Atland Ventures provides an excellent opportunity for students to further their personal and professional goals. Fund members, no matter their interest of major, gain invaluable tangible and intangible skills, as highlighted by many of our alumni.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Hunter Babcock to get a better idea of the great things he went on to do after graduation, and the role that Atland played in getting him to those milestones.
Hunter Babcock
In 2021, Hunter Babcock graduated with a Marketing and Entrepreneurial Management degree. During the second semester of his freshman year, Babcock became involved with Atland Ventures, becoming the fund’s Managing Partner the following year.
Babcock views Atland’s favorite phrase: “strong opinions loosely held” as a powerful notion to think on. “What you learn from Atland, Venture Capital, and in life, in general, is that you have to build a strong opinion and have a conviction for it,” Babcock said. “You can take the research that you’ve done and be able to communicate it to a group to build inspiration and conviction from others.” He also highlights the importance of being able to put aside any pride or initial judgment when presented with notable information. Babcock claims that practicing this is a good skill to have in general and in any conversation. “The power of listening, the power of bringing your own opinions and trying to convince others to do things is important,” Babcock said.
Atland evidently proved valuable to Babcock’s career. He even remarks that being on the fund increased his luck surface area, which helped him reach his goals. Luck surface area, as Babcock explains, is the idea that it is possible to increase one’s chance for luck. For Babcock, Atland did just that. “Atland was the biggest thing in college that increased my luck surface area by the network and by being surrounded by the other people on Atland,” Babcock said. Through Atland, he met with executives at High Alpha Innovation and as he was about to graduate, a position for an analyst opened up at the company. Babcock did not hesitate. “I jumped on and joined as an analyst, and it’s been an incredible journey since,” Babcock said.
Babcock points out that even after graduation, there is still an amazing opportunity to reach out to the Atland community. “People in Atland are put there for a reason,” Babcock said. “They’re so motivated, dedicated, and such a diverse group.” There are so many of those individuals, he explains, that he would want to reconnect with in the future. Whether bringing them on as a founder or working with them, Babcock is nothing short of enthusiastic about Atland’s far-reaching network.
One of Babcock’s takeaways from Atland, particularly from being Managing Partner of the fund, is to grow into a position. “Take those risks, and if a position scares you, you probably should do it,” Babcock said. “Because that’s how you learn and grow.”
Favorite Memory: Managing the fund and having incredible opportunities, especially the chance to have insightful conversations with founders and industry professionals.
“The people I was able to speak to and the conversations I was in were once in a lifetime. I was sitting next to venture capitalists that have been in the industry for ten years.”
