Meet The Texas McCombs MBA Class of 2019

Dan Ben-Nun 

The University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business 

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Founder of three companies with a deep, driving passion for innovation and entrepreneurship.

Hometown: Austin, TX

Fun Fact About Yourself: Served as a Sergeant in a Special Forces Battalion of the Israeli Defense Forces.

Undergraduate School and Major: UC-Berkeley; Political Science

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

(Listed in order from oldest to most recent)

• Infolive- Geopolitical Reporter
• STRATFOR – Geopolitical Analyst
• Prescience – Cofounder & CEO
• Inkkas- Founder & CEO
• Marcus LemonisFashion Group – VP Digital Advertising
• AdspaceAgency – Founder & CEO

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My biggest career accomplishment is founding, scaling and selling my previous company Inkkas (www.inkkas.com), a fashion brand that was acquired by celebrity investor Marcus Lemonis.

Looking back on your experience, what one piece of advice would you give to future business school applicants?  My biggest piece of advice is, don’t be afraid to be different. Most applicants think that they need to fit into some sort of mold in order to be accepted into business school. I would say that it’s actually better to stand out and highlight what makes you unique and different from the other applicants in your essays. People always respect those who have the courage to be themselves and follow their dreams and passions.

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? The Texas MBA program is one the highest-ranked MBA programs for entrepreneurship and it is located in Austin — one of the most vibrant entrepreneurial communities in the world. The school’s mix of location and entrepreneurial focus offers the perfect academic setting for people like myself, who are passionate about founding and scaling new businesses, and working with some of the most cutting-edge startups in the nation.

What would success look like to you after your first year of business school? Success for me would be learning actionable business concepts that I can apply to my future business ventures, and meeting a community of like-minded individuals that will become the future leaders of Austin’s vibrant business community.