In 2017, Sujoy Sarkar, BS ’11, traded the East Coast for the West Coast when he accepted an offer to serve as director of corporate development at San Francisco-based electric car company Byton. Though it wasn’t an easy decision, he was drawn to the organization’s mission to help make the world more sustainable. “Byton was trying to completely reengineer the vehicle, and that’s what got me excited, both from a sustainability standpoint and also from a technology standpoint,” Sarkar said.

Since he graduated from the Gabelli School, Sarkar has rapidly ascended in his career, developing interests in the technology and automotive sectors. After starting his career in investment banking at JPMorgan, he moved to RBC Capital Markets and later helped launch Quantamize, a hedge fund and research company that was acquired by Forbes. Part of his role involved researching the automotive industry and the Chinese auto market in particular, and it was that expertise that made him a natural choice to lead Byton’s strategic investments, M&A, and strategic partnerships globally.

“I thought I could add more value than just building financial models and PowerPoints,” said Sarkar, referring to his move away from investment banking. He proved it: in less than four years, the New Jersey native helped grow the company’s valuation from $790 million to $2.2 billion at one point.

Sarkar said his family, and adversities they’ve faced, fostered his work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit. His father, a Port Authority engineer who emigrated from India to pursue his career, lost his life at the World Trade Center on 9/11. To this day, Sarkar remembers his advice. “How you differentiate yourself is how hard you work and your attitude toward life,” he said. “That’s something that was brought about, not only from my dad, but from my entire family.” Indeed, in addition to their full-time professions, Sarkar’s parents ran an import/export business, and his father also bought and sold real estate and worked as an adjunct professor.

From his first visit, Sarkar knew that Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business was the right fit because it “felt like home.” One of the most meaningful experiences he had in college was studying abroad in Rome. “It’s where I really decided to focus on business, especially globally,” he said. Since then, his career has taken him around the globe to the Middle East, Europe, China, and India.

As he plans his next chapter, Sarkar has taken bits of what he’s learned at each juncture and shaped a path forward that’s distinctly his own. He will soon step into a new position as a director at the venture capital firm Assembly Ventures, where he will be responsible for investing across mobility, technology, and ESG companies globally. Ultimately, he would like to launch a firm of his own. He tells young professionals that charting their own course makes all the difference.

“Follow your passions,” he said. “That’s how I’ve ended up in California and gotten opportunities. I take risks all the time. Sometimes they work out, sometimes they don’t. But you’re always learning from them.”