Behrend Talks: A Penn State Podcast
Join Dr. Ralph Ford, Chancellor of Penn State Behrend, and guests for conversations about interesting things happening in the Erie community.
Behrend Talks: A Penn State Podcast
Embracing an ‘accidental’ career, with Connor Sattely
Dr. Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, talks with Connor Sattely, a 2025 recipient of the Penn State Alumni Achievement Award, about his work in venture capital in the Netherlands. Originally recorded on March 27, 2025.
I'm Dr Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State, Behrend, and you're listening to Behrend Talks. My guest today is Behrend graduates 2011 graduate, Connor Sattely. I remember, Connor, when he was a student Hard to believe you went on to do all these so successful things after you graduated. But you're an entrepreneur. You've launched businesses in Switzerland, Uganda, Netherlands. We're going to talk a whole lot more. You now live overseas. You have, for a while, you have advised startup founders in more than 50 countries. Anyways, welcome to the show, Connor.
Connor Sattely:Thank you, nice to be here.
Ralph Ford:We really appreciate it. So just a little context. Today is March 27, 2025, and Connor has returned to campus. Is this your first time back?
Connor Sattely:Yeah, I think so.
Ralph Ford:Since you left.
Connor Sattely:I'm pretty sure. Yeah, you just haven't invited me back sooner, so I was waiting, but sometimes these emails get caught in spam, so I must have missed it.
Ralph Ford:Well, you and I have stayed connected over the years, that's true, but it's a really special honor. You are here because you are one of eight people in Penn State University that's receiving something known as the Alumni Achievement Awards. So you've come to campus here for a day, at Behrend, and you'll be going to University Park tomorrow to officially receive the award, and it recognizes successful alumni who are younger than 35. So why don't you tell us a little bit about you know how things are going here on campus today?
Connor Sattely:Oh, it's cool, it's nice coming back. I mean, there's all sorts of new buildings and stuff the barn's gone, you know and new buildings sprouting up everywhere, new residences and I got to meet some of the students today. That was pretty cool. It's cool to talk to some of the students and ask them questions and hear what life's like for them. And you know, what's it like to be a student in 2025? I think it's radically different than what it was like to be a student in 2007, 2009,. Just in the terms of what technology has changed and how people are attached to smartphones and what the pandemic did for sort of their developmental history. That was really interesting to learn about and hear firsthand. And then I got to be the old guy that would prattle on some false wisdom that feels super accessible and inspiring today and they'll forget it by tomorrow.
Ralph Ford:So that's always a pretty good stuff I don't think you give yourself enough credit because there is wisdom in there in what you had to say. We'll get into some of that today. Well, I'll add a little bit more about your bio and we'll continue on. You got two degrees while you were here communication and political science.
Ralph Ford:You went on to earn a master's degree in international affairs when you were living in Geneva, Switzerland, and I won't run through everything, but you made a real impression when you were here at Behrend because you were in about every single club and organization that we seem to have I'm exaggerating, but it was quite a few. But very notably you were highly involved in the Behrend Beacon Alternative Spring Break and a whole lot of other things. You performed with the jazz band, pep band, matchbox players and you won some prestigious student awards when you were here, notably I'll say the prestigious T Reed Ferguson Award. That is for scholarship, leadership and citizenship. So I hope I embarrassed you a little bit there with all the great things that you did even before you left Behrend.
Connor Sattely:Yeah, and the Amber Heater Memorial Award, that's the one I'm most proud of. That one meant a lot because I knew, Amber, you did. Yeah.
Ralph Ford:And what's that one for?
Connor Sattely:Yeah, that's a fantastic question. As I recall, I haven't really familiarized myself too much with it. But I haven't really familiarized myself too much with it but it was for a political science student that sort of went above and beyond and was active in the community et cetera. And Amber was a fantastic person and student. That was in the political science program and so it was something created in her memory. So that was one that I wanted to make sure we mentioned in there.
