2022 Best & Brightest Business Major: Daniel Tsentsiper, UC-Berkeley (Haas)

Daniel Tsentsiper

University of California-Berkeley, Haas School of Business

“Ferris Bueller, but without the day off.”

Fun fact about yourself: I am a karate instructor and certified personal trainer.

Hometown: Netanya, Israel

High School: Woodbridge High School

Major: Business Administration

Favorite Business Course: Becoming a Changemaker

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:

  • Founder and Chief Operations Officer, Veriply. (Veriply is an AI-powered bookkeeping assistant that helps companies quickly discover and prevent errors and fraud in real-time.)
  • Director of Entrepreneurship, Haas Business School Association
  • Founder, BecomingAFounder.com
  • Founding Member, Global Research and Consulting Club
  • Karate Instructor, OCIGK
  • Rotarian, Irvine Rotary

Where have you interned during your college career? The Clorox Company, Oakland CA. Internal Audit and Finance Intern

Where will you be working after graduation? Veriply, Founder and COO

Who is your favorite professor? I can’t quite say I have a favorite professor. Each professor played an instrumental role in my life. I want to commemorate the support and mentorship that my accounting Professor Bennet Tchaikovsky offered me throughout my transfer journey. I wouldn’t be at Berkeley without him.

What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business? Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and business ethics are conscious choices; they’re not a fad, a trend, or a nice-to-have.

What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? Business is arguably one of the broadest majors you can choose. I strongly encourage students to spend the time to understand their “why” before committing to a specific career path in business. Hone in on what you are genuinely passionate about and ignore the naysayers. There is never a wrong answer when you optimize for self-actualization.

What has surprised you most about majoring in business? When I began my studies in business, I was surprised to learn how human behavior intersects with every aspect of business. I encourage students to invest in building authentic relationships, refining their communication skills, and checking their blind spots. “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” rings true during and after college.

Looking back over your experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently in business school and why? Running a technology startup as a non-technical founder can be highly challenging. To stay heavily involved in product development, I have to put the extra effort to understand the production environment and speak the language of my engineers. If I could go back in time, I would invest more time in logic and computer science technical courses to enhance my business acumen.

What business executive do you admire most? I admire the legacy and teachings of the former CEO and founder of Zappos, Tony Hsieh. Tony is remembered for his mantra, “Delivering Happiness,” which valued people over profit. Tony humanized the workplace, had a relentless focus on customers, and was a champion of diversity. I aspire to bring Tony’s aura and authenticity to my workplace.

Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? I am extremely proud to call myself a founder. I formed my startup, Veriply, with some of the brightest minds at Berkeley and in Denmark. Veriply is a bookkeeping assistant that helps companies maintain clean records for better decision-making. What started as a class project in an entrepreneurship course at UC Berkeley quickly became a marketable solution for a widespread industry problem. We learned that existing players in our space overlook small businesses, favoring large enterprises with deep pockets. We want to level the playfield by equipping small businesses with confidence and control of their financial integrity. That’s only the start; our team has high ambitions to scale Veriply into an autonomous bookkeeping engine for small businesses, so they can focus on serving customers and growing their business.

Which classmate do you most admire? Tony Shi (Class of 2022)

Yet another influential Tony in my life. Tony Shi has been my rock since Day 1 of my transfer journey. The sacrifices he made to return to school, his devotion to student empowerment, and his larger-than-life personality lit a fire in my belly. Thank you for everything, Tony.

Who would you most want to thank for your success?  Two-in-one – my parents. My parents have made countless sacrifices for our family, raising my brother and me at the age of 19 and immigrating to the United States to start a better life. They are my heroes, role models, and best friends. Love you, Mom and Dad.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? I dream of forming a nonprofit overseas and opening my own fusion restaurant. Berkeley students and alumni eat free!

What are your hobbies? My favorite hobbies are cooking and fitness. I fused my love for the two in community college by starting a meal prep delivery business. My business allowed me to share my creativity with one fresh meal prep, and one human connection, at a time.

What made Daniel such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2022?

“Daniel exemplifies the very best of what it means to be a UC Berkeley student, and embodies everything that we as educators and as an institution should seek to support and celebrate in our students. Daniel has taken advantage of all that UC Berkeley has to offer, immersing himself in both the Haas community and the greater UC Berkeley innovation and entrepreneurship community. He did all of this alongside leading and growing a startup — one which itself grew out of a class here at UC Berkeley!”

Alex Budak
Professional Faculty, Berkeley Haas
Executive Director, Berkeley Haas Global Access Program

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