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Well, it’s official - this year’s European Innovation Academy, Portugal, has come to a close. I’m sitting here on the couch typing this blog post, and I can’t begin to even put into words how it feels to know that I may never again see many of the incredible friends I have made on this trip. I am hopeful, however, that we will stay in contact - after all, what else is the internet good for? It’ll be strange to adjust back to work and school, but I’m sure even years from now I will look back at these amazing memories and smile.

The last few days of the event passed in a blur, and ended in a truly spectacular manner on Friday with the Grand Pitch followed by the awards ceremony. My team, Aegis Systems, had the honor of being one of the five finalists for the Quinones Team Spark Award from Nixon Peabody. While we didn’t end up winning the award, being recognized at the award ceremony as a finalist was still a wonderful experience. 

To my teammates and my mentors, thank you for all of the help and patience you’ve exhibited in these past three weeks. Things got tense, plans fell through, tempers flared, but that’s to be expected when you spend 10+ hours each day working together. It’s the way that we never faltered in pursuing our goal, never gave up, never quit, and always forgave each other that leaves me with a sense of pride in our accomplishments. I have no regrets at all, and I would not choose anyone else to have shared this start-up experience with. I love you all so so much.

A few pictures with my amazing Design Mentor, Zara, my team member Sara, and my wonderful IP mentor, On.

A few friends and I after the awards ceremony. Pictured: Calvin, Oskar, Emily, myself, and Darel.

The last weekend was a whirlwind of activity, with goodbyes and adventures still to be had. On Saturday, a few of the University of Michigan students and I traveled to Evora, Portugal to wander and take in some of their famous sites (mentioned in literature like Percy Jackson, Dan Brown books, and even the 39 Clues, if I’m not mistaken). We visited the Temple of Diana, the Chapel of Bones, museums, Roman era aqueducts, and so much more.

Pictures of the beautiful sights in Evora, Portugal.

On Sunday, we roamed through Lisbon, bought pineapple pina coladas, flower shaped ice cream, and souvenirs to remember our time here. Then we traveled to Belém to eat lunch and visit the famed Banksy exhibit, which boasted many Banksy originals. We also visited the monument to Columbus, and even the Christ the King statue (from a distance)! Finally, we traveled back to Lisbon to eat dinner and walk around one last time with a couple of our phenomenal and cool and amazing friends from the program. It was an emotional and raw night, without a doubt.

A few famous Belém monuments, alongside the entrance to the Banksy exhibit.

A final dinner, with friends I will never forget.

I’ll leave you all with some takeaways and tips that I wish I had known before I left for the program. Take what you will from them, but I hope they are helpful. To those enrolling in this program next year, good luck and don’t forget to enjoy yourself.

1. Choose a team based on the people. Your idea WILL change, you will pivot so many times that your final idea may have absolutely nothing even remotely resembling your original idea. The people on your team won’t change - the smallest things that you notice on that first day? The littlest things at annoy you? After three weeks of 10 hour days, you will hate those little things with a burning passion. But also know that everyone has quirks, and no matter who your team is, you will argue, and disagree, and fight, but the hallmark of a truly great team is one that always makes up and never puts each other down.

2. If your team does have conflict (and it will), trust me and talk it out right away. Don’t leave your problems to fester, and if need be, they have life coaches for a reason. It will be uncomfortable to the extreme, and every fiber of your being may wish not to bring your conflicts out in the open, but it will make your team stronger (and you happier) if you do it. Tears may be shed, voices may be raised, but the outcome is worth it.

3. Be willing to bend and to compromise. Know that your teammates are intelligent and will approach problems differently than you do. Don’t discount anyone’s ideas and just keep an open mind.

4. Try to be outgoing and to meet lots of new people. It can be really daunting, but the friendships you forge are, in my opinion, worth it a million times over.

5. Don’t discount your own skills. Be confident in yourself and what you can accomplish, but also don’t ignore your weaknesses. An amazing mentor once mentioned that the people around us are our mirrors - look to them and you might just see parts of yourself, good and bad, that you didn’t see before.