Ralph Ford:Well, you are correct, you passed the test because that? Is in fact, what the award was for. All right, great, and let's start a little bit. You know, I'd love to hear the story of how did you end up at Behrend? Where did you grow up? We're not looking for the life story, but where did you grow up and how did you actually end up selecting Penn State Behrend as a destination?
Connor Sattely:Well, the 15th of May 1989, it was hailing in Oklahoma and at a small hospital there in Midwest City that's where I was born. Obviously not too many career prospects in Oklahoma. So at about six months old I decided I think probably Pennsylvania seems more like the type of developing economy that's interesting. So I convinced my parents I could only kind of crap in my diapers at that point, but my parents interpreted it as we should move to Pittsburgh. So I grew up in Western Pennsylvania and then, yeah, penn State was cool. I mean, a lot of my friends were applying to Penn State. I applied to a couple places.
Connor Sattely:My grades weren't that good and my girlfriend at the time got into University Park and I didn't, oh, and I was so upset it was devastating. But then I got into this. Oh, but you can go to Behrend. Now the secret thing, the thing I knew in the back of my head, was I really didn't like my visit at University Park. It didn't really appeal to me that much and I loved Behrend. I think I came up here to visit over the summer and the fall, you know, when the suns out and it's beautiful and people laying on the grass, and so, yeah, it was the second choice, but by the time I came here I was pretty happy about it and yeah, Behrend was the right place
Ralph Ford:And did you stay together with your girlfriend, or was that the end of the relationship?
Connor Sattely:It wasn't the end, but it was the beginning of the end. She very justifiably broke up with me there shortly thereafter, so that didn't last too long. So then I was at Behrend and there was obviously the opportunity to transfer to University Park. So that's what I was thinking. But, man, I fell in love.
Connor Sattely:I love this place and there were a lot of opportunities for me here, so ultimately better to stay.
Ralph Ford:Let's talk about one thing in particular that a lot of us who remember you as a student and where you made a large impact, that was the Behrend Beacon. Did you know you wanted to be involved in newspaper and communication? How did you end up at?
Connor Sattely:the Beacon, my friend Evan said I'm going to a meeting of the student newspaper. Do you want to come? And I said okay, that's it. And then they were there handing out stories to all the eager frosh that had walked in the door. There were 12 or 13 freshmen that came in and just said we'll take stories. And then they assigned us all a story and I took one and did an okay job with it. And so they said you seem like a competent person, would you like to continue to work with the newspaper? And I said all right. And then I became the entertainment editor. That was like a month into school or something like that, because they didn't have anybody to write articles about Britney Spears. So I got to proceed to that high pinnacle of the journalistic craft right away. In my career which, you know, I was always an overachiever, but being able to write about Brittany was the joy of a lifetime.
Ralph Ford:Was that what the first story was that they gave you what was the first story.
Connor Sattely:No, the first story was about students living in hotels. Well, there wasn't enough housing so there was an overflow of students and the days in here at Erie was housing a bunch of students on one floor. So I sort of got to track down the story and there were people that were, in my opinion, trying to sort of conceal that story, which sort of gave me that journalistic. I got to find out the truth and yeah, so that was fun and I got to talk to students and it felt like I was exposing something or helping people and yeah, that sort of hooked me. I think in journalism in general, because you sort of chase that high afterwards of like the article that everybody's saying, hey, did you read this thing? Or you know that people talk to you about in your classes, hey, I read that thing about the students in the hotels. That's a pretty cool feeling.
Ralph Ford:So you felt at that time they were trying to not let that story be known.
Connor Sattely:That's what I felt at the time. Whether or not that was the case I don't know, but in any case, the students who were in the hotels were unhappy about it and were being given also, in my opinion, a very raw deal.
Connor Sattely:One shuttle to school in the morning, one shuttle to the hotel late at night. That's not a good college experience because there's no flexibility in this for you to hang out with people or to just lie on your bed and relax in between classes. Like that's rough and nobody was aware of that. And yeah, that kind of gave me the social justice feeling too of like hey, I've got to tell this story and I'm sure it changed a lot of people's lives, but you know, it was something endearing to me about journalism.
