Meet USC Marshall’s MBA Class of 2019

Daniel Kaplan

University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Consultant, co-founder, and startup veteran. Passionate about disrupting the Senior Care industry with better technology.

Hometown: Santa Barbara, California

Fun Fact About Yourself: Baseball junkie, once struck-out 21 batters in a game.

Undergraduate School and Major: Dickinson College, International Business

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation (Oldest to Newest):

Deloitte – Tax Consultant

ClearCare – Customer Success & Business Operations

Quality Start Consulting – Co-founder

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Co-founding Quality Start Consulting has been a wonderful challenge. My co-founder and I realized that our startup experience and knowledge of the senior care industry would make us very valuable to certain organizations. We exist today to bridge the gap between technology companies and senior care providers. Through this we’re fostering a network of senior care executives, entrepreneurs, and investors who we plan to continue working with long into the future.

Looking back on your experience, what one piece of advice would you give to future business school applicants? Take time to understand what motivates you to attend business school. These reasons need to be well-founded and strongly articulated in your application. Once you’re on campus, use these motivations to create your goals for the next two years. If these goals are tied to your motivations, and your motivations are tied to what genuinely drives you, you’ll make the most of these two quick years.

What was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? I first visited Marshall in October 2016 with a friend who was a first-year. I was struck by how nice and collaborative the students were. As he toured me around, a lot of people said hello and made small talk with us before and after class. They were outgoing and open-minded. As someone headed to business school with an unconventional background, I knew I would feel comfortable being myself at USC and this was really important for me. My classmates today are just as friendly and engaging as the people I met last year. It’s obvious that the administration puts a lot of effort into crafting a well-balanced and diverse class. I’m honored to be a part of it.

What would success look like to you after your first year of business school? This first year has already proven to be very challenging as we’ve already taken a round of finals and have completed several big assignments. Right now I’m focused on doing well academically, meeting as many people in my class as I can, and growing my business. It’s a tall task and will define my success for this first year. As the summer gets started, I’ll look to continue with the business and will start classes for my Gerontology Master’s Degree, which I’ll be completing at USC’s Leonard Davis School of Gerontology.