Alex Heintze (B’19) Named Prestigious Schwarzman Scholar

Alex Heintze (B’19) is one of two Georgetown University alumni to be named a Schwarzman Scholar, one of the world’s most prestigious graduate fellowships located at Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Heintze and Lucia He (SFS’15) are among a class of approximately 154 scholars selected globally from over 3,600 applicants, and include students from 39 countries and 99 universities.

The vision of Schwarzman Scholars is to bring together the world’s best young minds to explore and understand the economic, political, and cultural factors that have contributed to China’s increasing importance as a global power. Every year, a new class will have the opportunity to represent the world’s next generation of leaders — high-caliber individuals with open minds and limitless potential who will serve to deepen understanding between China and the rest of the world.

Heintze’s journey began in the fall 2015 semester with a narrow focus on entrepreneurship as he launched a financial news company, Flynance, when he was only a freshman. He would go on to intern with the venture capital firm, Revolution, and publish a book on Generation Z entrepreneurship. After graduating from Georgetown McDonough, he began working for a hedge fund whose strategies are run exclusively by artificial intelligence (AI) — and he was hooked.

“I believe that an understanding of artificial intelligence (AI) will be critical to understanding the future of work, and there is no better place than China to learn about AI,” said Heintze. “Through Schwarzman Scholars, I will have the chance to engage in opportunities with leaders from China and beyond through high-level interactions.”

Recently, China has been vocal about becoming a leader in AI research. Heintze believes the program will allow him the opportunity to take full advantage of the abundant opportunities in China and to learn more about how Chinese leaders are thinking about AI. He was inspired by the Georgetown’s Jesuit values and wants to continue to understand how leaders can come together to use AI as a force for good.  

“Given China is home to the world’s largest workforce and has the world’s largest automation potential, it is especially important to understand how leaders are thinking about these issues,” said Heintze. “In the future, I hope to use my experiences through the Schwarzman Scholars program to take part in these conversations.”

Heintze feels thoroughly prepared for this next adventure and credits Georgetown McDonough’s academic curriculum and faculty members for providing him with invaluable opportunities to gain a global perspective through real-world experiences. 

Heintze has a long-term goal of diving back into entrepreneurship and starting a company that rethinks the future of workforce collaboration.

For more information about the Schwarzman Scholarship and other fellowship opportunities, please visit the Georgetown Office of Fellowships, Awards, and Resources.