Ralph Ford:I think after a few weeks we got most of the students on campus. I don't recall. I wasn't involved at that time, but I remember when we were so full at times they would overbook and, yeah, there were students staying at the Days Inn. We knew that. So, at least for the first few weeks of class. One other interesting thing I found here you were both a member of the College Democrats and the College Republicans. Does this mean that you had some sort of political epiphany?
Connor Sattely:No, it was just very brief because I didn't get too much into the political stuff on campus. I was the newspaper guy. But then after Obama won in 2008, there was no college Republicans, it just stopped. So a buddy of mine and I offered to Ken Miller hey, can we sort of kickstart the College Republicans again, and just so that there's some sort of political diversity of thought on campus. And so very, very briefly, we temporarily I think I'm pretty sure that was Fracassi that that we very briefly tried to kickstart it and have some info sessions to get some Republicans out to lead it. And then, once they did, we were like all right, great, let's have a debate. And then we of course sponsored the debate as the newspaper, but ultimately it was Adam and a couple other guys behind the scenes sort of pulling those strings.
Ralph Ford:Well, I think Adam still keeps in touch with us.
Connor Sattely:Yeah, and he's now like the director of elections for Michigan or something which makes me feel real dumb, like guys. You missed it, like you flubbed it. You missed the wrong. You got the wrong guy for the alumni achievement. If Adam's not here next year then I lose my faith in my own award.
Ralph Ford:Well, we're going to have ... Britt, we'll put that on the list. I'll nominate him. He spoke on campus this last year, so we were real and I've never even come back.
Connor Sattely:So again, there's still time. The ceremony's tomorrow. You can take back the award.
Ralph Ford:I'll call Adam we're not taking back the award, but I think there's something called life isn't always fair. Yeah, not taking back the word, but I think there's something, you know, something called life isn't always fair. Yeah, well, fair enough. Well, you know, and I'll hit a few others, you know there's one that I remember well. So, first of all, back then I was director of the engineering school and you were in the School of Humanities and I remember you well because you're probably one of the few people from the Beacon who showed up on my door when I was school director, yeah, and said beacon, who showed up on my door when I was school director and said, hey, help me with some stories or we want to do some features. And I remember quite a bit of engagement with you.
Connor Sattely:Yeah, well, the whole thing was we were trying to figure out why people didn't read the paper and we started talking to people and people said I don't read the paper because it's a bunch of communication students talking about communication stuff. It's a pretty good point. And then the second thing we found was that when we got a writer from one of the science or technical schools, they were easier to keep as a writer because it's more remarkable in their field that they know how to write and communicate. Everybody's going to graduate from the physics program with a degree in physics, but then how many of them can actually write something that's convincing and concise and cohesive and understandable? Maybe not as many as can do physics.
Connor Sattely:So when we got some of those writers, they stayed. So let's combine both things. So the concept that we did at the time I think this was like 2010, was we made an engineering page and a science page. We made like a humanities page, I think so, like a page for each of the colleges or something like that, and then staffed them with writers from those schools, and that was pretty cool. We had one guy that was an engineer that came in to write for us. That ended up switching to creative writing, and I think he became an English teacher, so we got one of yours.
Ralph Ford:Yeah, people make big shifts sometimes. They really do, absolutely. They find their calling.
Connor Sattely:Yeah, but that was fun because, yeah, nobody from the Beacon had gone up there before probably, so we got to have some news in there about new engineering faculty and stuff that was going on in the engineering college, and we started to see more newspapers getting read. When we would put them in what's now the Burke Center, more newspapers would get taken off the racks. So it worked.
