Financial Trader, Entrepreneur, Engineer - Please evaluate my profile

Thanks for the additional details. The fact that you have shortcomings isn't the issue. The reason I pushed a bit on your start-up experience was to understand its significance within your profile. Sounds like you attracted a decent number of users. Even if you didn't obtain venture funding, did you at least earn any revenue?

It sounds like you have a role as a product manager at a start-up now. So, why do you want an MBA just to get the same job elsewhere? At this point, you should try and hone in on a specific long-term goal. Many folks talk a bit game about starting their own company later on, so what makes you different? Having a solid, precise goal and a plan to get there will make you stand out of the crowd.

With these open questions, I still don't have a solid handle on your profile. Based on the information you provided thus far, my original thought that you're a bit behind the pack at Haas, Kellogg, and Yale - less so at UCLA - still stands. Are these programs worth applying to? Probably. I would consider applying to about 4 schools - one can be a stretch, you should stick with UCLA, and identify a couple more that align well with your short and long-term goals. Hope this information helps. Feel free to get back to us with the answers to the above questions. Also, feel free to check out our free resources to get you started for your R2 preparation. Best of luck this season!

Thank you for your reply. I anticipated that you might ask these questions. Here are the answers :

It sounds like you have a role as a product manager at a start-up now. So, why do you want an MBA just to get the same job elsewhere?

Product Management is a very new role in India (very few startups in India hire for product managers) and even in US it's been less than 20 years since such a role was created. It's like a mini CEO for products and the role varies depending on how a company defines it. I want to do an MBA and get the same job in the US because :

Firstly, PM in India hasn’t been a role that has existed for long. Since, the Indian startup ecosystem has only taken off in the past 6-7 years, the role is not very specific and most of the Product heads in top Indian startups come from tech giants in the States. Most top level product managers in India have worked for the likes of Google, Apple, Microsoft and then moved to startups in India.



Secondly, since the ecosystem is new, product managers at 90% Indian startups are fresh graduates or those who have just worked for 3-4 years and even though you can feel the energy among colleagues, you cannot learn a whole lot without working under someone who is experienced in the field and has shipped number of products successfully over the years. In effect, there is very little structure to the role and people have very less experience of building and shipping great products.



Thirdly, most of the top Indian startups who have great product heads or Senior vice presidents in the product division more often than not require an MBA for such openings. More than 80% of Product managers at well established startups like Amazon and Flipkart have an MBA. That makes it essential to get an MBA.


Many folks talk a bit game about starting their own company later on, so what makes you different?

After my startup failed, I realised that there are certain skills that I need to develop in order to get a better understanding of how an organisation works and how to manage employees in an organisation. My startup had the ‘tech’ aspect covered, but I did not have the business aspect clear in our head. As an example we had a very fuzzy business model to start with. Another example we did not understand marketing and spent lots of money with no results. An MBA gives me the opportunity to study almost every industry present.
 I have a strong network with the technical side of business, but I need to understand the business side and build a network in the business world. An MBA is just the thing I need then.

After my MBA, I plan to work as a PM at mid to late stage startup for 3-4 years to understand the intricacies of conceptualising, launching and growing a successful product. Simultaneously, I want to build strong connections in the technology industry, which fortunately is a slightly easier task me coming from a strong technical university. Then, I want to use the skills I acquire from my PM role after MBA, experience before MBA and my learnings at a B-school to eventually start a company in education, as I already have a fair amount of experience in tackling the education sector in India, and learning about the problems faced by tens of millions of Indian students. My prior experience, failings and learnings in the sector differentiate me from the majority of candidates who want to build companies and even more from the ones who want to build companies in the education sector. I hope this provides some clarity to my long term goals.

Did the startup earn any revenue

No. We had focussed on growing our customer base and planned to charge them later. (It's also one of the key lessons I have learned from building my startup).

Please feel free to quiz me on any specific thing that you would like to know. I am more than grateful for this conversation.

Great! Thanks for sharing. Sounds like you gave these some thought (or had previously), so I'd say you're thinking about the right things to include in your application. I won't be able to quiz you for the sake of keeping this thread going as I don't think that's what these forums are for :D

Hopefully, the time I spent so far in assessing your profile to date and pushing you to think about next steps has helped you and put you on the right path. My advice at this stage is to focus on the GMAT and get the highest score you can. And then in terms of school selection, stick with the guidance I proposed above. If you're looking for more in-depth assistance on how we can help with your upcoming applications, let us know! Best of luck!