Getting into a top business school is absolutely doable! The key is to draw out your unique narrative, and then frame through your essays and interviews how you are unique, why an MBA is the logical step in your journey, and how you can offer something special to the business school community. I’m excited to help you do that and promise to work just as hard as you, while keeping our work high-energy and fun!
I used this same personalized narrative technique twenty years ago when I applied and humbly got offers from Stanford, Wharton, Sloan, Booth, and HBS. I chose HBS because it was a perfect fit for my interests in finance and technology, which I began to explore as an undergraduate at the University of Virginia where I double-majored in Computer Science and Finance.
After graduating from UVA, I started my career as an investment banker at JP Morgan, and then worked in management consulting at McKinsey after graduation from HBS. After years there, I transitioned to the investment world as a portfolio manager at the credit hedge fund Brencourt Advisors, and then the Goldman Sachs spinout fund Wingspan Investments. When I felt that credit investing offered less innovation than before, I pivoted toward technology when I joined Amazon Web Services where I led large client cloud sales and determined strategy for our global infrastructure, and later founding an early-stage venture capital fund. All of these experiences have led to my current role as Chief Operating Officer and Head of Corporate Development at the 1000-employee Xsolla Holdings, a leader in gaming payments and infrastructure. I’m happy to offer insight to MBA students on these companies and how they can prepare for careers in finance, investing, big tech, and startups.
I live in California where I enjoy playing tennis during the week and hiking the beautiful mountains on weekends. I’m also deeply involved in venture capital communities, as I love meeting founders, and coordinate meetups in LA, SF, and Seattle. Most importantly, if we work together, you’ll get to “meet” my schnoodle Ninja! (it’s a real word: Schnauzer-poodle).