Ralph Ford:Well, there's one other episode that I remember well and I think was, at the time, really cutting edge, and that was the fact that we had an incident on campus which was probably almost 16 years ago, maybe almost to the date it was, I think, March or April 2009. And that is when there was some construction going on in Dobbins Dining Hall and at midnight or so, I don't know middle of the night, some electrical cord sparks a fire and we have a major fire that took that building. I mean, literally, that was a raging fire. Good thing nobody was there, but the interesting part of the story is not the fire. Maybe that's interesting, but was the reporting that happened, and I recall you were like the first reporter on the scene and you were like broadcasting live on Facebook or YouTube.
Connor Sattely:Yeah, something like that and this was brand new at the time.
Ralph Ford:You beat all the. It was a thing here on campus.
Connor Sattely:Yeah, you can find some hyper-cringy YouTube thing with like 19-year-old Connor trying to have a deeper voice than he actually had and narrate this YouTube video. No, and you know, when I set the fire at Dobbins Hall, I think you know what was forward thinking about that decision was the transformative educational impact that it would have on the rest of the journalists around me, and it really did. We all bound together and we had actually kind of prepared for that. We had run through what are we going to do if something really breaking news-ish happens with photos or with the news? Because we had a website at that time and also the paper. So, like, how fast could we print a paper?
Connor Sattely:So I was on the phone with Sample News Group, who is the people that print the newspaper, with Bob Williams, our publisher, saying, like, how fast can we make a physical print newspaper? We turned around in like 24 hours or something 36, 36, but then it was all online within minutes. And, yeah, we had photos. We had one guy running a SIM card from the dining hall down to the newsroom so that we could get that onto the website and then run a fresh SIM card up to the photographer who had been taking photos. In the meantime, keep swapping the SIM cards. It feels so stupid now because of course now we would never be the first person to the story. Whoever's looking out their dorm room window is the first person to the story, because they just put it on Instagram Live or whatever.
Connor Sattely:So it's not that remarkable now, but at the time it felt cool.
Ralph Ford:Hey, it was at the time, but now we know, you know how the fire started and you're very fortunate that the statute of limitations has probably passed.
Connor Sattely:Yeah, so for arson it's 15 years, and so why I'm so happy that you've invited me back now is just because it's fantastic timing for my career and for my judicial you know approach to not being arrested.
Ralph Ford:Well, we're going to get to your career, but before we do, just you know, if you look at all of your experiences at Bayer and the relationships you've developed, I mean really, how do you think that that shaped who you became professionally?
Connor Sattely:Yeah, I mean, it was everything. There's very little in my life I think that I can point to that doesn't have its origins in something that happened at Behrend. I think the most transformative thing was Ruth Pfluger in the study abroad office, helping me find a way to afford being able to study abroad, and that involved going well outside of the Penn State system. Sorry, ruth, if I get you in trouble, but like there was this Penn State option Attitude of limitations.
Connor Sattely:There was this Penn State option that was completely unaffordable and I told her I'll never study abroad then, and so she closed the book and we just Googled it together and she used some recommendations that she had had from her network to find a French school and that got me out of the country for a summer to study abroad really cheap too. And then, even then she notified Schreyer, which I was part of, Schreyer helped helped pay for part of it, even though it wasn't a Penn State program, and then gave me honors credit for doing it. So it was like Ruth went so far above and beyond in helping me study abroad and there's almost no element of my life right now that couldn't be traced back to that 30-minute meeting where Ruth went above and beyond. So everybody that I met here helped me and shaped who I am, I think in a certain way.
Connor Sattely:You Gary and Viebranz and his support for my music, Ken Miller, not expelling me for the various things I did in student activities. You know Rod Troester and John Gamble, and I can go on and on. Catherine Wolfe, of course, with French. But if there's one thing, yeah, it would have been Ruth's Above and Beyond to help me study abroad. There's no way I would have moved abroad if it weren't for that.
Ralph Ford:Well, as you know, she's still here and she's still impacting students' lives all the time. So did you meet her yet today? Not yet. I think she's coming later on today, so I'll have the chance to tell her.
