Candidate:

Mr. Fintech Entrepreneur

About Me:

I am a technologist with a 14 year career, looking to transition to professional investing, ideally private equity. I have been part of 6 startups, 3 which were acquired. I’ve also worked in the past as a consultant for both the US Government and several Fortune 500 companies, solving problems involving data analytics, high availability and security. I play amateur rugby for a local men’s club and have served as team manager off and on. I also serve as an advisor for 2 other startups.

Schools:

Target School: Wharton

Considering: Harvard, Stanford GSB, MIT Sloan, McCombs School of Business

Rejected: Harvard, Stanford GSB, MIT Sloan

Accepted: McCombs School of Business

See More Profiles For: Wharton

Application Status: Rejected

Details:

Undergrad School: American Intercontinental University

Undergrad Major: Information Technology

GPA: 3.04

GMAT: 710

Age: 34, Ethnicity: Black or African American

Other Degree/Certification: Harvard CORe

School Name: Harvard Business School Online

Extracurriculars: Men’s Rugby, Startup Advisor (Tech)

Work History:

Title: CTO

Industry: Banking & Finance

Company: Start-Up

Length of Employment: 2 yrs, 6 mos

Title: CTO

Industry: Law

Company: Start-Up

Length of Employment: 1 yr

Big Life Wins:

I have 2 wins I am very proud of. The first was early in my career, where I was part of the engineering team that launched a troubled government security program, which is still used by millions. The second is my recent role as co-founder and CTO of a nationally-known Fintech startup, now valued at $16MM.

Post MBA Goal:

It would seem odd that I would leave a successful startup to pursue my MBA, but it’s the right time for the right school. I’m ready to apply my knowledge of managing large technology projects to private equity or perhaps growth equity/VC, and for me, this is the right time to do it. I could try to come in cold from the side door but 1) I value what I know I can learn from an MBA 2) after working 14 years I’m ready for a change of scenery and 3) I know if I do it right and come through a top program the outcome will be much better because I’ll get a network I can’t recreate otherwise.

Odds:

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The Experts Rate The Odds At: 5%

See what the industry experts have to say:

John A. Byrne, P&Q Founder & Editor-In-Chief | Odds Assessment: 5%

You bring a wealth of valuable experience to an MBA program, but the red flags here are several for admission to an elite program. Let’s go through them and speculate if you can’t overcome these issues: 1) Your age which would put you at 35 at matriculation is seven years older than the average age of an incoming MBA student at Wharton. Generally, schools will try to steer you into their Executive MBA progams given your experience and age. 2) Your GPA and GMAT score is well below Wharton class averages. 3) Your undergraduate institution is not only not a feeder school to Wharton, it accepts 100% of its applicants and is totally online. 4) Your employment history, while compelling and highly valuable, is not …

You bring a wealth of valuable experience to an MBA program, but the red flags here are several for admission to an elite program. Let’s go through them and speculate if you can’t overcome these issues: 1) Your age which would put you at 35 at matriculation is seven years older than the average age of an incoming MBA student at Wharton. Generally, schools will try to steer you into their Executive MBA progams given your experience and age. 2) Your GPA and GMAT score is well below Wharton class averages. 3) Your undergraduate institution is not only not a feeder school to Wharton, it accepts 100% of its applicants and is totally online. 4) Your employment history, while compelling and highly valuable, is not from a feeder employer to Wharton. So the big question here is can your startup experience overcome these challenges? Frankly, I don’t think so. You would have a much better shot at some other programs ranked between 10 and 25 or at a highly ranked EMBA program, including the one at Wharton.

4 years ago Read the full review