Kieran Carty

Hi, I’m Kieran 👋🏾 — proud Londoner, first-gen college grad, and someone who once googled “what is an MBA?” I didn’t grow up knowing anyone who’d been to Stanford or Harvard. I went to a struggling state school in Lewisham, was on free school meals, and spent most of my twenties figuring out how to navigate worlds I wasn’t born into—first in investment banking, then private equity, and eventually as an impact investor across East and West Africa, India, and the Middle East. I got into Stanford GSB and HBS without a coach, without an Ivy League degree, and without a 99th percentile GMAT score. What I did have was a clear story, relentless curiosity, and a deep understanding of how to position my lived experience as an asset. That journey led me to write Mastering B-School Apps, a guide that has now helped nearly 100 people gain admission to HBS and GSB. If you’re a first-gen or international student who’s unsure if you “belong” at a top school, I’ve been there. I coach with empathy, honesty, and precision—helping you find your voice, and craft an application that no one else could write.