6. Cherish your friends while you can. You may never see many of these people again, so make the most of your time with them. Of course, don’t lose touch afterwards! Friendships will endure if they are truly strong, and I believe many of yours will be, as mine became, are.

A few more housekeeping things:

1. Bring at least two electrical adapters. Don’t forget! Europe does not use the same plugs as the US, and you will need to charge many things.

2. Water is a precious commodity in Portugal, and drinking fountains are a rarity. At the supermarket (I would recommend any Pingo Dolce), buy water in bulk (a one or two gallon bottle). It is cheaper by far and you will need it to fill your water bottles for the weekends and at night. However, do know that at least this year, the Congress Center did have a drinking fountain.

3. Water costs money at restaurants, and quite a bit at that. Don’t go into any restaurant and expect to get water for free when you ask for “water”. Ask for tap water specifically, or bring your own water. However, there is also nothing wrong with just buying water from restaurants either!

4. Go out on the weekends to see the sights! I would recommend a day trip to Lagos, and a weekend for Porto. Cascais, Lisbon, and Belém are beautiful. And Sintra is a stunning place, and my #1 recommendation. At least two full days can be spent there to see all the sights.

5. Good luck and have fun! If you have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me :)

Onwards and upwards! But of course, I will never forget this experience or the amazing friends that I have made.

Kevin Wang

Computer Engineering

Last! Week! 

Two! Days! Left!

Wow, time really seems to have flown by… it feels like it could have been just yesterday that I was feeling trepidation at the prospect of walking into the team expo on Day 0. But looking back, I’ve done so much, seen so much, accomplished so much, and hopefully, grown a little bit as well. My team has been hard at work this past week working on perfecting our hardware prototype and software component, along with doing final market research, soliciting letters of intent, and calculating financials (like the dreaded P&L). As the CEO of my team, I am leading the charge, and hopefully with some luck my start-up can reach the Grand Pitch on Friday.

This has been a week of accomplishment, however. Yesterday, my team was chosen as a finalist in the software mentor judged competition, where the winner is propelled straight to the Investor Pitch. While we didn’t win, just placing as a finalist shows the dedication and hard work we have put into our company. Today, we received official confirmation that we had advanced to the Investor Pitch anyway! In order to accomplish this, we had to reach 500+ sign-ups for our landing page, gain a minimum of three letters of intent from prospective business partners, and receive validation from all of our mentors. We did it! 

The next step? Prepare for the Investor Pitch and *fingers crossed* make it to the “Finals” a.k.a. the Grand Pitch. The prizes this year for the Grand Pitchers (top ten teams) are pretty awesome, ranging from fifteen thousand dollar scholarships from Nixon Peabody to an all expenses paid trip to Greece from Smart Money. Wish me luck!

Of course, I would not be anyway near where I am today without the support of the amazing mentors here at EIA. I wanted to use this space to quickly thank a few of the mentors that took the time to sit down and help my team and I this week - I know that your time is incredibly valuable, so thank you! Charlyn Gonda, my amazing and talented software mentor; On Lu and Lauren Arnold, the kindest and most thought-provoking IP mentors; Gonçalo Faria, our phenomenal pitch coach; and of course, Zahra Tashakorinia and Chiara Rongen, our design mentors who always make the time to lend my team and I a hand. 

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

On the fun side of things, where some of my favorite experiences reside, we visited some pretty amazing places this week. Monday, after a long day at work, we headed to Belém once again to visit the famous Tower of Belém and see the Presidential Palace (it’s pink in color!). The Tower was beautiful, especially when lit up at night. The edifice, standing in the ocean, was isolated from the shore by the high tide, and a backdrop of glittering city lights against the black backdrop of night-time took my breath away with their beauty.

The Tower of Belém at night.

Tonight (Wednesday), we headed to Lisbon after the event to eat dinner at the Palácio Chiado, the fanciest restaurant I have ever had the pleasure of dining in. True to its name, it could have been a palace. It had stained glass windows, low-hanging chandeliers, crenelated ceilings, beautiful murals on the walls and ceilings, mood lighting, and fantastical lamps. It was truly a treat - and a fairly cheap one at that! I dined on squid ink pasta with mussels, mushrooms, shrimp, and vegetables for only ~€16. It was delicious.