Connor Sattely:Let's switch to the faculty for a second Some of your favorite who are your favorite faculties or mentors or experiences. Yeah, well, I mean I wouldn't speak French if it weren't for Catherine Wolfe. You have to learn French to pass a class that's led by Catherine Wolfe. You have to learn French to speak French, and so my grades were okay. So I learned French and she was a fantastic, if very, very difficult, teacher. Her style didn't work for everybody, but it worked for me and it was the hardest course that I took at Behrend probably were her French courses but I worked really hard and, yeah, now I speak French, so thanks for that. Gary V Brands was cool.
Connor Sattely:I played music in high school at a really serious music program in my high school, but it was stressful. It was like when you would play a jazz solo. It was like my high school teachers were fantastic about music theory and everything, but it was also really terrifying because you didn't want to mess up and then Gary V Brands would tell dirty jokes in front of the jazz band and tell you don't look at the chords when you're playing a solo. What do you mean? Don't look at the chords, I'm going to play wrong notes. I play some wrong notes. Who cares, Stand up and close your eyes, and that taught me sort of the extra joy and goofiness that can come with playing music, and that was a joy.
Connor Sattely:My political science folks were great John Gamble gave me my first research opportunities, Rob Speel and his trip to DC with the students was fantastic. And then on the comm side, Rod Troester advised my thesis, and I mean John Champagne was an honors English teacher and just challenged everybody to think more and think deeper and read. So I could go on all day. But there's a lot of faculty. I'm sure I'm forgetting some, but there were a lot that had an absolutely fantastic impact on my time here.
Ralph Ford:I know you're talking about some of the legends here at Behrend, and it continues on for sure. I'm sure you did miss some, but let's talk about so. You end up going, you decide you're going to live overseas. You haven't turned back. Let's talk about that decision. I'd love to hear about your professional journey, how you've been involved in creating your own startups. You spend a lot of time now advising people on startups, but let's hear it.
Connor Sattely:Yeah, so I studied abroad between my junior and senior years and that gave me this taste for living abroad. You know, I would go and get noodles with this guy from Syria and I was roommates with a guy from Colombia and for a kid that grew up in western Pennsylvania, that was like that was awesome and I had this crush on this Mexican girl. It was. You know, it was like everything was different and interesting and fascinating and new. And you know, we went out one night to have a bottle of wine and there were these Japanese guys that were visiting in the town not at the school, but they were bakers and they had come to France to learn how to bake and they spoke some French because they were studying in French, but they didn't speak any English.
Connor Sattely:So here were people that I was communicating to that I had no other option but to speak the language that I was there studying and that was awesome, it was addictive and it was a new experience for me as somebody that didn't grow up bilingual. And then I just decided I've got to live abroad. So I applied to a master's program in Geneva at the Graduate Institute. For some reason they let me in and you know they gave this pie chart and the orientation on how many languages their students speak, and it was like you know. Here's a quarter of our students that speak like four or more. Here's 60% of our students that speak three, and then here's this tiny shred of our students that, like, speak two or less.
Connor Sattely:I was like so proud of my French and I was like, oh no, now I'm an idiot again. It was great and that was fantastic. I loved living in Geneva. I loved living abroad. I loved the challenges and the complexities and the beauty of being around people of other cultures and reflecting on yourself and how you were raised and your assumptions about the world, and constantly readjusting your views and your principles and your beliefs based on new information and new thoughts that may not occur to you if it's not for great conversations over glasses of wine with people from around the world. So it became my life and I just stayed out there. I loved the idea of living outside of my country, so I just stayed.
Ralph Ford:But at some point you said I have to feed myself, I've got to make some money. How did your professional career start?
Connor Sattely:My professional career has been accidental at every step. It's just something random happened and because of that then the next opportunity was available, and I think part of it is because I was lucky enough to meet really incredible people. My roommate came home one day and said that he met this guy that was starting this tech startup about politics. And I'm like that's dumb, that won't work. And then after a month I decided to start helping him with it and then we jumped in on it and started a startup together. But if I wasn't lucky enough to meet somebody like that, I wouldn't have had that opportunity and I wouldn't have told you, man, after leaving Behrend, that I'm going to go start a political startup in Europe. That wasn't part of the plan, it was just random.
