Cheers BacardiSprite,
I am an MBA aspirant who seek to do an MBA and eventually startup of my own as quickly the time permits. I belong to the Indian/IT/Male(IIM) community with a workex of 15 months in a large MNC. I am from a good private college supposedly one of the best in UP Technical university with average acads. I posses decent extra-curriculars and had a taste of managing being in the core team of College Fest Org. Comm. and Gen. Sec. of College Computer Society. I did startup after college but failed, though the key relevant takeaway was a need for mgmt. education.
I am trying for top b-schools in India(scored 97 in CAT) as well as MS(Mgmt) in US and EU(GMAT to be taken). I am also looking for program in E-business, Technology Mgmt, Engg. Management. I want to startup early hence cannot wait for 4-5 yrs taking workex and than move abroad for an MBA.
I strongly want to start a Web based business(I have a couple of ideas) so I would like to join a college with a good incubator. A conducive environment for tech ventures, like California would be even better.
While I gathered much knowledge from this thread, I would still ask for your suggestions on the programs which could cater to my needs.
If I happen to go to US ,whether working in a startup after the course could look after the considerable LOANS or I have to work in a large Web Based business company(Amazon, Google per se)?
What are chances of getting a job in India good enough to take care of the loans?
Is EU(considering language contraints and tightened up VISA rules) MS a option regarding my preferences?
Are there any other programs anywhere which would fulfill my choice?
It would be of great help and would really help me decide where I am going to put my energies for the next couple of months.
Thanks for the information already given. Keep up the good work. :cheerio:
Clear goal and some knowledge of the entrepreneurship process demonstrated by some of things you have written. You also believe you have learnt something from your past failed attempt at a start-up, so good here as well. What I do sense though from your post is a high degree of impatience, which a lot of entrepreneurs have in spades :-). The best entrepreneurs also have patience, discipline and the diligence to follow-up and execute on their ideas successfully..... My advice is to keep your passion, yet have the patience & discipline to get there eventually....
First - despite your past experience in your "failed" start-up, 1.5 years is a bit thin, and you'd need 4-6 years of experience to build skills, perspective and the broader learning required to (1) be an entrepreneur and apply these skills, and (2) in the shorter term, make yourself an attractive candidate for a b-school program.
Below, I'll talk about some paths, one of which you could apply given your interests, passion and circumstances. Note though below is intended to advise on the thought process on how to reach your goal rather than simply say one school is better for you than another.
1. If you're in a tearing rush to go to school now then start-up something, then India is the place for it. Since you have a CAT of 97%, you're obviously not that bad, and some diligent preparation using your time, resources on this forum and others could help you push your self past the magic 99.5%ile + in CAT.... Go to one of the Top Indian B-Schools - IIMs, FMS, XLRI, SP Jain, Bajaj etc... and you will have access to not only good education, but also a large alumni network. You're likely to also find entrepreneurially successful alumni from amongst 2001- beyond graduates of these schools. Work hard to get in and find a way to access this network that could potentially help you. In this network, you are likely to find both successful entrepreneurs + past entrepreneurs who have gone into PE/VC roles.... While in school - seek an internship with a small / start up company in the early / mid-stages of its life-cycle.
2. Try accessing a network and see if you can apply and work for a small company specializing in the technology areas that you're interested in - web based, e-business, technology content etc.... and work in that environment for 2-4 years, build a bag of multi-functional skills across all functions (marketing, product development, engineering, operations, client / customer interaction, capital providers to the business like VCs or banks as the case may be).... Then take the skills you have gained and apply for a strong technology / strategy / finance & entrepreneurship focused MBA.
The Schools I could immediately suggest are Stanford, Berkeley, and Babson. The first 2 are located in or very close to Silicon Valley, and obviously offer a lot of possibilities - including courses that complement or foster entrepreneurial skills and access to the widest technology base in the world, both for idea incubation
and for VC funding. Babson's Olin School is the world's best known school for budding entrepreneurs. Don't be misguided by that moniker though. A majority of Babson graduates still go into conventional jobs (corporate or start-up), develop their ideas over a period, build strong networks (both for idea / product engineering, future Seed / VC / Mezzanine funding) - then start up companies a few years
after graduation. Very few of the graduates start-up immediately after graduation. Most interested in the field will secure internships with start-ups, participate in entrepreneurial business plan competitions (prizes might include seed funding) and use the in-house incubator to develop their ideas into tangible products or services. Babson is also known to offer good to generous funding, scholarship, assistantship packages to incoming MBA students.
To your questions:
1. It's likely you might have to work for a few years, be prepared for it and welcome that possibility. There's no better way to gain skills, experience and prepare yourself for a future career as an entrepreneur.
2. Over the next 12-18 months, prepare yourself well, appear for the GMAT and try scoring 720+ (keeps you competitive in the wider Indian pool
) while trying to get another job in a small / start-up company as described above.
3. Wouldn't recommend the EU at this stage. The entrepreneurial market isn't as well development and isn't as dynamic for a guy of your age. Come over to the EU later in your entrepreneurial life (meaning, after several years of post-MBA experience whatever that might be).
All the best
Baccardisprite
(after mitigating with GRE Subject Math)
