Building on a Legacy Decades in the Making

For decades, WesTrek has been a flagship professional trek at Harvard Business School, giving students direct access to the heart of the tech industry. This year’s trek came at an especially exciting time, with breakthroughs in generative AI, quantum computing, cloud computing, and robotics redefining the future. Organized by the Tech Club and launched in 1996, WesTrek has connected generations of students with alumni and industry leaders across the Bay Area. WesTrek 2025 raised the bar by bringing together over 80 students for an action-packed dive into venture capital, emerging tech, and career-shaping insights. This year’s trek saw a significant expansion, with visits to six top venture capital firms — a 20% increase from last year — offering students deeper insights into the evolving investment landscape. The four company tracks featured sixteen organizations, marking a 33% increase from the previous trek. Students visited the following companies: Applied Intuition, C3 AI, Databricks, Google, Imbue AI, LinkedIn, Lucid, Meta, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Nuro, Perplexity, Scale AI, Skydio, Snowflake, and Uber.

Exploring Silicon Valley: First Impressions and New Connections

Students touched down in San Francisco over the February 8-9 weekend and kicked off the trek with iconic Bay Area experiences. Many hiked scenic trails, visited the Golden Gate Bridge, and rode in Waymo’s autonomous vehicles for the first time. Others reunited with old friends and made new connections over group dinners.

The excitement built into the evening at the alumni mixer in Palo Alto, where HBS graduates with years of industry experience shared insights into how Silicon Valley has evolved. Conversations flowed about the changing landscape and career lessons learned along the way.

Inside the Minds of Top Venture Capitalists

The official programming launched Sunday morning with breakfast hosted by WesTrek directors Michelle Cao (MBA 2025), Kevin Lin (MBA 2025), and Surbhi Toshniwal (MBA 2025). Over muffins, fresh berries, and sandwiches, students geared up for a high-impact day of networking and learning.

After breakfast, students divided into small groups to visit six top venture capital firms: Nexus Venture Partners, Bain Capital Ventures, Dell Technologies Ventures, Ubiquity Ventures, Wing, and Radical Ventures. These roundtable discussions provided an inside look at investment trends and career strategies. Kevin Zhang, partner at Bain Capital Ventures, emphasized the power of long-term relationships with founders. He also led an engaging discussion on emerging trends and exciting opportunities for disruption.

Students then headed to lunch, which gave them a chance to explore Palo Alto’s vibrant food scene. Many gathered at local favorites like Zareen’s and Ike’s to enjoy a taste of the area’s best eats.

Breaking Down Generative AI with Scott Brady

A highlight of this year’s trek was a keynote talk by Scott Brady, co-founder of Innovation Endeavors alongside former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. A seasoned entrepreneur and faculty member at Stanford GSB’s equivalent of HBS’ Launching Tech Ventures, Brady shared his Research-Driven Ideation framework and gave students a deep dive into the evolution of generative AI. He explored cutting-edge advancements in data, robotics, and agentic systems, which ignited discussions that stretched well beyond the session.

After the talk, students soaked in the California sunshine while enjoying pizza and conversations with peers from Stanford GSB and UC Berkeley Haas. The night wrapped up with students heading out to do a wide range of activities, from Super Bowl watch parties to casual small-group dinners fostering cross-cohort connections between 1st and 2nd year students.

Inside Silicon Valley’s Top Companies: Learning from Leaders

On Monday morning, students hit the ground running by splitting into tracks to visit a diverse mix of companies. Students engaged in candid discussions with CEOs, founders, VPs, and directors across functions including product management, finance, and go-to-market strategy. These sessions provided students with not only business insights but also personal ones. Leaders shared their career journeys, professional regrets, and the complexities of balancing work and life.

One particularly impactful moment was meeting Qasar Younis (MBA 2008), CEO of Applied Intuition. His perspective on career choices left a lasting impression for Stanley Tong (MBA 2026): “Meeting Qasar was awesome. The four big career decisions – where you live, being in a growing industry, focusing on making a handful of deep connections, and not stressing about the income of your first job after the MBA – really opened my eyes to what really matters.”

A Trek to Remember: Lasting Lessons and Future Impact

WesTrek 2025 was the result of eight months of planning and the generosity of countless hosts who opened their doors and shared invaluable insights. As one of HBS’ most anticipated student events, WesTrek continues to be a bridge between a general management education and the fast-moving world of tech.

Beyond the individual insights, the experience as a whole resonated deeply with students. Ali Amin (MS/MBA 2025) reflected, “WesTrek was an incredible experience this year. In addition to being extremely well organized in terms of logistics, it was really useful to meet the HBS alumni at each of our host companies. It is easy to get lost in the external luster of a company and this provided a unique opportunity to chat with alumni who were truly excited about their work and what their companies were building.”

From discovering new career paths to forging lasting relationships, this year’s WesTrek left students with unforgettable experiences and a fresh perspective. As they returned to campus, many felt inspired to carve their own paths — ones shaped by the knowledge, connections, confidence, and insights gained from this trek.

Special thanks to Co-Directors Kevin Lin and Surbhi Toshniwal for their contributions to this post.