The Big Pivot: From College Football To The Military To An MBA At Stanford

STARTING A MICRO INVESTMENT FUND

Enamored by his experience at Scout Ventures, he decided to start a micro-investment fund in 2019 with a friend from the military. Named ‘Ikon,’ which means ‘wealth’ in a Nigerian dialect.

Harris and his friend sprung into action quickly, eager to build their investing track record. Now, they’ve invested in six companies, including Orbit Fab, a gas station in outer space, via the Academy Investor Network.

“This micro fund has proved my thesis that investing in diverse founders, whether it be veteran or minority founders, can have amazing returns,” Harris says. “This is something I’ll always continue doing on the side.”

PIVOTING TO AN MBA

In order to learn all the ropes of finance and further pursue his dreams of using private equity for good, Harris decided an MBA was the next step.

He applied — and got accepted into — five top-tier business schools: The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia Business School, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, New York University Stern School of Business, and Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

“Stanford GSB was it for me,” he says. “When I stepped foot on campus, it was January and 70 degrees. I’d just left a blizzard in D.C. It was an easy decision.”

Aside from the climate, Harris says he found the most like-minded folks at Stanford. “I’m trying to make this difficult pivot from the military to private equity, which is generally a hard pivot to make,” he continues. “When speaking with current students and alumni, I noticed that the most people making drastic transitions were at GSB.”

OWNING HIS STORY

Harris attributes his acceptance into Stanford GSB to the way in which he honed his story. “People get hung up on the GMAT, but the story you convey to admissions officers through essays and your resume is powerful,” he says. “The GMAT matters, but your story will really help your odds.”

When it came to telling his story, he communicated a few key messages: his genuine interest in pivoting to business, his passion for the problems he wanted to solve, and his history of being of service to others.

REBALANCING ACCESS TO CAPITAL

Once accepting his admission to Stanford GSB, he had some time to kill and started looking at opportunities for a pre-MBA internship. “I went through a host of interviews, but was fortunate enough to end up at Blackstone working in the Tactical Opportunities Group. It’s been an absolutely phenomenal experience,” he says.

The internship is a ten-week program focused specifically on getting veterans exposure to the finance industry. “The way I’d describe working at Blackstone is like drinking champagne from a firehose,” he laughs.

As a summer associate, his tasks are to source value, evaluate deals, do due diligence, and join expert calls. According to him, he’s learning the necessary skills to rebalance access to capital.

‘I WANT TO GET PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT SEATS’

Post MBA, he wants to go into the buying side of finance. He’ll do so by working at a successful private equity firm to learn the trade at a “robust and deep level.”

“Ultimately, I want to get people in the right seats who understand the imbalance of capital and want to rebalance it moving forward,” he says.

He’ll begin his MBA at Stanford GSB September 2022. His top piece of advice for veterans thinking about transitioning to business school: Get help with the application process.

“This isn’t something you freestyle,” he says. “Find other people going through the same process. Hire a consultant. Use GMAT prep tools. Reach out to vets who have done it. Get someone you trust to help you with your story. Understand that there are resources out there to help you. You should be one inch from baring your soul in that application.”

DON’T MISS MY STORY: FROM TANZANIA TO THE OLYMPICS & STANFORD GSB and SUCCESS STORIES: APPLICATION INSIGHTS FROM ELITE MBAs