At 18, I’m Working in Investment Banking, Collaborating with a VC Fund, Leading an Entrepreneurship Fest, and Building My Startup — Writing Is How I Make Sense of It All
Okay, so this is weirdly full circle.
Three years ago, I was casually posting blogs here, more out of curiosity than direction. Writing helped me untangle the chaos in my head. Back then, it was mostly thoughts, ideas, and half-baked reflections.
No pressure. No real-world stakes.
Then life shifted gears. Hard.
Fast forward to now: I’m 18. I work in investment banking. I’m collaborating with WTFund (a venture capital fund that’s thinking like a founder, not a finance bro). I’m researching and validating a startup of my own. Oh and I serve as the Deputy Fest Secretary for Shatranj, a flagship business and finance festival on campus that’s just as intense as any real-world conference.
And somewhere in between pitch decks, late-night market models, and Google Doc brainstorms, I realized I missed writing.
So, here I am. Again.
Let’s rewind.
The past couple of years have been a blur — the kind that’s exhausting but exhilarating. I wasn’t posting much publicly, but behind the scenes, everything was in motion.
Investment banking at 18 as a Summer Associate isn’t exactly your standard plan. It’s high-speed, high-stakes, and occasionally high-caffeine. I’ve been learning by doing: real deals, real clients, real pressure. It’s less about textbook finance and more about decision-making in motion.
Then comes WTFund: a venture capital initiative that hooked me instantly. I jumped into a project that’s part research, part intuition, and all ambition. I work with people who don’t just ask what’s next; they’re busy funding it. That mindset? It’s contagious.
In parallel, I’ve been deep into startup research. This isn’t the let’s build an app kind of energy. I’m obsessed with understanding real problems, underserved markets, and systems that break when they scale. I’m not rushing to launch — I’m focused on thinking clearly, testing assumptions, and building something meaningful, not just minimal.
And then there’s Shatranj.
I took on the role of Deputy Fest Secretary not because I had extra time (lol), but because I believe college shouldn’t just be about lectures — it should be about leadership. Running a major entrepreneurship fest is like managing a mini-startup: sponsor meetings, speaker lineups, team dynamics, all under pressure. It’s chaotic, but the good kind.
So, why return to Medium?
Because writing is leverage.
It forces clarity. It holds you accountable. And it helps you scale what you learn — whether it’s a framework, a failure, or a story worth sharing.
I don’t just want to build things. I want to document the process, ask better questions, and meet people who are also figuring it out. This isn’t a flex post. It’s a foundation.
From here on out, I’ll be writing about:
- Lessons from inside the investment banking world (the un-Googleable stuff)
- What working with a VC fund teaches you about founders and bets
- Startup research: how I think about problems, markets, and timing
- Event-building, team coordination, and why college fests are a crash course in leadership
- And sometimes — reflections, rants, or random frameworks that helped me make sense of something messy
This isn’t a comeback. It’s a build log.
I’ve outgrown the version of myself that used to post here casually. But I haven’t outgrown writing — if anything, I need it more than ever.
So if you’re curious about how an 18-year-old is navigating high finance, early-stage venture, startup ideation, and student leadership all at once, stick around. I won’t have all the answers. But I will ask sharp questions.
And I’ll share everything I’m learning along the way.
Let’s build.
— Parth