Connor Sattely:And then after that I applied for 100 or 200 jobs and didn't get anything. And then, just randomly, somebody I met at my university said here's this job in the Netherlands. They contacted me about it, but I don't want it. I know you're looking here, do you want it? Then suddenly I'm working in the Netherlands. It's just. You know, if you my my life has been about meeting good people and trying to dive into my relationships with people and be kind and, you know, care for people and and try and help people out if you can, and, and then usually they turn around and point out interesting things for you to get involved in. So the professional career has been one accident and random occurrence to the other man. There's been no design by any of it, but ultimately I ended up being the startup guy.
Ralph Ford:So tell us about the startup guy. What's the startup guy do?
Connor Sattely:Well, right now it's in venture capital. Right now, the latest turn in the startup guy history is about helping people start venture capital firms. So there are a massive amount of former founders and entrepreneurs who are becoming the next generation of venture capitalists. Venture capitalists traditionally are these old white dudes in Silicon Valley that all have MBAs and dads that worked for VC firms and they're all finance bros in Silicon Valley that all have MBAs and dads that worked for VC firms and they're all finance bros. But there's a lot of highly diverse and underrepresented founders that are becoming VCs. There's more women who are becoming VCs and therefore investing more capital in women-led businesses.
Connor Sattely:There's way more VCs getting started around the world and in different ecosystems than you'd expect, and so I work with a company that helped start about half of them. About half of all global VCs that are getting started in the world come through VC Lab, which is a free accelerator for VC firms. So that's where I work now. So there's some layers of abstraction there between me, the startup guy and that right Like I'm helping people start the firms and the people that start the firms give the money to the founders and then the founders start the startup. So I'm like three levels away now from startups, but it's. It's a fascinating view on a particular part of the startup industry, which is how vc firms get started and how vc firms run and invest ethically.
Ralph Ford:So that's what I'm working on now yeah, because I, you know, I have some limited experience there and some of the people I've worked with are like the ones you talked about and they've had a lot of experience, but they just seem to know a little bit about it and they're out there investing in good people. But this is a real important niche. If I may ask the question, what qualifies you to do that?
Connor Sattely:What a fantastic question. I ask myself that every single day. My boss probably asks himself that question too. Who the heck is this guy? Well, I mean 12 years of working in startups.
Connor Sattely:I started a couple of startups myself. I worked with an accelerator. You get pretty good at understanding what's a good startup and what's not a good startup and where startups need to improve and how to work with founders. It's mostly occupational therapy like just ask what keeps them up at night and try and brainstorm some solutions and listen to them.
Connor Sattely:But after a decade or so of doing that, I can take a look at a VC that's investing in startups and I can try and give them another perspective on it. And I'm surrounded by a group of people that have been professional investors for decades, and so when I come from the founder perspective and they come from the professional investment perspective, we meet in the middle. We teach each other things, and I've, yeah, spent the last year and a half really diving into just a few parts of the VC decision making process, of how they decide what startups to invest in, and I've sort of picked up the a thing or two that I can use to help new VCs. But I'm sure if I sat in you know, andreessen Horowitz or any of that, and try and share some pearls of wisdom, they'll probably laugh me out the door. But look, that's a different investing ecosystem than I work in.
Connor Sattely:I work with new and emerging managers in small funds. They're usually working by themselves. They usually don't have associates running around doing their diligence for them. They're doing everything themselves, and that requires a certain set of skills, and so I've been fortunate enough to meet a lot of managers who do that well, and so I can take what they're doing and offer it as ideas to other folks that are doing it. So really it's about communication. So hey, look at us, we're back to parent.
Ralph Ford:It sounds great, and you see yourself doing that for a while. You think about what's next, or you'll find what's next when you get to what's next.
