‘I Wasn’t The Typical MBA Candidate — And That Was My Advantage’

Tudor Lungu wasn’t just the youngest student in his INSEAD MBA cohort — he was younger than the program’s minimum age range.

At just 22, he deferred a year to focus on his startup, then entered a classroom where most of his peers were a decade older. Now 24 and freshly graduated, he’s proving that age isn’t a barrier to impact — it’s a strategic advantage.

“Sometimes in class, someone would say, ‘Are you even 25 yet?’” Lungu laughs. “But I saw my age as an asset. It gave me a bit of separation — which actually made it easier to approach anyone, and talk to everyone.”

BUILDING FROM THE OUTSIDE

That mindset — turning perceived disadvantages into edges — has helped shaped Lungu’s journey. He started building social impact ventures at 15, bootstrapped a gamified social platform to seven-figure revenue, and deferred INSEAD to grow his business before diving into the famously intense 10-month MBA program. Most recently, the Canadian-Romanian Lungu has been building Up, a real-life social app aimed at reversing the loneliness fueled by algorithmic media, starting with beta tests in Asia.

Lungu admits that applying to business school so young was intimidating. Wharton, his backup choice, hinted he was “too early.” But INSEAD — with its famously diverse, international student body — welcomed his difference.

“Most of my friends were 10 years older than me,” Lungu, who earned a bachelor’s in business and management from London School of Economics in 2022, tells Poets&Quants. “I learned so much from them — more than I did from the classroom alone. There were neurosurgeons, engineers, corporate leaders — so many perspectives. And because I was different, I came in with an open mind.”

That openness also defined his approach to business school itself. He wasn’t looking to network in the traditional sense, he says — he was looking to build something deeper.

“I didn’t want it to be transactional,” he says. “I didn’t go in just to pivot careers or boost my resume. I wanted a life-changing experience. And that’s what I got.”

FROM SOCIAL MEDIA TO SOCIAL LIFE

It was during the program that Lungu began working on Up, an app built to encourage real-world connections — particularly in cities where tech-fueled isolation is becoming a public health concern. He cites Japan and South Korea, where birth rates have plummeted and screen addiction runs high, as early markets for his launch.

In Tokyo, Seoul, and Singapore, “There’s been a 78% drop in market share for dating apps like Bumble and Match over the last three years,” he says. “People are burned out. Gen Z wants less swiping, more real connection.” Lungu sees Up as a kind of “Pokémon Go for friends and dating” — a tech-enabled concierge that nudges people offline, not deeper into their screens. It’s currently in beta, with plans for a full release in those cities this September.

He’s also building the Firefly Society, a founder-led collective for mission-driven entrepreneurs working on “human-centered” ventures — a shift, he says, from his earlier focus on climate tech and sustainability. These days, Lungu says, he’s drawn more to problems of connection, loneliness, and meaning.

“Ten years ago, social media felt like the solution,” he reflects. “Now it’s part of the problem.”

YOUNG MBAS MATTER

Lungu believes business schools are overdue for a generational shift. He doesn’t think every 22-year-old should apply — work experience still matters — but he does think driven young professionals with a few years of meaningful entrepreneurial or operational experience can gain even more from the MBA by starting earlier.

“If you already have experience and you’re thinking about it, just go,” he says. “The earlier you start, the more time you have afterward to explore, to build, to experiment.”

His advice to other would-be outliers? Don’t wait to fit the mold — let your difference be the point.

“I wasn’t the typical MBA candidate,” Lungu says. “And that ended up being my biggest advantage.”

NEXT STOP: LAUNCH

With Up set to launch in September and the Firefly Society beginning to take shape, Lungu is ready to take the next leap. But first, a moment of rest. When we speak, he’s calling in from Constanța, a breezy Romanian city on the Black Sea coast.

“I’m about to head to the beach,” he says with a grin. “Got to cool off before the next phase starts.”

What comes next is still unfolding — but one thing is certain: Lungu doesn’t plan to wait for permission.

“If you’re not the typical candidate,” he says, “that’s exactly why you should go for it.”

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