Meet Northwestern Kellogg’s MBA Class Of 2020

Katie Schwartz

Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University

“Energetic, challenge taker, who prioritizes people, with a huge zest for life.”

Hometown: Atlanta, GA

Fun Fact About Yourself: I once ice climbed at the Stein Glacier with a bunch of French and German pro ice climbers… completely by accident.

Undergraduate School and Major: Princeton University, B.A. in Politics

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Crosslink Capital – Venture Capital Investor

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: This Spring, I helped host our first Annual Female Venture Capital (VC) Retreat in the Bay Area. Thirty pre-General Partners joined us for the intimate two-day retreat, focusing on professional and personal development and relationship building. We brought in successful female General Partners and a diversity and inclusion coach to discuss driving change while developing their careers.  The goal was for pre-General Partners to build deeper relationships with one another so that they can better support each other, ultimately moving the needle for women in the VC community.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Highly driven, accomplished and intelligent, while also being down-to-earth, personable and fun

Aside from your classmates, 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? Kellogg’s culture was the deciding factor for me. When I visited campus for Day at Kellogg (Kellogg’s admitted students weekend), I attended a panel called “The Good Life,” highlighting a student and faculty developed initiative to help students learn to lead fulfilling, balanced lives while also excelling in their careers. Kellogg ranks among the top business schools, with impressive faculty, an incredible new building, and a strong alumni network. However, this emphasis on fulfillment was so differentiated from other business schools I had experienced.  Having top professors, like Harry Kraemer, coach you through how to be a top executive while also living a meaningful life resonated immediately. As I met more students, professors, and alums, I felt that Kellogg attracts others who share this passion for professional excellence and personal fulfillment. I came away from Day at Kellogg completely invigorated.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I am most looking forward to KWEST, Kellogg’s international trip for incoming students. At the start of the trip, students are not allowed to discuss their resume qualities (where they’re from, where they went to undergrad, what they did for work before Kellogg). I am excited get to know my classmates in a more meaningful way… that is, until the “great reveal!”

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? The opportunity to grow in a number of different directions and meet interesting people from diverse backgrounds who could expose me to various careers and experiences.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? I actively explored a variety of options to determine where and how I would best grow professionally and personally, and I felt that embracing the challenges and the experiences of an MBA was the best way to do that.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Stanford Graduate School of Business, Harvard Business School, Wharton School, and Haas School of Business

How did you determine your fit at various schools? In today’s data-centric, internet age, there are a million different metrics you can use to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of various business schools. For me, I focused on (1) culture and (2) job opportunities post business school. To evaluate culture, I spent significant time speaking with diverse sets of students, faculty, and alums to understand their experiences and how they defined their school’s culture. To evaluate job opportunities post-business school, I spoke to people in roles I would pursue post business school and people who would hire for those roles to understand what types of backgrounds (and which business schools) were common. I also spoke with career services to better understand what types of careers people went into after business school.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? As a child, I played on lots of sports teams. Every season, my mom requested that I be put on a new team with kids I had never met. Annoyed at first, each season I met my new teammates and over the course of the season grew to love my new teammates. These childhood sports teams helped shape my love for meeting new people and stepping outside of my comfort zone.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? After business school, I plan to re-enter the technology investing world, with a more refined analytical toolset and stronger leadership skills.

Where do you see yourself in five years? In five years, I hope to be driving change in the male-dominated technology investing world through a strong investment portfolio and macro-focused initiatives to help increase the number of women in both investing and the technology sector.

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