Cecily Coors (Fin’23)
Intern, Liberty Global Ventures
Cecily Coors can still remember when, as a girl, she rode a sheep at the National Western Stock Show.
When she first heard about mutton busting, as it’s called, “I was dying to try it,” she said. “I watched it, I practiced it—we didn’t have any sheep, so my dad would put me on his back and try to throw me off.”
It was her first experience with riding—one that’s become a dedicated obsession.
At 21 years old, Cecily is fresh off a victory with her team at the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship—among the most prestigious tournaments of its kind in the world—where she scored a pivotal goal and, more importantly, has learned important lessons that she expects will help her in her career, including the value of sportsmanship and the ability to give and receive criticism.
“I was the newbie on the team, and I was impressed at the team dynamics,” she said. “My teammates saw mistakes as opportunities to learn and grow. Watching the tape of our first and last games, we looked like a different team, because we were honest with each other about how we could improve. That kind of culture, built on authentic relationships, is something I’m looking for in searching for jobs.”
That search so far has landed her two internships doing venture capital with Liberty Global, where she’s relished the opportunity to build on what she’s learned at Leeds.
“During the internship, I was tasked to present on investment sectors the partners didn’t have prior expertise in and come up with a thesis, investing strategy and source investments, and introduce them to experts” Cecily said. “To have a chance to answer questions—instead of asking them—made me proud of what I’d learned.”
She’s grateful she chose Leeds to develop that knowledge.
“When I got my acceptance letter, I learned about the S’well founder, Sarah Kauss, and how she came to this school and was supported on her entrepreneurial journey,” Cecily said. “I felt, if that’s the kind of graduate Boulder produces, I want to be a part of that.”
She’s been more than a part of the Leeds community—Cecily is highly involved on campus, including with the Presidents Leadership Class and spearheading Startup Mill—a club that puts on speaker events and shares local entrepreneurship events and makes it easier to attend with a friend.
She’s excited to see where the startup, investing, and venture capital world will take her.
“I see business as a way to do interesting things that create an impact on people’s lives,” she said. “I’ve enjoyed the chance to learn about the investing and finance side of business. I’m not yet sure where this interest will take me and I’m looking forward to the next step.”