Berkeley Haas MBAs Are Looking To Disrupt The Transportation & Mobility Space. Here’s How

TACKLING ‘NEW STRATEGIC PROBLEMS THAT NO ONE HAS FULLY FIGURED OUT YET’

Vakis became interested in the transportation and mobility industry through his experience prior to Haas; as a consultant, he worked for a range of different clients across different sectors, but transportation and mobility piqued his interest the most.

“New technology and this push towards sustainability is fundamentally disrupting old business models,” says Vakis. “Just look at how electric vehicles are forcing traditional OEMs to innovate, or how Uber and Lyft — and now, autonomous robotaxis — are disrupting traditional taxis. That’s what’s so exciting about this space.”

This summer, he interned at Zoox, an autonomous vehicle company currently owned by Amazon. He was part of their strategy team and worked on a blend of both corporate strategy and go-to-market projects. “Autonomous vehicles are a brand new type of mobility,” he says. “Everyday I found myself working on new strategic problems that no one has fully figured out yet. And that was really energizing.”

‘THE MBA SKILL SET HELPS TO BRING THESE DISCIPLINES TOGETHER’

Thorson also worked in consulting before Haas, where she worked on projects in the AI and ML space.

She spent her summer internship in a product management role in NVIDIA’s automotive group.

“I wanted the opportunity to be at a company that’s driving technology innovation in the mobility space,” she explains. “It was a cool opportunity to dive into the process of developing that technology and understand how operators and developers interact with it.”

In addition to her internship at NVIDIA, Thorson worked with a Haas alum on an urban air mobility consulting project. What surprised her the most through this project was how cross-functional the challenges are.

“It takes many different kinds of people and disciplines to address these challenges, from engineering to strategy to policy,” continues Thorson. “The MBA skill set helps to bring these disciplines together.”

‘I DIDN’T UNDERSTAND THE SCALE OF THESE OPPORTUNITIES’

Haas Transportation & Mobility Club’s VP of Finance Jan Vanous has always been interested in how capitalist economy and sustainability can coexist.

Like Vakis and Thorson, he entered Haas after a career in consulting, where he specifically worked in energy and utilities before pivoting to working on the strategy team at Con Edison. There, his focus was on developing EV charging infrastructure in New York City. “That’s where I discovered the world of mobility,” he explains. “I also discovered how promising that technology was; it seemed that sustainability and the economy could actually flourish together.”

He entered Haas with the intention to gain skills that would let him further thrive in this industry. This summer, he interned at Tesla in the manufacturing finance group at the Fremont factory, which he describes as an “operations-focused role.”

“A lot of my projects really focused on looking at efficiency and investment opportunities for the various shops within the Fremont factory,” he says.

Vanous’ internship highlighted just how much technology is still changing. “A lot of progress has already been made, but there’s still so much that’s happening almost every year in terms of what’s being upgraded,” Vanous explains. “I always knew that the opportunities in this space were massive, but I didn’t quite understand the scale of these opportunities. I’m excited to continue being part of the growth of the industry.”

MANY AVENUES TO EXPLORE

For MBA students considering a role in the transportation and mobility industry, Massa recommends that students determine which areas in the industry excites them. “There are so many great avenues in which to travel,” he says. “Figure out what you’re really interested in and then what value you can bring to those particular companies.”

Massa also recommends that students find out which companies are getting funded, and which venture capital firms are doing the funding. “This will help you figure out where the next big growth opportunity may be,” he explains.

Vakis says MBA students interested in this space should spend time understanding the challenges that people are working on. “We’re at a time when there’s a lot of disruption in the industry,” he says. “Speak to folks in space who are leading the charge.”

THE HAAS MOBILITY SUMMIT: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5

Vanous believes that students should get a clear sense of what kind of roles this industry provides. Learning about these roles — and the industry as a whole — can happen through leveraging opportunities to network with those in the industry. MBA students who want to learn more can join the Haas Mobility Summit on November 5. The event’s theme is focused on reimagining sustainable and accessible mobility and is open to all students from within and outside of Haas.

“We’re bringing together an audience of about 200 people,” explains Vakis. “There will be 15 speakers, who are CEOs, founders, VC partners, and senior vice presidents from companies like Rivian, General Motors, AutoTech Ventures, Cruise, and Zoox.”

“I see this industry continuing to be very competitive for talent,” adds Massa. “There’s a good chance that students will find a company or industry that they can really align with.”

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