Candidate:

Mr. Strings & Summits

About Me:

Currently own and operate an enterprise software company with 5 employees and customers in 7 countries (serving large banking, insurance, government, and retail). Recently hired a colleague from Turkey. Previously co-founded a bioplastics company, and quickly burned through seed funding before taking a lesson in humility. Degrees in music as well.

Schools:

Target School: INSEAD

Considering: Stanford GSB, Harvard

See More Profiles For: INSEAD

Application Status: Open

Details:

Undergrad School: Virginia Tech

Undergrad Major: Bioengineering

GPA: 3.9

GMAT: 700

Age: 31, Ethnicity: White

Other Degree/Certification: MS Bioengineering, MA Music

School Name: Virginia Tech, Radford University

Extracurriculars: Investment Club co-founder and board member, deployed over $600k capital on small business micro-investments, Music: played guitar in a jazz duet for 2009 US Congressional Ball; composed music for NASA Research Center centennial celebration, Athletic: summits of Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Rainier; 3rd place in Olympic-distance Triathlon; Wilderness First Responder medical certification

Work History:

Title: President & Product Manager

Industry: Technology

Company: Start-Up

Length of Employment: 4 yrs, 3 mos

Title: Co-founder & Entrepreneurial Lead

Industry: Technology

Company: Start-Up

Length of Employment: 1 yr

Big Life Wins:

I took over a company from a single owner-operator that had just passed away. The company’s operating area was far from any previous experience or study, and customers are large enterprises. A huge win was the first customer I signed. It was a feeling of validation in the business and myself, particularly after shutting down a company soon before.

Post MBA Goal:

Ideal position: leading an industrial biotech company from local to global, using my expertise to navigate regional cultures and business strategies. Second best would be finding a niche unit at a major consultancy or boutique consultancy that could leverage by technical background in biology/chemistry.

Odds:

Join in! Click here to assess the odds of Mr. Strings & Summits

The Experts Rate The Odds At: 40%

See what the industry experts have to say:

Stratus Admissions Counseling Odds Assessment: 40%

Hi, it’s Jennifer Jackson at Stratus Admissions. You seem to be the definition of a poet and a quant! I love all the bio/chem experience you’ve had plus the guitar playing and music composition is super interesting, not to mention the climbing. You’re an entrepreneur at a young age and have had great experience already at both your current role and the tech startup. Your GPA is great but the GMAT is a bit soft. I don’t think it’s a red-flag GMAT (one that would keep you out) but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to try to get a higher score. Your work experience and extracurriculars coupled with a very strong Why MBA/Why Now will serve you well. Since you’ve already received a master’s or two, …

Hi, it’s Jennifer Jackson at Stratus Admissions. You seem to be the definition of a poet and a quant! I love all the bio/chem experience you’ve had plus the guitar playing and music composition is super interesting, not to mention the climbing. You’re an entrepreneur at a young age and have had great experience already at both your current role and the tech startup. Your GPA is great but the GMAT is a bit soft. I don’t think it’s a red-flag GMAT (one that would keep you out) but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to try to get a higher score. Your work experience and extracurriculars coupled with a very strong Why MBA/Why Now will serve you well. Since you’ve already received a master’s or two, you’ll want to be very clear on WHY the MBA is needed at this stage. It would be compelling to point to experiences/events in your current role where you would have been more effective with the MBA and it’ll be the only way to achieve the goals you’ve set. INSEAD seems within reach but I’d call a stretch for everyone just because of the numbers, as are GSB and HBS. But you have an interesting profile that I think will be appealing to a lot of programs. Play up the poet and quant/strings and summits angle and I think you’ll stand out from the crowd! Good luck!

5 years ago Read the full review