Leo Ribeiro

“Leo. Ambitious dreams, unbounded sights. Gaming days, harmonizing nights. Made in Brazil”

Hometown: Brasília, Brazil

Fun Fact About Yourself: I shook hands with the emperor of Japan.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of California, Berkeley

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Kepler Computing, Inc., Senior Process Engineer

What has been your favorite part of Atlanta so far? What has made it such a great place to earn an MBA?

Midtown – where Scheller is located – is a lovely Atlanta neighborhood. You need only walk five minutes to access the MARTA (subway system), many companies are located within a few blocks of us, and the food and drink options are plentiful.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was one key part of the Scheller MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you?

Coming from the startup world, I was interested in new product development, IP filing, and the economics of venture capital, all of which are explored extensively at Scheller. For example, the TI:GER program (Technology Innovation: Generating Economic Results) is a concentration focused on marketing and developing new technologies, with opportunities to partner with PhD students and create something original. Classes such as Valuing Technology Firms also come in very handy for this type of concentration.

What course, club or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at Georgia Tech?

Georgia Tech’s graduate assistantships (GRAs) allow students to work with academic or administrative offices in many different projects, including research, teaching, and social media management. As part of my GRA, I work part-time for the Georgia Tech Center for International Business and Education Research (CIBER), where I had the chance to be involved in peer-reviewed research, attend conferences, and write articles for CIBER’s LinkedIn page. I’ve always enjoyed geopolitics and international business, and this opportunity allows me to interface daily with professors and staff about some of our world’s hardest problems. It’s been a great experience for me.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far:

Early in my career, I joined a semiconductor research company in its very early stages. I saw the transformation of a small “garage lab” through multiple rounds of funding into an impressive research facility. The prototypes I made and the technology I worked on were fundamental in negotiating this funding and establishing our company’s reputation as a potential disruptor of the chip industry.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far:

I’m really proud of going on my first coffee chat. Networking was something I avoided in the past and learning it at Scheller has been challenging but rewarding. I have met many industry experts and interesting people since then, so I am glad I accepted the challenge.

What has been your best memory as an MBA so far?

If you haven’t seen the Georgia Tech vs. North Carolina 2024 football game, go see some highlights! It was a freezing November night and Scheller had organized a tailgate. I didn’t have tickets, so I planned to show up for a couple of drinks, say hello to the class, and head home. Just before we dismantled the tailgate, my colleague offered me his ticket as he had to go home. After a lot of consideration – it was cold! -, I chose to take it and check out the game. It was the most thrilling football match I have ever seen, with Georgia Tech taking the lead on the last minute. NC State tried for a field goal with seconds to go, only to hit the woodwork right in front of us, and the stadium exploded. Unforgettable experience.