We asked David Potere, co-founder of BCG GAMMA, and now CEO of TellusLabs, to share some memories and advice from his experience at BCG:

What inspired you to found BCG GAMMA and TellusLabs?

BCG GAMMA began with a simple question: what could we do against our clients' toughest problems if we brought the most advanced data and methods off the lab bench and into the case team room? We started with a functional focus on geospatial problem solving. For me and that first wave of 'GeoAnalytics' hires we came to work each week greeted by an increasingly global and exotic set of client challenges. It became evident very quickly that we were on to something big, and we were fortunate to have the backing of BCG's senior leadership right from day one to see this through to its full potential.

What is your favorite BCG memory? OR How has your experience at BCG influenced your current career?

I still recall vividly making the case for the GeoAnalytics team at BCG, the Boston-based team that laid the foundation for Gamma. I worked on the weekends with an experienced project leader (now partner), Vlad Lukic, for weeks building a basic business plan. We thought through all of the potential objections for making this sort of a bold bet -- keep in mind this was before the terms "data science" or "big data" had really become a thing. In the end, our first sponsor for the enterprise, Ludger Kuebel-Sorger, realized the potential immediately and he shifted the discussion straight-away from whether we could do this to how we would do this together!

What career advice would you offer to your fellow alumni?

For those who are on the fence about doing something entrepreneurial, go for it! BCG is an amazing training ground for starting a company or being an early joiner at an early stage venture. And in the end, there's just no substitute for the sort of muscles you build when you're in those early-stage roles.