand in class when others sit back in mutual acceptance, read newspapers that challenge your views, get involved in your local community, stay at the restaurant table after the check is paid, and of course, to quote my Mom’s favorite song by Lee Ann Womack, ‘When you get the chance to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance.’”
