Hello! I am Brian Liu and second-year at UCLA Anderson. I grew up in sunny Southern California, left for Atlanta to attend Emory University, and came right back after graduation. Before Anderson, I was an associate at Ares Management, a $200B AUM alternative asset management firm.
This summer I am interning at Muse Capital, an LA-based seed stage venture fund investing in consumer-tech. What drew me to Muse, a female founded and led VC, was their focus on investing in underserved markets and diverse entrepreneurs. I saw it as an opportunity for me to be challenged and learn every day. During the interview process, it was obvious the team looked at the world differently and I was particularly drawn to their passion and uniqueness in that they do not just provide the capital to start-ups; Muse Capital is all about strategic investing and going the extra mile for founders. Their expertise lies in helping entrepreneurs source and execute revenue generating partnerships with F500s, HNWIs and influencers for entrepreneurs at the earliest stages, when high level business development can be game changing for a startup. Leveraging the partners’ 30+ years of combined experience in brand management, business development, corporate deal-making and operational expertise from seed to IPO, Muse Capital is certainly a very hands-on investor! From helping their founders launch a technology with A-list talent, to bringing a portfolio company their first six-digit revenue partner, or supporting raising strategic capital from outside the US, Muse does everything Professor Alderton tells you VCs will not do in his Entrepreneurship and Venture Initiation class (p.s. for the record this was my favorite class I took in my first year). Here is a look into a day in my life:
5:00 am – Wake up. My body is a natural alarm clock, whether I like it or not, I am up by 5am. I like to start my day with a quick run or walk and get some time to myself. I love how quiet Los Angeles is in the mornings! Today, I decided to forgo the cardio and instead hit the driving range to try to fix my golf swing.
7:00am – Log-on. After I get back from the golf course, I take a shower, I make an espresso (best purchase I made during COVID) and catch up on all the tech and VC news.
8:00am – Advisory Work. For the past few weeks, I have been working with a founder of a gaming company and helping him prepare to raise funding. So, I go through my emails and review updates that were sent overnight.
10:00am – Internal Calls. I touch base with Maria, a principal at Muse, to update her on the progress made and chat about some of the deals in the pipeline. One of the best parts about VC is getting to research and learn about a variety of industries. One day it may be gaming and the next could be women’s health!
12:00pm – Volunteer. On Wednesdays, I volunteer during my lunch hour with an organization called Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE). I am serving as a mentor to an amazing young female entrepreneur in middle school starting a company to bring language learning services to low-income neighborhoods. I review her business plan, talk about the progress she made last week, and answer any questions she has.
1:00pm – Intern Catch-up. Since our team is currently spread out around the country, I try to meet one-on-one with the other two interns to chat and catch up on the different projects we are working on this summer. Today I met with our undergrad intern to talk about the gaming industry and his work researching blockchain, and how the two industries overlap. We have three interns here at Muse, and by connecting with the others as much as I can, I find it is a way to bring a little bit of that Anderson #ShareSuccess to my internship.
3:00pm – Coffee IRL. Since a group of us are based in LA, I was able to meet up with Rachel - one of Muse’s founding partners - and Maria, both of whom I have been working with almost non-stop this week advising a company. Now that the world is opening back up, it is great to finally have meetings in person again! There is just something different about getting to share a coffee and talk with everyone in person. We made sure to snap a pic to make the others jealous.
6:00pm – Wrap up. After getting home, I check my emails and I go ahead and make updates to the presentation based on feedback I received while I was out before logging out for the day.
7:00pm –BCO Team Catch-up. At Anderson, our final thesis is either the AMR program, which is a real-life consulting engagement, or BCO where we work with a team to create a company. My BCO team occasionally likes to catch-up with each other, share our highs and lows, and support each other however we can!
8:00pm – Wind-down. I throw on the end of the NBA playoff game, pour a glass of wine, and then read a book till I fall asleep around 11pm.
Student Blogger: Brian Liu '22
Undergrad: Emory University ‘14
Pre-MBA: Associate, Ares Management
Internship: MBA Intern, Muse Capital
Leadership@Anderson: President, Section D; VP of Marketing, Anderson Ambassador Corps; VP of Orientation Week, Anderson Onboarding Committee; VP of Social, Japan America Business Association; Director of Allyship, Women’s Business Connection; Office Hours Planning Committee
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