Some of the decorations in the Palácio Chiado.

The squid ink pasta with seafood at the Palácio Chiado.

I’m off to go write my pitch for tomorrow, so as always…

Onwards and Upwards!

Kevin Wang

Computer Engineering

Back to my studies tomorrow, but for now I’m soaking in the last few hours of my brief break. Inevitably the weekend comes to an end, and I’m steeling myself for the coming week of the European Innovation Academy. Last week saw my chief mentor (the wonderful Alina Adams) and marketing mentor (the incredible Kerstin Raitl) heading home. While I’m saddened that they are leaving, I’m incredibly grateful for the mentorship, friendship, and life advice that they shared with me these past weeks. Kerstin and Alina, thank you :). Next week comes the final sprint for the finish line, beginning with IP protection and ending in the grand pitch. Naturally, I’ve hoping beyond hope that my team becomes one of the ten finalists that have the opportunity to participate in the Grand Pitch Finale on Friday. Knock on wood.

My mentor Kerstin and I, and my mentor Alina and I, respectively.

I’m going to take this opportunity to shamelessly plug my start-up, Aegis Systems. We are designing wearable IoT vital sensors to provide protection to police, firefighters, and workers by monitoring vital signs and alerting supervisors and the authorities to any signs of duress or harm. In order to progress to the investor pitches, we need 500 people to show interest in our start-up, so if this sounds like something that is interesting or cool, please visit our website, scroll to the bottom, and sign your name and email! Website: https://katshuadventures.github.io/AegisSystems/.

The notion of being in Portugal is sometimes incredibly hard to grasp, and then other times the differences hit like a truck barreling down the freeway. Tasks like waking up in my dorm room, eating a hasty breakfast, and walking to class all seem so mundane. Interspersed within my daily routine, however, I’ll see an intricate trellised garden, or a beautiful fountain, sometimes even flocks of seagulls swooping through the morning sky and it’ll strike me that I’m standing in a foreign country, among history thousands of years old. This entire weekend has felt that way, almost like wandering through a dreamscape.

Visiting Lagos, in particular, this past weekend was an experience unlike any other I’d had before. After waking up in the wee hours of the morning, navigating the labyrinth of the train station, and napping through a four hour train ride, we finally reached Lagos. First impression? Very underwhelming - the buildings were small, the streets cobbled, all in all, just a miniature Lisboa. Frankly, I was wrong. The train station, nestled in the center of the city, hid the ocean from view, which is what makes Lagos a true beauty. We took a two and a half hour guided kayak tour along the coastline, traveling through stunning arches of sandstone and secret caves. Then, stopping at a beach accessible only by kayak, we went snorkeling alongside the other groups of kayakers. After spending the rest of the day perusing through tented souvenir shops, visiting churches and monuments, we departed by bus back to Lisboa. 

The famed sandstone arches of Lagos, Portugal.

Pictures from the kayakers beach.

The Lagos Crest, located along the beachside.

Sunset on the bus ride (only ten people booked the bus!) back to Lisboa.

A short aside dedicated a prominent feature I’ve noticed throughout Portugal: graffiti. From crude drawings (of the sort I’m sure you can imagine), to intricate works of art, every bit of concrete in Portugal seems to be tagged with graffiti. How important this is, I am unsure, but I thought it was worth noting.

A few of the many graffiti artworks in Lagos.

Sunday (today for me!), was a day chock full of activity and wonder. The Palácio de Monserrate in Sintra was our first stop, and we set off in an Uber ready to tackle the day. Thirty minutes into what should have been a twenty minute ride, we were on edge. Forty minutes in, and we began to ply our Uber with questions as to the problem. Fifty minutes in, and we were officially lost. Luckily, Google Maps came to the rescue, and by the end of the hour, we finally pulled out in front of the lawns of the Palácio de Monserrate. For almost two hours, we wandered through the vast gardens planted centuries ago, moving from the Mexican Garden to the Rose Garden to hidden waterfalls, to a ruined chapel. The grounds of the estate were immense, and every inch was filled with flora bewilderingly beautiful, with bees, butterflies, and lizards aplenty. Choosing, of the two thousand photos I took, which to post here may have been the hardest decision I’ve made on this trip.

