Focus on distracted driving fuels business for Eric Grunfeld '22 MTL

Research through Brown and AAA

Grunfeld cites his parents as his role models. He says his entrepreneurial drive was fueled by his father, who took over the family bakery business at a young age and then kept it afloat after a devastating five-alarm fire. And Grunfeld’s passion for public health comes from his mom, who is a senior director of finance at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. “It’s through their stories that I find my own resilience and persistence as an entrepreneur,” he says. 

Grunfeld also credits his best friend, Jonah McGuinness, for being the pillar of support he always needed on his entrepreneurial journey.

After launching PluggdIn, Grunfeld says he quickly discovered that entrepreneurial success is predicated on strong leadership, which prompted him to pursue a Master of Science in Technology Leadership at Brown's School of Professional Studies (SPS). Of particular interest to him was the program’s Critical Challenge Project, which he says was a complementary opportunity for him to pursue his entrepreneurial endeavor while having the support of faculty, fellow students, and campus resources. “I was able to facilitate a research collaboration with multiple universities along with 7,000 members of AAA Northeast, a trusted name for more than a century, synonymous with America’s roads and safe travel,” Grunfeld says. “My student affiliation with Brown and SPS enabled this collaboration.”

Getting his research methodology accredited by Brown and AAA was an education in itself, Grunfeld says. “The methodology was pioneered by one of my company advisors, a renowned market researcher who is credited with creating products such as the first cash-back Discover card and the first Oral-B electric toothbrush,” he says. “I had to work with Brown’s Institutional Review Board, Human Research Protection Program, the Office of Research and Integrity, and the Office of Information and Technology. The MTL program definitely helped me navigate this process.”

Combining academics and entrepreneurship

Discovering what he is capable of as a leader is Grunfeld’s biggest takeaway from his MTL experience. “It pushed me to reflect deeply on my leadership identity, priorities, and philosophy,” he says. “Robert Allio's course on effective leadership had a major impact on me as every week we were challenged to craft our leadership model from a new perspective. To do this, we kept weekly journals, an exercise that has stuck with me since graduating.”

Grunfeld believes the structure of the MTL program makes it stand out. “Your ability to not only learn academically but also apply your academics to advance in your career path – that’s what differentiates the MTL program,” he says. “In any typical MBA program, you’re being asked to stop whatever you’re doing for two years to just focus on school. And if that had been the case for me, I likely would not have made the progress I did with my venture.”

He also praises the program’s cohort design. “Being in an environment surrounded by peers who are coming from different industries and professional backgrounds is a rare opportunity,” he says. He advises new enrollees to “go in with an open mindset, eagerness to learn, and genuine desire to support your classmates as they can be your lifelong network to help you navigate your career.”

His final takeaway? “The MTL program fulfills ambitions,” he says. 

In Grunfeld’s case, that includes saving lives along the way.