Stefan Sayre

MIT, Sloan School of Management

“Collaborative doer focused on building community and empowering others to achieve their goals.”

Hometown: Oyster Bay Cove, New York

Fun fact about yourself: My parents can’t agree if my name should be pronounced Stef-ahn or Stef-in, so I respond to both!

Undergraduate school and degree: University of Chicago, B.S. in Biochemistry, B.A. in Biology with a specialization in Microbiology

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Fisher Investments, 401(k) Investment Analyst

Where did you intern during the summer of 2023? McKinsey & Company, New York

Where will you be working after graduation? McKinsey & Company, Associate Consultant

Community work and leadership roles in business school?

• Siebel Scholar – Fellowship awarded to the top 1% of students after the first year based on academic achievement and community contributions
• MIT Sloan Senate – Co-chair of the Academics, Admissions, and Careers Committee (‘23-’24), DEI Committee Member (‘22-’23)
• Sloan Pride Club – Co-president (‘23-’24)
• MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition – Managing Director (‘23-’24)
• Dean’s Fellow – Tuition fellowship offered to 5% of the class on admission
• Teaching Assistant – 15.900 Competitive Strategy, 15.393 Nuts and Bolts of New Ventures, 15.280 Communication for Leaders, 15.281 Advanced Leadership Communication, and 15.286 Communicating with Data
• MIT Sloan Pre-f(x) Program – Director and 2x Trip Leader (‘23-’24)
• Orientation MBA Core Mentor (‘23-’24)
• MBA Core Peer Tutor (‘23-’24)
• Underrepresented Minority Applicant Buddy Program – Mentor (‘22-’24)
• AdMIT Day – Student Committee Lead (‘22-’24)
• MIT Sloan Study Tour Program – Trip Leader for Sports and Media Study Tour to the United Kingdom and Spain (‘23-’24)

What academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I am proudest of running the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition, the largest student-run entrepreneurship competition at MIT. While serving as co-managing director, my team raised over $200,000 from corporate sponsors and donors, enabling us to award $160,000 in prize money during the final contest, Launch. Even better, my classmate Shiv Bhakta (MBA/LGO ‘24) is a co-founder of Active Surfaces, the grand prize winner of Launch 2023. Shiv and his team are commercializing thin, flexible solar panels to make solar energy accessible to all, and they’ve since raised over $6M through competitions and investors. Getting exposure to world-changing startups like Active Surfaces is why I chose MIT Sloan, and I’m proud to have played a small part in their journey by running the MIT $100K.

What achievement are you the most proud of in your professional career? I am most proud of building and teaching an investment training curriculum for 100+ 401(k) Solutions Division employees at Fisher Investments. What started as a casual conversation with a salesperson about his needs became a multi-year initiative to equip sales, marketing, service, and operations employees to speak to our 40,000+ clients about our investment strategy. The result was a permanent, once-per-month live training session and a dedicated training website open to all employees. This experience taught me the power of building connections with and listening to others, even those not directly related to your role. This skill has enabled me to make lifelong friends and professional connections at MIT Sloan – the most valuable asset of my MBA.

Why did you choose this business school? I chose MIT Sloan because of MIT’s scientific excellence and Sloan’s collaborative culture. Few institutions match MIT’s science pedigree, which extends to Sloan. One of my favorite classes has been the Global Business of Quantum Computing taught by William Oliver, a world-leading expert in quantum computing. We even toured his lab and saw a working quantum computer. Other classmates have taken advantage of MIT’s scientific prowess by using MIT’s entrepreneurial ecosystem to meet graduate scientists and co-found technical startups (e.g., Active Surfaces). I knew my classmates would be intelligent, but they’ve helped stretch me in ways I couldn’t have imagined when applying to Sloan. However, none of the above would be possible if Sloan students didn’t live up to their reputation as humble and collaborative. After two years at Sloan, I can say that the reputation is well-deserved.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? My favorite MBA course has been 15.900 Competitive Strategy, taught by Prof. Pierre Azoulay and Senior Lecturer Don Sull. A case-based course, 15.900 teaches frameworks to synthesize insights from financial statements, market conditions, and competitor positioning and make strategic recommendations for corporations. I loved Competitive Strategy because it required me to combine learnings from accounting, finance, economics, and marketing in new and unexpected ways. The course was also demanding in workload and conceptual rigor – cold calls abounded – meaning my classmates and I always had to be prepared. The result was a classroom environment where I learned just as much from my peers as the professors. Even three semesters later, Competitive Strategy remains my favorite MBA class.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? The one thing I’d do differently is try to build a startup. Few places can match MIT’s tech talent and Sloan’s entrepreneurship resources: entrepreneurs-in-residence, accelerator programs like Delta V, easy access to funding through Sandbox, world-class faculty, and myriad courses such as Healthcare Ventures, FinTech Ventures, and New Enterprises designed to pair MBAs with technical co-founders. An MBA is also a time to take risks, given our young age and limited responsibilities outside of school; I wish I had embraced this more!

