Why BrandEd? by Michael Chung, CEO

As many of us look back in our lives, there are usually one or two educational experiences that could be described as transformative.

These are the learning opportunities that set you on a new trajectory—maybe even a path you didn’t anticipate or expect or even know was an option. Sometimes you work hard for these opportunities. Other times they fall into your lap and take you by surprise. But always they are the defining moments in your educational and professional journey that you feel overwhelmingly grateful to have had.

For me, it was a five-week Financial Analyst Training Program at Goldman Sachs that I experienced when I was fresh out of college and about to start my very first job in the real world. Our Financial Analyst class consisted of about 120 individuals representing a wide variety of colleges/universities and an even more diverse range of majors. We spent 10 to 12 hours a day learning key financial concepts, how to interpret vital stats in annual reports, how private and public companies are valued in different industries, how to work in teams with people you just met, and even how to bind books just in case there was a backlog in the production department.

What made this training program life-changing for me was that the curriculum was taught by Goldman professionals who used real transactions and companies as course material, giving us a first-hand view of how things were done in their day-to-day jobs. No matter your background or major, you walked out of that program a different person–someone equipped with the tools, skills and confidence needed to get started and be successful in the intense environment of the firm.

This inspiring educational experience is one I often reflect on when I think about the mission of BrandEd and the future of our company. BrandEd exists because many of us look back at our formal education with a sense of wishing we had done a few things differently.

What if we had taken a gap year or explored a distant city, indulged a passion or took a risk on discovering something we wish we knew now? How could we formalize that approach? How could we give these experiences to students in the most authentic way possible?

At BrandEd, that’s exactly what we aim to do, and are doing. We develop transformational education programs that can change the course of a student’s life. We believe that the way to do this is to give students access to successful practitioners, content and materials that are based in the real world and aligned with premier global brands at the top of their industries. We believe that the ultimate purpose of education is to help our students find and successfully build meaningful careers, and as a result, live fulfilling lives.

We accomplish this by ensuring that our programs are taught by a combination of top industry professionals and experienced academic faculty. Compared to other programs, BrandEd’s curriculum leans heavily towards real world examples and relevant, current case studies. The content and expertise that reside with our brand partners, namely The New York Times, Sotheby’s, City Football Group (Manchester City) and Condé Nast (Vogue, Wired, Architectural Digest) are unmatched in their respective industries and boast heritages that rival the most prestigious universities in the world. As BrandEd grows, we will continue to seek new partners that are category leaders in both existing and new industries. We will deliver the compelling content developed with our partners through a range of in-person and online programs, ensuring our curriculum is accessible across modalities and time zones. And as always, we will put a strong emphasis on networking opportunities for students to interact with instructors who are practitioners and experts in their respective fields as well as with like-minded peers who have made a similar choice to immerse themselves in a rigorous, experiential form of education.

What could be better than learning how to succeed in the real world alongside inspiring, diverse people who share your interests and passions? We invite you to be a part of the BrandEd story and experience a transformative educational journey for yourself.

Welcome to BrandEd!