Ian K.

Ian K.

5.0

Stanford MBA | Life & Career Coach | Ex-Tech VC | Ex-Special Forces

Stanford Graduate School of Business Logo

Studied at Stanford Graduate School of Business

Khosla Ventures Logo

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

Self-Employed Logo

Coach

Self-Employed

May 2024 - Present

Khosla Ventures Logo

Chief of Staff

Khosla Ventures

October 2021 - May 2024

Bridgewater Associates Logo

Investment Associate Intern

Bridgewater Associates

July 2020 - August 2020

Rigetti Computing Logo

Business Development Intern

Rigetti Computing

August 2019 - November 2019

Virtu Financial Logo

Trading Intern

Virtu Financial

June 2019 - August 2019

Varsity Tutors Logo

GMAT Instructor

Varsity Tutors

September 2017 - September 2018

Goldman Sachs Logo

Veterans Integration Program Intern

Goldman Sachs

March 2017 - May 2017

US Army Logo

Special Forces NCO

US Army

November 2010 - April 2017

Ian was also given offers to work at

  • McKinsey & Company Logo

    McKinsey & Company

Education

Stanford Graduate School of Business Logo

Stanford Graduate School of Business

Master of Science - MS, Electrical Engineering

2019 - 2021

Quantum computing

Stanford Graduate School of Business Logo

Stanford Graduate School of Business

Master of Business Administration - MBA

2018 - 2021

#chain-restaurants Slack channel, Contemplative Leadership Program

Columbia University Logo

Columbia University

Certificate of Professional Achievement, Physics

2017 - 2018

Cornell University Logo

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:

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Ian K.

Ian K.

5.0

 
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