Akshay Sep 22 LSE

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Losing in the game of Monopoly at the age of 12 led me to

review the disparity in property prices across the board, and I


embarked on a journey to investigate how markets function. I
was fascinated by the concept of raising capital and valuing
assets. While calculating the cost-benefit of properties led me
to wins, I realised that the game was flawed since asset prices
change over time. I learnt the necessity of viewing things
beyond the rulebook and wanted to learn more about business
and how a company's operations affect its value. Through years
of competitions, internships, and research, I gained a
considerable understanding of my curiosity. To better
comprehend the mechanics of valuations and markets, I
enrolled in online courses such as Yale University's 'Financial
Markets,' 'Financing for Startup Businesses,' and 'Startup
Valuation Methods' by Duke University. These courses'
conceptual knowledge helped me with a better grasp of
organisations and markets in general. A keen interest in finance
led me to participate in competitions such as the Wharton
Global High School Investment Competition. With my newfound
passion for personal finance, I read a lot of books, my favourite
of which was 'The Parable of Pipelines' by Burke Hedges, in
which he masterfully highlighted the necessity of creating and
managing various sources of income. This curiosity led me to
an internship at FinWise Consulting, where I actively
researched insurance schemes, fund investments, and headed
a team of five to develop a financial strategy for a client. As
President of the Economics and Finance Club, I organised
various events to share my knowledge and skills with the
students as I progressed through the two disciplines' learning
curves. My knowledge while researching markets and asset
valuations accelerated during the course of my internship at
Inverted Prism. I worked closely with an investment banker with
whom I analysed companies to make pitch decks for model
acquisition cases. I also witnessed firsthand how businesses are
funded and learnt about the various funding options. Intrigued
by the idea of raising funds I realised that it may be of
tremendous assistance to parts of Indian society where
economic incentives do not reach the people in need. As a
shooter I travelled across India with a motley group of shooters,
observing how the rest of the country lived. Startled by my
peer's inability to fund his national games despite being at the
top of the list, I was determined to apply my learnings to the
benefit of the sports community that I'm a part of. I explored
how innovation linked with economic policy may improve the
existing situation by investigating government financing
schemes based on their budget, timing, reach, and selection
criteria. During the publication of my research paper in the
International Journal of Research in Engineering, Science, and
Management, I simultaneously launched FUNDRACE, India's
first all-in-one online sports funding platform. I created a
website, ran campaigns, contacted sponsors, managed social
media, and connected athletes and teams with financial
experts. We acquired valuable industry recognition by
participating in and winning several competitions and
incubators, and our platform had a greater impact than we
anticipated. Along with winning a few national startup events,
we also pitched our idea to investors from Southeast Asia in the
Young Tycoons Business Challenge where we were also
selected as the semi-finalists out of the 7000+ participating
startups. The experience has aided in merging my interests in
economic policy, markets, and developing and sustaining
socially impactful as well as successful companies. Launching
Fundrace also enabled me to see how formal business
education will help me accomplish my goal. The confluence of
economics, management, and finance provides the ideal
toolbox for ensuring my progress toward the achievement of
my aims of having a greater impact in these fields and the
world.

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