
ZiZi Zhang
5.0
(8)
Harvard BA & MA | College Admissions | Admitted to Stanford, Ivies, UCs
Studied at Harvard University
Hiring Manager at Navan
Successful clients at
Not currently taking new clients
ZiZi’s College Qualifications
ZiZi has helped clients get into these schools:
As a Harvard alum with both a Bachelor's and Master's degree, I have a deep understanding of what it takes to succeed in the college admissions process. I'm the eldest of four daughters (Harvard, MIT and UC Berkeley) and have coached my sisters and others through countless personal statements, essay supplements, extracurricular strategies, interviews and more. In my experience, storytelling (crafting the narrative around who you are as a well-rounded individual, how your background and life experiences have shaped you into who you are today, and why XX school?) are the single biggest determinant of success in the application process. That is what I excel at and specialize in. My diverse professional background spans strategic finance, venture capital, investment banking, and data science, equipping me with a unique perspective to guide students in crafting standout applications. I've helped numerous students navigate the complexities of college admissions, ensuring they present themselves as well-rounded candidates. Whether you need assistance with your personal statement, extracurricular strategy, or interview preparation, I'm here to help you achieve your college dreams.
ZiZi can help with:
Application Strategy
Editing
Essays
Financial Aid & Scholarships
General Exploration
Interviews
Recommendations
Resume
School Selection
Secondary Review
Supplementary Materials
Testing & Assessments
Waitlist Strategy
ZiZi also coaches for Investment Banking, Venture Capital, Career Coaching, SAT, and GMAT. View all.
About ZiZi
Hi, I’m ZiZi. My experience spans in investment banking (Lazard TMT), venture capital (Bow Capital, founded by NBA Sacramento Kings owner), and high-growth startups ($2bn+ of funding between Whatnot and Navan), where I’ve led transformative initiatives like IPO readiness, venture and debt fundraising, M&A and market expansion. I feel very fortunate for the opportunities and impact I've had in my career and hope to pay it forward -- 10% of proceeds can go to a charity of your choice!! I know how stressful and, at times, hopeless I felt navigating my career: "breaking into" investment banking and venture capital, sending countless cold emails and coffee chat emails that didn't seem to go anywhere. It felt like everyone else knew something I didn't, and I was on a completely different field, playing a different game. I'm here to help level the playing field and share my learnings from 8+ years of career transitions and experience. Today, as Head of Strategic Initiatives at Navan and Chief of Staff to the CFO, I’ve overseen day-to-day finance operations and spearheaded strategic projects that position organizations for long-term success. My expertise extends to scaling teams, optimizing operations, and navigating the unique challenges of marketplace businesses, particularly in the SMB space.
Why do I coach?
I coach because I remember the anxiety-inducing investment banking recruiting process, and the frustration of not knowing the "insider information" that my Harvard classmates seemed to know, coming from an immigrant background with no mentors in high finance. I remember having finally "made it" in banking, buy-side offer at a megafund secured, then deciding to take a risk and try my hand at breaking into VC and Sand Hill Road. I coach with empathy, direction, and strategic vision, combining actionable directed insights (do this, study that, research this) with high emotional intelligence and intention, helping my clients discover their true underlying values and live in accordance with those values. I look forward to working together!
Work Experience

Head of Strategic Initiatives
Navan
2024 - Present
Hiring Manager
Lead Investor Relations / Fundraising teams, public company readiness, and strategic workstreams. $1.5bn in funding. Work closely with CEO and CFO.

Strategic Finance
Whatnot
2022 - 2024
Hiring Manager
Strategic Finance, Senior Manager. 2nd Strategic Finance hire at the fastest growing marketplace. Built foundational financial infrastructure, e.g. Contribution Margin by Category, Seller, and Geography, LTV / CAC and GTM strategy, Strategic Partnerships, Pricing and Promotions. The company scaled from <200 to >800 employees and 4x'ed GMV.

Venture Capital Investor
Bow Capital
2020 - 2022
$400m AUM. Early stage venture investing, leading Series Seed thru Series B rounds with check sizes between $1m and $5m. Founded by Vivek Ranadive, Chairman and Owner of the NBA Sacramento Kings, in partnership with the University of California Endowment. Spent a lot of time with the NBA for someone who doesn't play basketball (I am 5'2).

Investment Banking
Lazard
2017 - 2020
Technology, Media and Telecommunications group out of Lazard NYC office. Worked hard on (surprisingly) glamorous deals with NBA teams, entertainment and nightlife businesses, etc. Great role to start my career in. Generalist summer internship in Mergers & Acquisitions / Restructuring.

Data Scientist
WAYFAIR
2016 - 2016
Data Science and Algorithms Team, focusing on Pricing and Sort Order conversion. Primarily worked in Python, MySQL and Hadoop.
Education

Harvard University
Bachelor of Arts, Computer Science
Activities and societies: The Crimson, Harvard Crimson Dance Team, Expressions Dance Company, Eleganza, Kappa Alpha Theta

Harvard University
Master's Degree, Computational Science and Engineering
8 Reviews
Overall Rating
5.0
ZiZi has helped clients get into these schools:
ZiZi has helped clients get into these companies: