I was the first European to be admitted to UC Berkeley’s Business Academy for Youth - here’s how I used the opportunity to start the first ever college consulting company for international students.
My name is Daniel Kranzer, and I live in Dresden, Germany. I've always dreamed of studying in the United States. American universities were portrayed as perfect in my eyes, whether I found them in movies or on social media, and “The American Dream” was something I’ve always wanted to achieve for myself. The professors at these colleges seemed to be far more competent and qualified than the ones in Germany. The students, in turn, seemed to be both smarter and more productive. Convinced that this was where I needed to be, I started my academic journey in preparation for the application process I knew I had ahead of me.
When I first set out to find the application procedure for international students, I realized it was going to be more difficult than I had anticipated. It took me weeks to find all the information I needed. No source had all information needed on one page and many sources contradicted one another, spreading false information about grades, test scores, and other factors. I quickly lost track of everything.
To take a break from this chaotic process while still learning about the educational experiences in the US, I applied in the spring of 2022 to the Berkeley Business Academy for Youth, a program that looked enticing, with a much simpler application process. Soon enough, the email came in May that I had been accepted. I later found out that I was the only European to be accepted, and a new fire ignited in me. I now knew I had the capability to excel beyond statistics and it seemed possible to take a step in the right direction.
In July, I packed my bags, left my family, and flew to another continent. Upon arrival at the camp, I quickly made connections, becoming the point of contact for the differences between the US and other countries like Germany. Arjun, who I met for the first time at this camp, was different from other peers and seemed genuinely interested in my journey, not just another person trying to start a conversation. While discussing their own experiences with summer programs and college applications, my new friends were in agreement of how little support they get and how difficult the process is. The prerequisite courses, effective resources to get necessary information for the application, and affordable counselor programs all made the process much more manageable for my American friends, but most international students seemed to struggle. It became abundantly clear to me that the lack of resources and support for international students, particularly those from Europe, was a significant obstacle in the college application process. While I had been dealing with these things myself, it was only upon speaking to my new American peers that I became aware of the true scale of this problem.
Daniel and friends at the BBAY Showcase
The Berkeley Business Academy was a dual program. On the one hand, we had daily lectures with real Berkeley Haas professors who taught us subjects such as Accounting, Finance, and Marketing, and guest speakers who came from the professional world and gave us critical key learnings through individual workshops. The other part, however, was the reason I had applied in the first place. We had the opportunity to start our own company and put ourselves in the role of an entrepreneur. We were divided into groups of 5 and assigned each other individual roles (CEO, CFO, or CTO) based on our experience and skill set.
Now came the most important part. We had to find a problem that needed an innovative solution. As the elected CEO, I knew that this opportunity was perfect. After relaying my struggles to my team, we decided to build an app that centralizes all the information an international student needs in order to be properly trained for the rigorous college application process. Additionally, we wanted to incorporate a mentorship program to create an even more personalized experience. So we had the basis of our solution - but to come up with something truly great, we needed more.
Daniel and his team at BBAY
International students who often can't afford tuition want to work during their studies. However, just like finding information, these students often have difficulty finding jobs off-campus. In some cases, they are not allowed to work during their first year, and so they have no way to start paying off their student loans or finance their livelihood. To address this problem, we decided to offer currently enrolled international students who had already made it to the US the opportunity to join our team and help our clients with their applications and overall transition to a new place. These students would know exactly what is needed and what to look out for, meaning our reciprocal “check-in” cycle ensures that all students would feel comfortable while settling into their new homes. All these solutions bundled together made up our finished solution, which we named Intercounsel.
The goal of the Berkeley Business Academy was to simulate the life of an entrepreneur, and to add on that simulation, we went through a VC round, called “The Bear Tank”, in which we pitched our solutions to a panel of investors and answered their challenging questions. Intercounsel received $300,000 in funding for 20% equity in the company. After coming up with a 20 page detailed business plan, designing marketing content, and refining our final product, we were ready for the final showcase. We presented our company again, this time to real Haas MBAs, Entrepreneurs, and Venture Capitalists. We received very positive feedback and were able to make connections with some of these esteemed business men and women, some of whom were fortunately active in the same field of business - and interested in taking Intercounsel further.
Daniel and team presenting InterCounsel at the BBAY Showcase.
In summary, my experience with the Berkeley Business Academy for Youth taught me a valuable lesson about the abundance of resources in America - that they can be used to reverse the lack of access for international students like myself. Through my experiences, I gained the skills and knowledge necessary to overcome these obstacles - and more importantly, realize my calling - helping my international peers overcome them as well. My dream of studying in the US may have been put on hold for now, but my experience with the Berkeley Business Academy has taught me that with determination and the right resources, anything is possible. I sincerely thank Arjun - a true entrepreneur - for the opportunity and for allowing me to come on his publication and share my journey.
Author : Daniel Kranzer
Founder and CEO of Intercounsel, Daniel is passionate about business and making an impact on the next generation - creating something that will live beyond him and have a lasting effect.
Co-Author : Arjun Premnath
Founder and CEO of Exemplar L.L.C and the Exemplar Learnings Foundation
Arjun is a management student at the Kelley School of Business who is passionate about business, entrepreneurship, and finance.
In his free time, he loves to read books and work on his ventures.