The gardens of the Palácio de Monserrate in Sintra, Portugal.

The University of Michigan students conquering the ruined chapel.

Then, after hours of wandering, the Palace came into view beyond rolling green fields. It was magnificent. The outside influences on the palace were obvious, from Roman busts to tiled walls. In words, I’ve no clue how to convey the sense of glory of the palace, so I hope that pictures are sufficient. Also, to the couple whose wedding was taking place in the palace - congratulations! I cannot imagine a more magically location to tie the knot.

Photos of the Palácio de Monserrate.

Next, to finish off the day our group split, and two friends and I traveled to Quinta da Regaleira (a UNESCO World Heritage Site!!). The estate is settled right alongside Sintra, bordered by busy streets and cars. However, the minute we stepped through the gates, the sounds of the city faded, hidden by the towering walls surrounding the property. We first made a beeline for the Inverted Well, one of the gems of the property- a “well” that snaked floors under the ground that was used by the Knights Templar as the location for their initiation rituals. Then, we explored the grottoes, fountains, exquisite constructions, towering spires, teeming vegetation, and, of course, the palace and chapel. In my opinion I loved the gothic towers, mysterious green moats, and crumbling dark wells and tunnels a bit more than the beautiful and graceful Palácio de Monserrate. While the Palácio de Monserrate estates could have been a fairy castle, the Quinta da Regaleira estates stepped straight out of a fantasy book - a dark villain’s haunting grounds and looming towers. My favorite place on the estate? The path of the gods - the path leading to the palace lined with marble busts of the Roman gods. 10000/10 would recommend.

The Initiation Well of the Knights Templar at the Quinta da Regaleira.

The Palace at the Quinta da Regaleira.

More from the Quinta da Regaleira.

Onwards and upwards, as they say! 

Kevin Wang

Computer Engineering

Since my last post, there hasn’t been too much time to go exploring out in Portugal. It’s been work, work, and (surprise) more work. It’s only Wednesday, but already the week feels as though it’s dragging by painfully slow. Much of my time is spent with my team, and I’m incredibly glad that even while we are tired, cranky, sipping espresso shots, and working at 4am, our friendship has hardly frayed. That’s not to say there isn’t conflict- there is plenty as five college students butt heads regarding ideas, strategies, and networking. Sometimes just taking a breath and stepping away for a minute can do wonders for productivity; just a pro-tip from a student half-way through this program.

As I promised when I started this blog, this will be the good. This will be the bad. This will be the ugly. Not an important moment sugar-coated over. A great place to start would be Monday, a.k.a the ugly. One day before the design expo, where preliminary ideas are pitched to investors, mentors, fellow students, and reporters, each team was determined to step forward into the spotlight. Of course, this entailed a full workday - 10am to 9pm, lunch eaten over prototype layouts. Then, after a quick break for dinner, my team retired to the dorms to continue work at 10pm. From 10pm until 4am we toiled in a dorm room, sprawled over the furniture feverishly coding and eating carbs. 

The hours of sleepless work bore some pretty beautiful fruits, however, and our hardware prototype and UX/UI design for our start-up was truly eye-catching even among the other 99 start-up exhibits. In fact, one of the reporters roaming the venue for a stunning group interviewed and then published an article about my team. Interested? Find it here.

My team’s poster board at the expo.

On Wednesday night, we carved out a few hours to visit Belém during the night-time, which is famously beautiful. Twinkling lights illuminated the many sights we visited, from the Jerónimos Monastery to the Presidential Estates. Last week, I visited Belém during the day, and the difference between the two experiences where, well, night and day. Night time Belém practically sparkles with stars, while spotlights in shades of gold illuminate the buildings. Truly a sight to see.