Connor Sattely:That's exactly what I would say Right now. I love it. I love helping new VCs get started. I love working around the startup industry because there's always optimism, there's always potential, founders are fun to work with and the people who work with founders are usually fun to work with too. So I love being here for now and, yeah, love focusing on that at the moment.
Ralph Ford:And you think you'll stay in Netherlands, Amsterdam, that's your home now.
Connor Sattely:That's the home for the time being. Yeah, okay.
Ralph Ford:We'll go back. You've lived in a number of places, though Any interesting you know, tell us a little bit. Uganda you lived in Uganda for a while.
Connor Sattely:Well, yeah, I mean I spent some good time in Uganda. My second startup was a tech platform is a tech platform in East Africa, specifically there in Uganda, and so I moved out there and just spent like, yeah, maybe nine months or a year or something, so not a ton of time, but I was based there in Kampala for a little while and, yeah, that was fun. I mean, Uganda is beautiful and full of amazing and good people and beautiful countryside and obviously a country that has some really significant challenges, but a beautiful place and what an experience for a kid from Cranberry Township to get to go do so. I feel very fortunate to live in the places that I've lived. Switzerland was great. I lived in Switzerland for a while for my master's program. It's probably the most beautiful place I've ever seen, but it's also like somehow a little bit too perfect.
Ralph Ford:It is.
Connor Sattely:Amsterdam's got some grime to it. Amsterdam has a little bit of messiness that I like. Everything still works just fine, but it's a little grimy, it's a little messy. You know, if you stumble into the center of Amsterdam on a Friday or Saturday night you're going to see some stuff. And I like that dirt. So Amsterdam is sort of the place for me.
Ralph Ford:Well, it's good to see that you found your place. You know we had lunch earlier today with students and I really, you know you did a wonderful job. I would say talking to the students and giving them some advice, don't get good grades, don't get good grades. Don't get good grades. You don't have to be top of the class.
Connor Sattely:You don't want to be bottom.
Ralph Ford:What advice do you have for students? I mean, you listened to them today and you heard they did talk to you about their aspirations and what are some of the things that stood out and advice that you'd give to students thinking about going into the startup VC world or overseas, or just in general?
Connor Sattely:Yeah, well, overseas, just do it. Like, find any opportunity you can ask for money from whoever you can, especially when you're in university, because maybe there's still some opportunities for you to get some money to do it from somewhere. Do it, if you can. I know it's expensive and it's scary, but like, yeah, just find any opportunity to get out of the country and it's just going to be a life-changing experience. Yeah, the lunch was cool. Like the students are awesome that I spoke to. The one thing that stood out to me is that everybody's kind of everybody.
Connor Sattely:Yeah, somebody said it was like a slow motion car crash, the economy right now. You're in the car and you know it's going to crash, but it's in slow motion and there's nothing you can really do about it. So you just figure, you know I'll spend a little bit more time on my phone, it's not going to crash yet for a few more minutes. And then somebody else said we don't really talk about it much. I found that a bit. Yeah, I found that a bit sad. So I guess I think my advice is talk about it. I'm not arguing with you about the car crash. Like.
Connor Sattely:I think students that are in school right now are probably really screwed man. Like, tuition costs are super high. So many of them are going to graduate Penn State with crippling education debt. And then they live in a country where corporates are usually abusing and squeezing young professionals until they burn out and that's a rough situation to be in and there's not a lot of jobs. They're going to graduate and they're going to submit their job application. It'll be one of a thousand and then they won't get the job and they'll do that 200 times and it's not going to work out. So they need to talk about it. They need to compare strategies and try and yeah, I don't know whatever, I'm being too prescriptive or judgmental, but my advice is, if you're struggling with trying to figure out what to do after college, talk to your friends about it. Like, try and triangulate it and see what your friends are doing and don't keep it inside Because, like, if you just wait until two months before you graduate to figure it out, you're going to make it worse on yourself.
