How To Make An MBA Part Of Your Entrepreneurial Journey

London Business School’s MBA programme has produced a strong field of entrepreneurs, many of whom founded their businesses during their time at LBS. Alessandro Di Trapani (MBA2021) co-founded dog food company, Grub Club Pets after winning the School’s Launchpad accelerator competition. Mary Liu (MBA2021) set up her sustainable packaging firm Junee with a fellow LBS MBA student during the LBS Entrepreneurship Summer School. We catch up with them to find out how and why they came to do an MBA in London and what advice they would give to entrepreneurs who want to apply.

Tell us about your background. What were you doing before your MBA?

Alessandro Di Trapani: I studied a Bachelor of Commerce degree in finance and economics at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, where I grew up. I started my career with a short stint in consulting before joining Export Trading Group (ETG) in its market risk department, where I managed risk for their global soft commodity trading portfolio. After a few years I pivoted to running a corporate-backed venture within ETG called uLima, a mobile platform that provides services to famers who run small holdings in Kenya. After spending two years building uLima, I moved to London to start the MBA at LBS.

Mary Liu: Before I came to London for my MBA, I was in New York City for 10 years, having studied at NYU Stern’s undergraduate business school. I started my career in consulting at PwC and then in 2016 I joined the meal-kit provider HelloFresh (coincidentally founded by a LBS alum), where I led the packaging and logistics strategy team. We used data to expand the operating infrastructure and support deliveries to more than 15 million households in the US each month.

So you have both taken a major pivot from the corporate world to start-ups?

AD: Definitely! That said, there are so many transferable skills that I picked up in my career (both in consulting and market risk management) that come in handy every day at Grub Club. A big part of being an entrepreneur is about solving problems and that’s something I had to do a lot of at work. Grub Club comes with more pressure and expectation, and you are operating with uncertainty, but once you are comfortable with that environment, it becomes fun and exciting. Fortunately, I’ve got some incredible mentors that I’ve met in my career who have played a huge part in the journey.

ML: I went from consulting at PwC to the start-up world at HelloFresh. I was lucky enough to join a special rotating operations programme where I worked on key operating problems critical to scaling HelloFresh in the US across packaging, logistics, and procurement. That experience has been invaluable in setting up Junee, the start-up I co-founded with Caroline Williams while we were both at LBS.

What made you decide to pursue an MBA?

AD: The MBA was a great opportunity to recalibrate and spend time focusing on something other than my immediate job-related responsibilities. It gives you time to reflect and think about what you want your future life and career to look like, what success looks like to you, and what paths you could take to get there. I wanted to do an MBA because I wanted to learn more, learn from some of the best faculty in the world, and learn alongside ambitious and interesting people from all over the world. Where I am today is a result of that process.

ML: I was at the stage in my career where it was time to decide whether to stay in my operations role or make a change. It was a personal desire of mine to move to London, but it was also the right time to pause, reflect on what I wanted out of my career, and expand my network internationally. I thought about a few different career trajectories, returning to consulting, transitioning to the investing side of startups, or moving into product management. I’ve always been entrepreneurial but I was probably too afraid to start my own business, plus I didn’t have an idea yet that I was passionate about. I discovered that I was most excited about making an impact and continuously doing new things, which is what led me to look into working in earlier-stage start-ups.

Why did you choose to apply to LBS?

AD: In terms of the diversity of the cohort, LBS stands out from the rest. On top of that, I really wanted the additional flexibility and time to reflect what a two-year programme offers. The LBS MBA allows you to take on a few internships in the second year or work on a business idea (Grub Club in my case), or even just enjoy some time to travel and experience things with your new MBA friends. The London location was also a big draw for me – being in such a cosmopolitan city is a major plus when it comes to recruiting, fundraising, and networking.

ML: I was really drawn to the diverse MBA class and London as a global city. LBS is unique in Europe in having a two-year programme, which makes it easier to take on internship opportunities. For that reason, I only applied to LBS. My backup plan was to try to transfer offices in HelloFresh.

How has your MBA enhanced your career post-graduation?

AD: The MBA and LBS brand has definitely been helpful while raising capital for Grub Club. The LBS network has been really useful in terms of finding new potential investors, and the skills I learnt in the classroom have also come in useful across many elements of the business.

ML: It was the diversity of the MBA class that drew me to LBS, and it has given me such a diverse network of fellow students to tap into post-MBA. LBS really is a strong network. As we were starting our business in London, our fellow classmates didn’t hesitate to offer introductions to their companies or to offer network connections for fundraising. It’s something that I wouldn’t have if I’d simply decided to move to London.

How were you supported by LBS to set up your businesses?

AD: LBS has been woven into Grub Club’s story from day one. Grub Club was an idea born out of a pre-accelerator competition at LBS called Launchpad. After winning LBS Launchpad, the Grub Club idea was taken into the LBS Entrepreneurship Summer School. After graduation, we joined the LBS Incubator Programme where we’ve enjoyed some on-campus office space and a great opportunity to network with some of the other LBS start-ups. We’re also excited to pitch to LBS’s E100 Angel network in the coming months as part of our seed-funding round.

ML: My co-founder, Caroline Williams, came up with the idea for Junee during the LBS Entrepreneurship Summer School and this helped to lay the foundations. I was really intrigued by the idea of a reusable packaging service that’s easy to use. Like Alessandro’s Grub Club, Junee took part in the Launchpad competition, which gave us the opportunity to develop our business model. We had plenty of opportunities to test our idea through pitch events, and I always felt really supported by fellow students. I also joined the Tech and Media Club while I was at LBS and was on the founding team of a new programme called Elevate, which aimed to help students from various backgrounds break into tech. Starting this actually helped me realise that I was leaning towards entrepreneurship, not just working in tech.

What would be your advice be for entrepreneurs, or aspiring entrepreneurs, applying to LBS?

AD: Leverage the network as much as possible. There are LBS alumni out there who are doing incredible things and are always eager to help with anything, from introductions to advice, or even just a shoulder to cry on when things get tough.

ML: When writing your application, think really hard about what you want to get out of the MBA, how you might want to leverage different internships, classes or experiences to make the most out of your two years. And think about what you have to offer. I had a pretty atypical background and was unique in being a female leader within an operations role at a growing start-up which was founded by an LBS alum. I started the first international student club at NYU and also had an entrepreneurial-leaning role within HelloFresh in special operations. I felt that I had a lot to contribute to the student body from my background.

Want to find out more about London Business School’s MBA programme? Download the brochure or visit the website for more information.