From Active Duty To HBS: Two Veterans Share Their Secrets Of Post-MBA Success

When Navy Officer Clif participated in the Shift Defense Ventures Fellowship in 2021, he had a realization that would shape his entire MBA journey. The fellowship helped him connect dots between his firsthand deployment observations and a broader understanding of how private sector innovation could address systemic problems in defense acquisition. 

For the past year Clif has served as the Head of Strategy & Growth for Defense at Kodiak, a company building AI drivers for commercial semi-trucks with defense applications (he is currently on a military leave of absence as part of a deployment through the Navy Reserves). Fellow HBS admit, Jake, took a completely different path—discovering Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) during his first months at Harvard Business School and raising $20 million to acquire a small business in the Midwest. 

Their journeys illustrate a truth I’ve observed after nearly 20 years working with military MBA applicants: what matters is authentic self-reflection about the skills you have and the impact you want to deliver. 

Clif’s Journey: From the Navy to Defense Tech 

Finding Purpose Before Applying 

Clif’s clarity about defense tech as his career destination became the foundation of his business school applications. Rather than defaulting to consulting or remaining vague about his goals, he wrote compelling essays about leveraging his deployment experiences to work in the emerging defense tech sector. 

His goal was specific: help remove entrenched silos within the defense bureaucracy by bringing innovation from the commercial sector. This wasn’t generic—it connected directly to problems he’d observed firsthand during his work with Naval Special Warfare. 

Using the MBA to Refine the “How” and “Where” 

Clif arrived at HBS knowing the “what”—defense tech—but used his two years to figure out the “how” and “where.” He completed several in-semester venture internships to explore the ecosystem. In his second year, as part of Jeff Bussgang’s “VC Journey” course, he completed a VC externship with Marlinspike Partners, where he helped review the financial model and write the investment memo for Kodiak. 

This hands-on experience with a “dual-use” company (one building commercial products that also serve defense customers) deepened his conviction about this business model’s potential. 

Breaking Into Defense Tech 

Defense tech recruiting operates differently from consulting or finance. “Startups add headcount based on funding rounds or customer contracts, not the MBA graduation timeline,” Clif explains. 

His key insight? Build relationships before there’s a job posting. Clif leveraged HBS’s Aerospace and Defense Club, where he served as co-president and helped co-chair the HBS-MIT TechNatSec Conference. 

Another challenge: early-stage national security startups don’t systematically hire MBAs the way consulting firms or banks do. Clif targeted Chief of Staff positions, which typically emerge around Series A to Series B and offer real ownership over strategic priorities. “I wanted a role in strategy and operations—the bread and butter post-MBA role—where I could work across the business and own outcomes,” he explains. 

The externship with Marlinspike Partners proved pivotal. Months after writing Kodiak’s investment memo, Clif saw a job posting on LinkedIn for a role at the company. He applied and landed the position as Head of Strategy & Growth for Defense. Kodiak went public in fall 2025—an exciting milestone for the company. 

Clif is candid about the HBS brand’s limitations. “I don’t think the HBS brand specifically set me up for my current role any more than another MBA program would. However, the case study method’s emphasis on pattern recognition was tremendously valuable. With around 25-30 different cases studied during a semester course, you start to develop an instinct for the key issues to consider in an ambiguous situation,” he explains. “Now in a strategy role, I use that pattern recognition constantly.” 

Jake’s Journey: From Army Officer to ETA 

Discovering a Different Path 

After Jake’s first two months at HBS, he realized that none of the standard post-MBA roles like consulting, banking, tech, or private equity felt aligned with what he wanted. He immediately committed to ETA, opting out of traditional recruiting all together. 

“Short of founding a startup from scratch, ETA stood out as the only entrepreneurial path that combined ownership, operating, and real accountability,” Jake explains. 

Why ETA Resonated 

Jake’s attraction to Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition stemmed directly from his military experience. “I valued the sense of purpose, ownership, and accountability that came with serving, and I knew I wouldn’t find that in a large, bureaucratic organization,” he says. Small businesses felt like the opposite: personal, mission-oriented, and rooted in real communities. 

As a math major with a strong interest in finance and accounting, Jake appreciated how ETA uniquely blended analytical and operational elements. 

A Self-Directed Search Process 

Unlike consulting or banking, ETA doesn’t have formal recruiting tracks. Jake completed two four-week internships he sourced himself, including one with Mercury Shipping Services, a company acquired by Josh Medow, a fellow HBS and West Point alumnus. 

“Josh took me under his wing, and it was a valuable look at what it means to operate and grow a search-acquired business in practice,” Jake reflects. 

Raising Capital and Sourcing a Deal 

Jake’s search accelerated when he partnered with an HBS section mate. By spring 2025, they had raised $20 million of committed equity from a private equity sponsor. 

The numbers tell the story of ETA’s hustle: they reached out to more than 1,800 companies before identifying the business they’re currently pursuing. They recently submitted an offer and are aiming to close in summer.  

For Jake, HBS’s biggest competitive advantage showed up in capital formation. “Deal sourcing is largely a level playing field, but raising committed equity, working with banks on debt, and gaining credibility in specific industries came much easier with the HBS network, brand, and actual things I learned,” he explains. 

Direct Ownership of Outcomes 

“If I don’t perform, I don’t get to build a great business, make money, and have an impact,” Jake says. “I own the upside, and my output is directly correlated with the work I put in. HBS gave me a competitive advantage, but the path is entirely self-driven.” 

Key Lessons for Military MBA Applicants 

Clif and Jake’s stories reveal several crucial insights: 

• Identify where you want to have impact. Clif knew the exact industry (defense tech) before applying. Jake knew the type of work (purpose-driven, analytical, operational) but confirmed the mechanism (ETA) early in his MBA experience. Both approaches worked because they reflected genuine understanding of their strengths and interests. 
• Connect the dots. Clif leveraged deployment experiences for credibility in defense tech. Jake’s desire for purpose and accountability led him to ETA. The key is connecting military experiences to post-MBA goals in meaningful ways that are unique to your journey. 
• Non-traditional paths require proactive networking. Neither defense tech nor ETA follows structured MBA recruiting timelines. Both veterans built networks intentionally rather than waiting for opportunities to come to them. 

The Story Only You Can Tell 

Clif and Jake’s stories reflect a pattern we see time and again at Military MBA Consulting: there’s no one-size-fits-all path for veterans pursuing an MBA. What matters is understanding your unique strengths and interests, then building the relationships and networks that will support your transition. While the MBA represents a critical milestone in moving from military to civilian careers, the real work starts well before orientation day. 

 

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Emily Sawyer Kegerreis is the founder of Military MBA Consulting, a boutique admissions consulting firm dedicated exclusively to military applicants. With nearly 20 years of experience, Emily and her team help veterans understand the role an MBA plays in their transition to the private sector with a unique focus on career exploration and skill building. Military MBA Consulting’s clients also join an elite community of successful veterans in consulting, finance, ETA and defense tech who are eager to pay it forward. 

Learn more at www.militarymbaconsulting.com or contact us at info@militarymbaconsulting.com 

 

 

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