P&Q’s Must Reads: The Most Disruptive MBA Startups Of 2022

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Hello everyone  — Welcome back to Poets&Quants’ Must Reads, a quick, digestible recap of the top business school news, sponsored by Purdue University’s Online MBA program.

I’m your host, Kristy Bleizeffer, and I’ll be highlighting the most important P&Q stories you might have missed. So, let’s get to it. 

No. 1: The Most Disruptive MBA Startups Of 2022

Lime Therapeutics has a unique approach to treating cancer: by starving it. And, the startup, from a Harvard Business School MBA is attracting investors, advancing through clinical trials, and threatening to disrupt the way we look at cancer treatment.

It is also one of the 43 student startups honored in our 4th annual “Most Disruptive MBA Startups.” This year,  34 MBA programs submitted nominations for ventures with “the greatest potential for lasting beyond business school.” They may include startups that have raked in substantive investment, created a unique business model, or earned recognition in competitions. Schools featured include Stanford Graduate School of Business, the Wharton School, INSEAD, Kellogg School of Management, and MIT’s Sloan.

You can read all about the disruptive startups on our homepage.

No. 2: MBA Applications: Where They’re Up, Where They’re Down

As we often reported, business school applications were down in the United States in the 2021-2022 cycle. But diving into the data for the leading U.S. B-schools, we see a clear line of demarcation between the elite schools and those in the second tier. 

And it’s the top-10 B-schools that were hit hardest by the downturn.

In all, 16 of the top 25 U.S. B-schools saw declines in MBA applications last cycle, compared to just six schools the previous cycle. That includes every one of the top-10 schools for which we have data reported declines.

Read more about what this means now, on our homepage.

 No. 3: A New Flex MBA with In-State Flights 

Three years into the pandemic, we seem to be in the middle of an arms race of business school innovation. Every few weeks, a new school announces a new hybrid or online format, or specialized virtual studio, or a schedule that makes it easier for working professionals to pursue an MBA.

This week, the University of San Diego’s Knauss School of Business announced its own unique incentive for its new, relaunched Flex MBA: Free flights to and from San Diego for California students. 

But hurry! Offer ends January 10.

Read all about the unique offer, which could be a model for other business schools, in our news tab.

No. 4: Our Weekly Round Up of  News You Can Use

No matter where you are in your MBA journey, we bring several helpful stories for you this week.

First up: We’re getting the last of the 2022 jobs reports from some stragglers, and they’re showing some impressive employment outcomes for their MBAs. Johns Hopkins Carey Business MBAs posted a 25% increase in average base salary and nearly 30% increase in average signing bonus over last year’s class, while Columbia Business School reported average compensation of more than $200K. Find these and other employment reports in our news tab.

Next: For all the aspiring entrepreneurs looking for the right MBA program, we offer Pitchbook’s 2022 list of best university programs for startup founders. You can likely guess which school came out on top, no drum roll needed. Read the full list and analysis in our news tab. 

Finally: Finally, if you’re elbows deep in the Round 2 countdown, don’t miss these five tips for focusing your efforts in the final weeks. 

And, that’s it for this week’s Must Reads recap. 

I also want to alert all the school seekers out there to CentreCourt’s upcoming MBA Festival, where you’ll get front-row seats to leaders of some of the top MBA programs. Our next event is February 7-8, and is the must-attend event for any serious MBA candidate. Register now for free.

Again, I’m Kristy Bleizeffer, and you can join me next week, right here, for a recap of what’s important in the world of business education. Thanks for listening and, as always, stay informed!