In the latest issue of the Journal, read how an alumni connection strengthened a start-up and opened the doors to a career in the tech industry. 

A decade ago, Eric Michaelis '10 was a typical Moravian Academy senior -- i.e. involved in all kinds of activities on campus and poised to branch out at his dream school, Loyola University.

Now, Michaelis reminisces on his time at the Upper School during his commute into Silicon Valley. Ten years ago, the core of his student identity was playing tennis for the Lions. Now, he's the co-founder and COO of NEUO, his tech start-up that aims to build a virtual learning social network on college campuses "where communities come together to share content, like articles, videos, and podcasts around certain topics." The company aims to connect with the clubs on campuses to strengthen the community network.

After graduating from Loyola with an influential study abroad experience in Beijing and a few internships under his belt, Michaelis soon found himself working for Uber just as the app was launching in the Baltimore and DC markets. "Everyone was like, 'Oh, I can just use it as a taxi. I need to download this app'. And I thought, all right, just watch. It's going to be a big company," he says. "So I ended up being very interested in how to grow a consumer business pretty early on." He worked for several Baltimore-area start-ups before moving to San Francisco, joining the team of a food delivery company just getting off the ground.

When the pandemic hit, Michaelis felt it was "time to make the leap to start [his] own company with a friend." In September 2020, NEUO came to life. It was not long after that Myria Zambas '16 came into the picture.

Zambas had just graduated from Notre Dame University with degrees in math and finance when Libby Michaelis '19 connected her with her brother's new start-up. Zambas interned for Michaelis's company during the summer of 2020. "I really, really valued the experience," Zambas says. "I loved every minute of it, getting to see the ins and outs of starting something on your own."

Michaelis's company was partnering with colleges, universities, and student organizations to provide "a pathway to personal growth with the communities existing on campus," and in this regard Zambas's perspective was invaluable.

"She had some amazing ideas on products, and I was really grateful to have her work with us until she started her first full-time role," Michaelis says.

After leaving NEUO, Myria took a position at a FinTech consulting firm called FactSet. She says, "FinTech consulting just sounds like a lot of buzzwords, I'm sure. But for anybody that works in finance, it makes a little more sense."

She explains, "[The company] provides a lot of data analysis tools. My job is essentially working with clients at big banks and asset managers, helping them build out models and find the best ways to analyze new data."

Zambas is just beginning her career, but she may have already been bitten by the start-up bug. She may not be ready to strike out on her own just yet, but she believes that she has the character to make it happen one day. "I'm a relatively stubborn person," she says. "My dad always says that that's one of the things that you need to have to be a successful entrepreneur. You need to be stubborn enough to believe that your way and your idea is correct because no one else is going to put the effort in on your idea."

Michaelis agrees, adding that, "I think there's one type of person that has the bug and it's compounded by a decision-making process. Before you make the jump, it's what makes you look over the edge and just leap not necessarily knowing if there's something below that's going to catch you."

Perseverance is also a key factor. "I think I've definitely seen it in Myria in some capacity, because it's just a sense of looking at a problem that needs to be solved and wanting to create something to help solve that problem."

Whether working for a start-up or an established player in the tech space, both Michaelis and Zambas recognize the pressure that comes with succeeding in the industry. "It's the type of process where, when you're being innovative, you're never going to know all the answers. You're never going to know what you're going to come up with in the next two hours when you're trying to solve a problem. That's what keeps it exciting for me," Zambas says.

Michaelis says, "I have other friends who've started companies who are raising millions of dollars and it gives me some motivation. I'm trying to surround myself with people that are on that path. So it's also a ton of pressure, right? But at the same time, it's motivating for me to want to do more and build something that lasts."

Confidence is another important quality to have to be competitive, and both alumni credit Moravian Academy for giving it to them. If they had the resources and time to solve a global issue, they both want to create a world where all children have equal access to the educational resources and freedoms that they experienced at Moravian. Zambas says, "We had Mrs. Dubreuil and Mrs. Shaughnessy, who were just outstanding. I look back and think, 'Wow.' I did take initiative, but where would I have been without them? And there's so many resources I had, and I didn't create those for myself. They were provided to me."

As for current Moravian students hoping to break into a high-pressure industry, Michaelis's advice is to focus on the details. "Pay attention to the nuances, whether you're building something for a class, another member user, or even a B2B software. And question everything, like why you're doing it, who's it for, and then really hone in on that ability to think about that little widget, what it's doing, and what's the cause-and-effect relationship with it."

A lesson we can all learn from this dynamic duo? You should never doubt the power of the alumni network at Moravian Academy -- it might just lead you on the path to your dream job