The Jerónimos Monastery glowing during the night in Belém, Portugal.

The planetarium welcome sign adjacent to the monastery in Belém Portugal.

A relatively short blog post for a lengthy few days, quite the juxtaposition if I do say so myself. We’re halfway through already, and the end is looming in the distance, approaching ever faster. I can’t tell whether I’m disappointed or excited- perhaps both.

Kevin Wang

Computer Engineering

Once again, a crazy few days! The slow-moving atmosphere I’ve come to associate with the cities of Portugal is definitely at odds with the frantic pace of the EIA program. The focus of these past days? User acquisition, problem validation, and UX/UI design. 

One important fact I’ve forgotten to mention so far in this blog series is the timing of the EIA program - probably quite an important bit of info, if I do say so myself. Each day starts at 10 AM with two hours of lecture until noon. After an hour respite for lunch, each team meets and works on their startup until 7 or 8 PM. So definitely long days, especially with the hour long commute to and from the Estoril Congress Center. But definitely worth it. 100%.

Thursday, my team and I traveled to Lisbon to interview potential customers about the problem we pinpointed for our startup. We trekked across the city, speaking to police, firefighters, construction workers, and hospital staff. While we were met with much success, and a validated problem, we were also inevitably turned down by many of those we attempted to interview. Along the way, we stopped and saw the Rua Augusta Arch, the presidential estates, and Pastel de Belém, where the original Pastel de Nata was created (with the recipe still a closely guarded secret).

The Rua Augusta Arch in Lisbon, Portugal.

A few policemen minutes before we interviewed them to determine problem validation.

The famed kitchen of the Pastel de Belém store in Belém, where the Pastel de Nata was invented.

After that hectic day of running around Lisbon and Belém, a few University of Michigan students and I went to explore the city of Cascais. Cascais is one of the most beautiful places in Portugal I have seen, with quaint buildings, bright pastel painted buildings, and a magnificent seaside view. The winding streets, like many in Portugal, are cobbled, and seems to have little organization (to my untrained eye), but each building was lovingly cared for, and flowers bloomed everywhere. We also located the famous lighthouse cove of Cascais, which was tucked away in a corner of the city. An impromptu photo followed, of course. Afterwards, to finish our night, we stopped by Santinis Gelato, a famed gelato store, where we experimented with gelato of every flavor and color imaginable. It was a memorable night, to say the least.

Lighthouse cove at Cascais, Lisbon (pictured: Arianna).

Santini’s Gelato (pictured: Richard, Calvin, and me).

What follows next is going to be a whirlwind recap of a wild Friday and Saturday, peruse at your leisure. 

Friday: UX/UI design with our newly assigned (phenomenal) design mentor. Acai bowls from the FANTASTIC Ohana food truck with my team (of course, Ohana means family, and family means…), and a night at Pink Street in Lisbon.

Acai bowls from Ohana, a must-visit food truck for any visitor of Estoril (pictured: Pranav, Katherine, and yours truly). 

 Saturday: This week ends at Sintra Saturday, a day chock-full of sights, foods, and tile shopping. Sintra is perched on a mountainside, a perfect tourist destination filled with sights such as the Pena Palace, the Cruz Alta, and the Moorish Castle. These sights, even further up the mountain, deign to even break the cloud-line, appearing to float upon the sky. After exploring these landmarks (including a harrowing bus ride up the mountain), we stopped at the Feira Quinhentista de Sintra for dinner and entertainment. This event is an annual Medieval Revival festival, where the heritage of Portugal is celebrated. We were transported back through the centuries to an age of jesters who juggled flame, knights wielding massive swords, and pigs roasting on spits - all set among banners and tents in medieval style.

University of Michigan students meet Pena Palace.

The cloud-covered Pena Palace forests.

Cruz Alta, the highest point of Sintra.

The Feira Quinhentista de Sintra festival at Sintra.

Week One, check. As always, Onwards and Upwards!

Kevin Wang

Computer Engineering