Natasha Ramanujam

The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

“A former classical musician, committed to improving maternal and newborn health outcomes around the world.”

Hometown: Fremont, CA

Fun Fact About Yourself: I have a twin sister! (She’ll be at Harvard Business School this fall!)

Undergraduate School and Major: Northwestern University, French Horn Performance (Music)

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Carrot Fertility, Asia Pacific Lead (Strategy & Operations)

What word best describes the Wharton MBA students and alumni you’ve met so far and why? Supportive

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of the Wharton School’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? I chose Wharton because of the incredible network that exists and the power within it. I see myself coming back to entrepreneurship, and learning about how large and supportive the Wharton network is gave me confidence that I’d be able to find teammates, mentors, and champions while at Wharton.

What course, club, or activity excites you the most at the Wharton School? I’m excited to join the Digital Health Club at Wharton because it’s at the intersection of healthcare and technology, which inevitably brings together students from different backgrounds but with collective interests. I love the idea of cross-functional collaboration, and I expect a lot of that to happen while at Wharton!

When you think of the Wharton School, what is the first word that comes to mind? Why? Motivated! Everyone is motivated to create impact in their chosen area of interest (and that’s been fueling me up!).

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My biggest career accomplishment has been raising VC funds to power the pilot of my startup, Monarch. Knowing that 3% of VC funding goes to female founders, I hope to use this experience to help other women and underrepresented founders unlock capital to fuel their visions.

How did COVID-19 change your perspective on your career and your life in general? In a lot of ways, COVID connected the world in ways that I’d never experienced before. Whether it was being able to connect back to back with investors (while trying to fundraise or scheduling weekly catch-up calls with my friends), everyone seemed to be more conscious of the new-found time they had available and were generous with spending it with others!

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point and what do you hope to do after graduation? After my first startup (Monarch) came to an end, I wanted to take time to think critically about what happened, what went right, and what I should have done differently. I wanted to go through this thought exercise with peers who’ve faced similar experiences. At the same time, I wanted to be around those who are interested in entering entrepreneurship for the first time, and I wanted the resources to start acting on some of the changes I would make. After graduation, I hope to return to the early-stage healthcare innovation ecosystem, ultimately as a founder.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Harvard Business School, Kellogg School of Management, Haas School of Business

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into the Wharton School’s MBA program? Spend time connecting your dots. Understand what matters to you and dig into the WHY. Why have you made the choices you’ve made thus far and how will they influence your future decisions?

DON’T MISS: MEET THE WHARTON SCHOOL’S MBA CLASS OF 2023