Connor Sattely:Start two years or four years ahead of time If you're a freshman. Start trying to meet people now that you think are doing cool stuff and working at cool companies. Start years in advance trying to just meet people, reach out to people and say Hi, I'm Connor, I'm a sophomore at Penn State, Behrend, I'm studying this. I love your company because you guys do cool stuff around this.
Connor Sattely:You have time for a coffee and, like, 80% of people will ignore you but 20% of people won't. And then you have a leg up when it comes time for the job. So there's a thousand applications but you're the girl that asked for the coffee. Or you're the guy that had a quick Zoom call and that helps your resume pop off the pile, but you don't get those strategies unless you talk about it with people. So don't stick your head in the sand as soon as you leave this place. You're like that planet Earth baby turtles go into the water while they're seagulls trying to pick them off. Like, give yourself the best chance possible of getting a good job after school at any expense. Talk about it and try and make a plan and start early and meet people. That's my advice, because it's not easy out there.
Ralph Ford:Well, I think your advice was build your network and don't be shy about talking to people and go about it in different ways. Don't be the one who's getting the resume that's scanned by AI and being compared to 70 other people.
Connor Sattely:Yeah, Make that part, the formality. It's like I'm submitting to you a resume because I need to technically use your application system, but you already know me, You've talked to me, you told me to apply for this job, so no problem, I'll toss in my resume and probably the AI scans it and says don't hire the person. And then the hiring manager goes oh no, no, let's just have a talk with that person. That's how most people get jobs now is people just know them right, or at least most young people they do it, because one guy today said he got a job after college because he got drunk with somebody that works for the Buffalo Bills and now the Buffalo Bills are hiring him or his friend or whatever. So those types of interpersonal connections get you jobs definitely.
Ralph Ford:Absolutely.
Connor Sattely:Well, we are coming to the end, so any last words of wisdom or anything you'd like to add, I'll give you the last word, Connor uh, yeah, last word I'm receiving the alumni achievement award and it's um, it's a big honor for me and it's a pleasure, it's so nice being back, but my last word is um, forget achievement. Achievement is a mirage. It's something that you maybe work towards and the journey towards achievement is more important. And who cares if you get there. I didn't get there.
Connor Sattely:All the things that are on my resume that sound really impressive, they're thin If you look into them and this is an imposter syndrome. Speaking like my startups the startup startup, the political startup, failed and like all of our girlfriends dumped us and we ended up in debt and you know, and having existential crises. And like the accelerator that I work for is like it's in financial difficulties and it'll shut down like cool accelerator. So, like everything that you see other people achieving, it's just like Instagram. It's a version of somebody's life that is the rosiest and most impressive version, when the reality is sometimes they just sit on their couch eating chicken quesadillas and watching House All Day.
Connor Sattely:You know, like people's lives are difficult and complex and anybody who you think is achieving a lot probably just has a good PR team, and my PR team is some professors that kept in touch that decided that what I'm doing sounds good enough, and now I win the Alumni Achievement Award. So my advice is focus on love and experience and just go see things and meet people, invest in your friendships. Like, be there for people and, you know, love people and have good experience. That's all I would advise people to do. And like keep your head up. It's rough out there, you know, be realistic, but then just focus on loving your friends, like that's the stuff that matters.
Ralph Ford:It's good advice, but I can assure you you deserve the alumni award. I will tell you that. Thank you, and no, it's really a pleasure having you back. It's so much fun. I remember you well as a student, as many do here. You left a large impression, so it's good to see that you haven't changed. I think you've only gotten funnier.
Connor Sattely:More gallows humor. It's darker. Maybe there used to be more jokes and now it's just observations on life, I don't know. But thank you.
Ralph Ford:Well, it's a good way for us to end and thank you so much for being here Today. You have been listening to Connor Sattely, a Penn State Behrend grad, who has won the Penn State Alumni Achievement Award in 2025, and well-deserved, and it's going to be fun. I can't wait to hear your remarks when you accept the award tomorrow. So thanks for being here.
Connor Sattely:Thanks a lot.