Tarrel Nedderman '22, a recent Lawrence graduate with a double major in philosophy and economics, began his career after Lawrence in early July as a research analyst for TitletownTech, a venture capital company in Green Bay.
Founded in 2019 through a partnership between Microsoft and the Green Bay Packers, TitletownTech supports startup companies, and its goal is to foster development and innovation in the Midwest.
“We are aiming to serve as a conduit for brilliant thinkers—anyone who has a good idea—to stay here,” Nedderman said. “You don’t need to move out to the coast for opportunities to grow; there’s opportunity here.”
Nedderman is among the more than 330 members of the Class of 2022 who are taking those first post-Lawrence steps, be it graduate school or jumping into new careers. We featured some of those graduates and their next steps shortly after Commencement in June.
For Nedderman, that next step is proving to be a learning experience, in all the best ways.
Members of the startup companies at TitletownTech often get to present their ideas and products at the Green Bay office, located adjacent to Lambeau Field in the Titletown District. Nedderman said one of their portfolio agricultural companies is even growing lettuce on the first floor.
“You get so many opportunities and so many cool ideas coming through the doors,” he said. “You get to talk about anything from VR to drones, to agriculture, to water testing, to things in sports; it’s really awesome.”
The Career Center is available to help students design, discover, and connect with meaningful career opportunities
Nedderman first learned about TitletownTech from a Lawrence friend who connected with the company through a corporate finance class but felt the position better suited Nedderman’s interests. A professor recommended the company as well a few months later.
As a 2022 graduate just starting his post-Lawrence life, Nedderman felt that TitletownTech was the perfect place to make the jump.
“It was actually a really nice circumstance that just worked out where I was able to get connected through two different sources,” Nedderman said.
These connections are one of Nedderman’s favorite things about Lawrence. He said a few simple interactions with Mike O’Connor—formerly dean of the Career Center and now special assistant to the president—led to a successful internship last summer. And that proved to be a step toward the TitletownTech position after graduation.
“I think the biggest thing we can leverage as Lawrence students and Lawrence graduates is the tight connection that we’re able to have with alumni, with professors, and with our peers,” Nedderman said.
Just like Lawrence, Nedderman said he enjoys how connected and intimate the work at TitletownTech can be. Working on a team of nine, Nedderman mostly researches vertical markets, and likes researching the history of the company in his spare time.
“I’m working with people who are not afraid to be wrong or not afraid of being challenged, so it allows everyone to have an openness to new ideas and opinions,” he said.
Nedderman’s favorite things about TitletownTech are the opportunities to learn about the venture capital field and the chance to bring his own perspectives to the table, and have them valued by others.
“In a company that I’m in, I like to feel integral to the process,” he said.
Finding his path
Nedderman said he was determined to not just land a successful career, but a fulfilling one as well. He is a New Yorker who came to the Midwest for Lawrence and post-undergraduate job opportunities. He first pictured a future in tech and started with mathematics and computer science before settling on majors—philosophy and economics—that he felt best fit his interests.
A double-degree student who also played music in the Conservatory during his time at Lawrence, Nedderman said he heard the naysayers who doubted the value of a liberal arts education. But he said interactions with the Career Center and Viking Connect gave him confidence he was heading in the right direction.
“I used the Career Center throughout the entirety of my four years to find opportunities, to work on my résumé, to get good résumé-building skills or LinkedIn profile-building skills,” he said. “…I feel that Lawrence set me up tremendously well to do well after school.”
Nedderman decided on his majors and then TitletownTech because they combine his interests in technology and economics, and his fascination with the brain and social interaction.
“I’ve been meeting a lot of people…there’s just so much going on all the time,” he said of his first weeks on the job. “I live for the differences and excitement around it all."
TitletownTech has a portfolio of 24 startups, three of which have relocated to the Midwest to be closer to the company.
“To have three companies move physical locations to be here and be a part of this is really outstanding, and we only hope to increase that number over the years,” Nedderman said.
The TitletownTech environment, he said, is a great fit for a Lawrentian.
“I think especially as a college grad, it’s important to find a place that will foster learning,” he said.