Smith Soc Featured Member

Questions and Answers with Adam Smith Society Members

Katie Horgan | New York City Professional Chapter

Katie Horgan is an Iraq War veteran (2nd Lt. in the U.S. Marine Corps), and a 2014 Columbia Business School grad. Since completing her MBA, Katie has worked primarily in the start-up space. She is currently the Senior Director of Operations at Crave Crush.

What’s the most interesting thing about you that we wouldn’t learn from your resume alone?

I have been to two dozen countries, but I only have passport stamps for half of them. Hmmmm....

Tell us how you curate your intellectual diet.

Daily reads: NYT, Washington Post, Bloomberg Businessweek. Books: I am currently reading Tribe by Sebastian Junger, and I just finished The Social Conquest of Earth and Sapiens.  Listen: Bloomberg Radio, Tim Ferris podcast, Stuff You Should Know podcast.  In addition to events put on by Smith Soc and the Manhattan Institute, I highly recommend the NY Leaders Program put on by Foreign Policy Institute to anyone who is NYC based and interested in foreign policy.

Imagine you are given a million dollars to launch your best entrepreneurial idea. What is it?

I can't tell you!

What have you gained from Adam Smith Society membership?

As a member of the startup community, I tend to be very focused on the day-to-day drudgery (which I actually enjoy) of setting up and running a business.  Keeping the wheels on the bus, and making sure nothing breaks.  Smith Soc prompts me to take a step back and look at macro-economic trends and conditions - to view my business as a part of the larger business environment in the US. That context is very important, and I enjoy drawing a line between the larger themes that the society discusses, and the challenges (and advantages) that affect my company's livelihood.