2 Carlson School Alumni Named among Forbes 30 Under 30
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Two alumni have earned coveted positions on the 2015 Forbes 30 Under 30 list, an honor that celebrates 600 young people who are changing the face of business across 20 fields.
Asha Sharma, '11 BSB, won a spot in the marketing and advertising category for building home improvement start-up Porch from the ground up. Erik Eliason, '08 BSB, was recognized in the retail category for co-founding Storefront, a service that places pop-up shops in otherwise vacant buildings.
Asha Sharma
As a Carlson School student, Sharma completed seven internships, participated in the Carlson Consulting Enterprise, and travelled to Poland and Hungary to work on a live case for Cargill.
During her senior year, she helped launch the A-List, a teen center in Brooklyn Park, Minn., that inspires underengaged young people to pursue employment opportunities and showcase their talents. Upon graduating with a major in marketing in 2011, she began her career as an associate product manager at Microsoft.
Today, Sharma is the CMO of Porch, where she has established a crucial partnership with Lowe's and helped recruit talent from leading corporations.
Erik Eliason
Eliason graduated from the Carlson School in 2008 with a major in entrepreneurial management. He then attended Harvard Business School before co-founding SocialEarth, and subsequently launching Storefront. Eliason says he drew inspiration for the venture from major Minnesota retailers like Target.
San Francisco-based Storefront has found tremendous success serving online-only retailers who wish to establish a temporary physical store. Eliason estimates the company has helped more than 100 brands expose their products to new customers.