Phi Kappa Psi - University of Texas

"Phi Psi gives me another platform to connect with this next generation, learn from them, and facilitate their career paths." As an out-of-state student, when Justin Smith '06 started at the University of Texas, it was important to him to spend his first semester familiarizing himself with the various organizations, becoming comfortable in a new setting and focusing on his studies. He spent his weekends hanging out with his roommates and attending social events outside of Greek life. He ultimately felt a strong connection to some of the Phi Kappa Psi brothers who lived in his dorm and pledged Phi Psi in spring 2006. "I found Phi Psi to attract a well-rounded group of individuals who desired to be part of something greater than themselves," Justin shared. "Phi Psi helped me build a home in Austin, and for that, I am very grateful." Justin views Texas Alpha as an "ever-expanding network." He appreciates the sense of community he experienced as an undergraduate and fondly looks back at time spent with his brothers, whether it was through dinner at the house, themed parties or welcoming new members into the brotherhood. The network that Justin experienced in Phi Psi has been beneficial in his career. He is the co-founder and managing partner of Recharge Thematic Ventures, a venture capital fund that invests in early-stage emerging consumer technologies. In his career, he oversees approximately $100 million in assets and manages an investment team based in Singapore, New York City and Los Angeles. "During my freshman and sophomore year, I remember watching many of the older brothers attend Big Four recruiting events and discussing their interview success with banks and other financial institutions," Justin shared. "Listening to these conversations and witnessing their success at landing jobs in the business world gave me motivation to leverage my experience at McCombs into a solid first job." Getting to where he is took hard work and perseverance, and Justin values his University of Texas experience for providing him with the skills he needed to succeed. He graduated from the accounting program at McCombs School of Business, which gave him skills to understand business fundamentals and have guided his investment ability and business acumen. He worked for a Big Four firm in the audit practice right out of college before moving on to the next part of his career. "I credit McCombs for encouraging elective exposure to less obvious but critical areas of study that are highly relevant to the work I do now, including human psychology, management information systems and effective business writing," Justin said. While Justin may be a busy man, he enjoys giving back to current Texas Alpha brothers and mentoring them. "I've always thought there has been an overemphasis on trying to gather mentors in high places that can further your career," he shared. "Although I have no doubt benefited from a few mentors that have believed in me, I choose to spend at least an equal amount of time cultivating relationships with the generations following me." Justin and his girlfriend reside in New York City. In his free time, he enjoys hiking and traveling; he shares that he spent a month in Patagonia and hiked 370 miles solo. Justin also loves Texas football and is a proud owner of two season football tickets to Texas Longhorn games. He looks forward to tailgates with Texas Alpha brothers. Justin's career highlights: "I was an early investor in Lemonade, Bird Scooters, Coinbase and Ro. I also hold positions in some notable names like Dutchie, Animoca Brands, Figure, Figment, Flutterwave, Klarna and Uala. Between my partners and I, we manage approximately 120 investments today, spread over different strategies and geographies." ALPHA AVALANCHE | TEXAS ALPHA | PHI KAPPA PSI | | SPRING/SUMMER EDITION 2022 "I've always been a big believer that surrounding oneself with motivated and driven people can have a trickledown effect on the surrounding group. Texas Alpha provided an additional motivating factor that helped drive me to where I am today." AN EVER-EXPANDING NETWORK JUSTIN SMITH '06 CREDITS PHI KAPPA PSI AND UT FOR SHAPING HIS CAREER You can connect with Justin at justinbsmith19@gmail.com – he is always happy to meet fellow brothers and rekindle old friendships.

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