Ian K.
5.0
Stanford MBA | Life & Career Coach | Ex-Tech VC | Ex-Special Forces
Studied at Stanford Graduate School of Business
Worked at Khosla Ventures
Available Monday at 10:00 PM UTC
Usually responds within 13 hours
Questions? Start chatting with this coach before you get started.
Ian’s MBA Qualifications
Coaches professionally
Ian has helped clients get into these schools:
Getting into business school is tough. It requires self-awareness, attention to detail, strong test taking abilities, and most importantly, a knack for telling compelling and authentic stories. Those are skills that I brought to my own MBA applications and that I further honed as a writer, soldier, GMAT instructor, and life coach. Now I use them to give my clients the best possible shot at their target school. I focus on military applicants, who face an even tougher admissions process than usual. Not only do they have to translate their stories into language that resonates with the admissions committee, but they also have to plan their future in the unfamiliar world of business. That’s where I help the most. I’m intimately familiar with the service to school transition because I’ve done it, gaining admission to my three target schools – Stanford, Berkeley, and MIT – all while still on deployment. Since then, I’ve also gained experience in many industries that veterans target, including consulting, investing, and tech. So if you’re a veteran or military applicant, let’s work together to give you the best possible transition into civilian life!
Ian can help with:
Editing
Recommendations
Interviews
Ding Analysis
Waitlist Strategy
School Selection
Secondary Review
Application Strategy
Essays
Resume
Ian also coaches for Life and Career Development. View all.
About Ian
I am intensely curious. I want to know myself, know the world, and know others. My desire to know myself led me to the Army Special Forces, where I tested my physical and mental limits; and to the meditation cushion, where I've observed my mind for countless hours. My desire to know the world led me to the worlds of physics and biology, through which I learned how the stunning diversity of nature emerges from simple interactions between innumerable constituent parts; and of economics and finance, through which I learned how the marvels of the modern world emerge from simple exchanges between billions of consumers and producers. At the intersection of my desire to know myself and know the world were my explorations of evolutionary psychology and neuroscience, through which I discovered how DNA and culture interact to construct our subjective experience of the world; and of philosophical and religious traditions, like Buddhism, Stoicism, and Christianity, through which I discovered the essential components of a good life — gratitude, humility, equanimity, and an unrelenting orientation towards others. It's this last point - an orientation towards others - that's most important to me now. In knowing others, we can better know ourselves, as our own unique characteristics are revealed in contrast; and we can better know the world, as behaviors that were once incomprehensible become comprehensible. Most importantly, in knowing others, we can better know how to help them. Intense curiosity about others is the foundation of my approach to coaching. I want to know how people experience the world. I want to know their stories, strengths, interests, fears, and aspirations. And I want to help them unlock their potential so that they can live a rich, meaningful life in service of others. So whether your vision of the future is hazy or clear, I encourage you to reach out — let's see what happens when we get to know you together.
Why do I coach?
When I applied to business school, I was still a Green Beret in the Army Special Forces. Without a peer group to demystify the admissions process, I was in the dark - until I got in touch with Jake, a fellow Green Beret in his 2nd year at Stanford. Jake patiently shared his insights into the admissions process, offered candid feedback on my essays, and helped me craft an authentic story. Without Jake, I wouldn't have gotten into Stanford, and my life wouldn't be the same. Years later, I worked with a life coach for the first time. We hit it off immediately, and after only a few hours together, he clearly articulated my own vision of who I wanted to be. I felt like I had been unlocked, like I finally had permission to run after my dreams. After that, I knew that I wanted to help unlock other people too. It's the best feeling in the world, and that's why I coach.
Work Experience
Coach
Self-Employed
May 2024 - Present
Chief of Staff
Khosla Ventures
October 2021 - May 2024
Investment Associate Intern
Bridgewater Associates
July 2020 - August 2020
Business Development Intern
Rigetti Computing
August 2019 - November 2019
Trading Intern
Virtu Financial
June 2019 - August 2019
GMAT Instructor
Varsity Tutors
September 2017 - September 2018
Veterans Integration Program Intern
Goldman Sachs
March 2017 - May 2017
Special Forces NCO
US Army
November 2010 - April 2017
Ian was also given offers to work at
McKinsey & Company
Education
Stanford Graduate School of Business
Master of Science - MS, Electrical Engineering
2019 - 2021
Quantum computing
Stanford Graduate School of Business
Master of Business Administration - MBA
2018 - 2021
#chain-restaurants Slack channel, Contemplative Leadership Program
Columbia University
Certificate of Professional Achievement, Physics
2017 - 2018
Cornell University
Bachelor's Degree, Economics
2005 - 2009
37 Reviews
Overall Rating
5.0
Knowledge
5.0
Value
5.0
Responsiveness
5.0
Supportiveness
5.0
Ian has helped clients get into these schools:
Ian has helped clients get into these companies: