Building a Multi-Industry Enterprise Before Graduation: How Mason Cohen ’23 Scaled The Cohen Company
Even before graduating from Drexel University, Mason Cohen ’23 had his sights set on building long-term value across complex industries.
Now, a few years into launching his professional career, he finds that his studies at the Charles D. Close School of Entrepreneurship and his fast-growing business portfolio are deeply complementary.
Cohen leads The Cohen Company Limited, a family office focused on real estate development, solar energy, self-storage, logistics and hedge fund capital management. He simultaneously serves as president of Tower Logistic Warehousing - a third-party logistics firm backed by over 50 years of industry expertise - and managing partner at Sunwise USA, an end-to-end regional solar company.
His journey to managing a multi-industry portfolio began with his experience in the Close School’s BA in Entrepreneurship and Innovation program. Knowing he wanted to build his own ventures, control his schedule and work at his own pace, Cohen immersed himself in the Close School curriculum, immediately connecting classroom theory with his external projects. The school’s unique academic framework gave him the flexibility and direct faculty access needed to treat his coursework as a testing ground for his business ambitions.
Among his most impactful academic experiences was* Ready, Set, Fail* taught by associate professor Barrie Litzky, which served as a direct simulation for real-world risk management and resilience.
“Professor Litzky was my favorite professor,” he shares. “I always respected how honest and genuine she was. Her class really taught me to fail fast and that failing is okay. It’s just another stepping stone on your path to success. The only time you genuinely fail is if you give up.”
Alongside coursework, participating in Close School pitch competitions like Startup Fest helped Cohen refine the public speaking skills and executive presence he uses daily in corporate deal-making and municipal development hearings.
Leveraging the school’s commitment to hands-on experience, Cohen maximized Drexel’s five-year Co-op track by immersing himself in the real estate sector. His first Co-op with VeryApt Brokerage gave him boots-on-the-ground knowledge of Philadelphia’s residential market, while his corporate Co-op at Marcus & Millichap provided high-level exposure to commercial deal structures. He also took advantage of global learning, studying abroad in Rome, an experience he calls the highlight of his college career for how it broadened his cultural perspective and communication skills.
By his senior year, Cohen was balancing a full-time professional workload while completing his degree. The Close School’s flexible structure and supportive environment allowed him to manage a demanding schedule while sharpening his operational discipline.
“My senior year was intense,” Cohen recalls. “I was balancing a full-time work schedule while being a full-time student. The Close School gave me the opportunity to apply what I was learning in the classroom directly to real-life work experience. My biggest skill professionally today is organization, and I learned how to prioritize through Drexel’s intense curriculum.”
While building VyB Technologies LLC during his college career, Cohen anchored his operations at the Baiada Institute for Entrepreneurship, the Close School’s hub for student venture creation. The residency provided his team with dedicated office space, direct access to expert advice, pitch opportunities and a vibrant peer network of student founders.
The Baiada Institute is one of the coolest things ever at a university: a co-working space with like-minded, productive people trying to build something new. Today, I work out of a co-working space in Miami, and it’s the exact same concept. Baiada gave me the opportunity to learn what it’s like to operate in an ecosystem like that before getting released into the real world.
Following graduation, Cohen leveraged his training to help formalize his family’s holdings into a structured family office. Working alongside his father and brother, he attributes their multi-sector expansion to shared values and mutual trust.
“The key to my success has been having trustworthy partners, and I’m so blessed to have that in my brother and my father,” Cohen explains. “A lot of families face tension when working together, especially when finding success. We’ve been able to maintain and expand by prioritizing what truly matters: honesty, respect and key objectives.”
Whether navigating municipal approvals for new solar infrastructure or bringing distressed real estate assets back to life, Cohen finds his focus in clear, outcome-oriented problem-solving. “My favorite thing I do today is figuring out how to get a project past the finish line and seeing that progress with my own eyes,” he says.
Looking back at his transition from student founder to executive, Cohen emphasizes that theoretical knowledge must be paired with immediate action - and that taking advantage of the Close School’s resources is the ultimate launchpad at Drexel.
“If you’re currently a student in the Close School, the best piece of advice I can give you is: start something outside of class,” Cohen says. “It could be a company, a development project or a job - anything that gives you the opportunity to learn and apply it immediately in real life. Find something you genuinely love to do, do it with people you respect and enjoy the process.”
