James V.

James V.

5.0

Stanford GSB | Fintech COO | Supporting social entrepreneurs' goals

Studied at Stanford Graduate School of Business

Worked at Shara

Available tomorrow at 6:00 PM UTC

Usually responds within 3 hours

Protected by the Leland Experience Guarantee

Available tomorrow at 6:00 PM UTC

Usually responds within 3 hours

Questions? Start chatting with this coach before you get started.

James’s MBA Qualifications

Open to working with clients outside the U.S.

James has helped clients get into these schools:

I have a deep passion for coaching and helping others succeed. My extensive experience as the Co-Founder and CEO of Busara Center for Behavioral Economics has equipped me with the skills to guide and mentor aspiring MBA candidates. During my time at Busara, I oversaw the expansion of the organization from 8 employees and $100,000 in funding to 135 employees with over $12 million in annual revenue. Further, while at Shara, I served as COO for the organization's formative first few years, growing from 8 employees to 65 while raising $40m from top-tier investors such as Index Ventures and Canaan. I have a strong passion for helping students with entrepreneurial and socially-minded backgrounds pursue their dreams. I believe that my unique blend of business expertise, leadership experience, and passion for coaching make me a valuable resource for anyone looking to navigate the MBA admissions process. Whether you need help with application strategy, essay writing, or interview preparation, I am here to provide guidance and support. Reach out to me today and let's work together to achieve your MBA goals!

James can help with:

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Editing

Secondary Review

Recommendations

School Selection

Application Strategy

Essays

Resume

View all of James’s categories

About James

Hi there! I'm James, Stanford GSB class of 2022, looking to help everyone who comes from a less conventional MBA background break into the top schools and pursue their dreams. Prior to business school I started the Busara Center (www.busaracenter.org), a behavioral science consultancy based out of Nairobi meaning I had ZERO idea what business school was and how it could help me achieve my goals. I benefited from a variety of informal mentors to maximize my success as I applied to business school and want to pass those learnings on to as many people as I can. Post-GSB I've been working as an tech entrepreneur, launching Africa's leading digital bank (shara.co), and focus my coaching on helping students who have entrepreneurial passions maximize their experience at business school to drive social impact and new business offerings. I look forward to working with you!

Why do I coach?

Coaching is such a critical function to success. If you don't have anyone in your network who has been an MBA / coached an MBA - I know how you feel. I have been there! The application process is confusing, opaque, and full of information asymmetry, and I hope we can fix that! Through my coaching you will get detailed information I wish I had during my application process, as well as detailed guidance on how best to maximize your chance of getting into your dream school!

Work Experience

Co-founder & COO

Shara

September 2021 - September 2023

Redefining SME finance in emerging markets. Raised $40m from top-tier VCs to build out Africa's premier digital-first bank.

Co-founder & CEO

Busara

January 2015 - June 2020

Busara deploys world-class behavioral economics labs to help practitioners solve behavioral challenges to program, product, or policy design in the Global South. We also partner with leading academics to advance the behavioral science agenda in development. Our work has been featured in the Economist, the Washington Post, and Foreign Affairs and helped drive program design for leading organizations including the Gates Foundation, Safaricom, the World Bank, and various government agencies. In my role as Co-Founder / CEO, I was: • Responsible for the strategic vision and overall positioning of the organization. • Oversaw the expansion of the organization from 8 employees and $100,000 in revenue to 135 employees with over $12 million in annual sales from over 90 unique clients. • Expanded our geographic presence from Kenya to full offices in Nigeria and India, teams in Ethiopia, Uganda, and Tanzania, and project work in over 20 other markets. • Served as technical advisor to multiple venture funds (Acumen, Omidyar Network, Village Capital) targeting startups for seed and Series A stage investments in emerging markets. • Principal in setting up a Policy Innovation Unit within Nigeria’s National Social Investment Office (NSIO) on programs valued at $286 million targeting 9.7 million beneficiaries. • Launched 4 new behavioral science labs in collaboration with American University of Cairo, Lagos Business School, American University of Beirut, and Ashoka University

Consultant

World Bank

March 2014 - December 2014

Managed a global study on how context shapes behavioral biases in Peru, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Indonesia, and Pakistan for the 2015 World Development Report.

Research Manager

Innovations for Poverty Action

March 2013 - February 2014

Managed a series of lab and lab in the field projects on the psychology of poverty with Professor Johannes Haushofer.

Research Associate

Innovations for Poverty Action

June 2012 - February 2013

Worked with Professors Simone Schaner and Jon Zinman of Dartmouth College to manage data collection and analysis for a research project understanding nudges to promote financial inclusion. Published in American Economic Journal: Applied Economics in 2018 as “The Persistent Power of Behavioral Change: Long-Run Impacts of Temporary Savings Subsidies for the Poor”.

James was also given offers to work at