What is the biggest myth about your school? The biggest myth about Sloan is that it’s all work and no play, but this couldn’t be further from the truth! One of Sloan’s best traditions is C-f(x)s (Cultural Functions), where student-led clubs and affinity groups throw parties every other week to showcase their cultures and interests. My favorite is the Pride C-f(x), where teams of Sloanies dress up in drag, put on dance performances, and raise money for a charity via audience voting. Beyond club events, Sloanies are in cohorts of ~70 students in the first semester called Oceans (go Atlantics!). Each Ocean has two cultural chairs, who plan weekly activities such as Thanksgiving potlucks, New England getaways, small group dinners, and themed parties. One of my Sloan highlights was my Atlantic long weekend retreat to New Hampshire!

What surprised you the most about business school? The aspect of business school that has most surprised me is how much access you have to industry leaders and leading corporations. In 15.938 Corporations at the Crossroads, I got to ask questions of guests such as Jeff Zucker (former President of CNN), Sue Desmond-Hellman (former CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), and Luis von Ahn (CEO of Duolingo). Additionally, on Sloan-sponsored trips, we had inside access to Arsenal Football Club in London, a Unilever manufacturing plant in Vietnam, and the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry in Tokyo – all due to an email from our @mit.edu email address.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? I admire Tim Valicenti (MBA ‘24) most for his entrepreneurial spirit, passion for bettering others, and kindness. At Sloan, Tim ran the world’s largest student-run Artificial Intelligence (AI) conference, helped develop and teach a first-of-its-kind generative AI course, and mentored undergraduate students through the MIT Graduate Connect program. All the while, Tim has been working on startups that use AI agents to solve issues in climate and emergency services. Additionally, MIT awarded him the Siebel Scholarship – one of Sloan’s highest marks for academic and community achievement. Most of all, Tim is always there to help if you ask. Tim exemplifies Sloan’s best values – I’m proud to call him a classmate and friend.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? I want to live and work abroad for two or more years. My most valuable lessons at Sloan have come from the global student body and travels to other countries in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. I plan to keep expanding my perspective by experiencing different places and cultures.

I want to teach business concepts in an MBA program. I wouldn’t be where I am today but for the incredible teachers and mentors I’ve had throughout the years, including at Sloan. Teaching in an MBA program would be a great way to pay it forward to future generations of business leaders.

What made Stefan such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2024?

“Stefan Sayre is an empathetic leader who skillfully takes ideas and turns them into action. And Stefan is always ready with a smile. He serves on Sloan’s student government (Sloan Senate), where he represents the MBA program, and is co-chair for the Academic, Admissions & Career committee. On the AAC committee, his outreach to administrative offices and departments has been critical for amplifying student concerns to the members of the school’s administration. He also serves as a member of the Diversity Equity & Inclusion committee for the Senate. Stefan is also Co-President of Sloan Pride, Vice-President of the Venture Capital and Private Equity club, and Co-president of MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition– a major competition with year-round events culminating in a $100K prize for a one successful startup team. Stefan is well-rounded in his outlook and activities and evidenced in his involvement with Sloan’s Happy Belly Club, Healthcare Club, Hispanic Business Club, and the Investment Banking Club.”

Nia DeYounge
Director of the Student Life Office at MIT Sloan School of Management

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