{"id":18887,"date":"2025-09-25T10:00:46","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T14:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/questrom\/?p=18887"},"modified":"2025-09-26T14:52:42","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T18:52:42","slug":"how-do-you-stand-out-insights-from-noah-friedman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/questrom\/blog\/how-do-you-stand-out-insights-from-noah-friedman\/","title":{"rendered":"Insights from Entrepreneur Noah Friedman (Questrom’17)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Noah Sanborn Friedman’17<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor asymmetric outcomes, you need to take asymmetric action.\u201d<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That mindset has guided entrepreneur Noah Sanborn Friedman (Questrom\u201917) from his early days at Boston University to running his own venture fund and creating\u00a0Uncharted<\/em>, a thriving community for founders and innovators. His story proves that success rarely follows a straight line. Instead, it\u2019s built on hard work, relentless curiosity, and a willingness to step into spaces where others might hesitate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Say Yes, Then Figure It Out<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At Questrom, Noah was always tinkering with ideas and reading TechCrunch. When he landed an internship at a startup and his supervisor was suddenly fired, most interns would have pulled back. Instead, Noah raised his hand: Can I report directly to the CEO?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CEO agreed\u2014and handed him a long list of deliverables. Noah worked long hours, asked countless questions, and delivered. By summer\u2019s end, he was leading partnerships and strategy. Later, he pitched to keep working remotely during senior year, taking calls between classes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lesson?<\/strong> Don\u2019t wait for the perfect role. When an opening appears, step in\u2014even if you don\u2019t yet know all the answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resilience Through Setbacks<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After graduation, Noah planned to join the smart home company full-time as chief of staff. But just as he was recovering from surgery, funding collapsed and the company shut down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than retreat, Noah accepted a new challenge: COO of an alcohol analytics startup at just 22. It was trial by fire\u2014learning operations, raising capital, and managing people with no safety net. \u201cI knew nothing about alcohol beyond being a college consumer,\u201d he says. \u201cBut I said yes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That leap gave him credibility in venture capital and set the stage for what came next. When COVID hit, Noah co-founded a fund with a partner from AB InBev\u2019s venture arm. Through persistence and storytelling, they raised $8M for their first fund, growing it into a $30M+ operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Setbacks aren\u2019t endings\u2014they\u2019re detours.<\/strong> Failures can be first attempts in learning if you treat them that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creating Opportunities Where None Exist<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2021, investor Michael Loeb asked Noah how to reconnect young founders. Noah volunteered to host a dinner\u2014and prepared like it was a performance. He memorized bios, planned the flow, and personally introduced every guest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That first dinner drew heavy hitters like Gary Vaynerchuk. Soon, there were monthly dinners, Hamptons summits, and eventually Uncharted<\/em>\u2014a curated community of founders, investors, and visionaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not about cocktails and name tags,\u201d Noah says. \u201cIt\u2019s about putting the right people in the right room and structuring conversations intentionally. Being in the right room can change your life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lessons for Questrom Students Today<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Noah\u2019s path underscores timeless lessons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n