Leland+ Content Library
GSB Admit - Rec Letter - Direct Manager VC
Example Direct Manager Recommendation from GSB Admit
GSB Admit - Recommendation Letter - Board Chair
Example Recommendation from GSB Admit, by Board Chair of the community service organization they founded
GSB Admit - What Matters Most - Finance VC Climate
What Matters Most Essay Example - climate, career, and future ambitions
M7 MBA Resume Differentiators - School by School Guide
A detailed school-by-school guide on refining your resume for competitive M7 MBA programs
Final Push: Perfecting Your Master’s Application Before the Deadline
The deadline is almost here—make sure your Master’s application is truly ready. In this session, expert Leland coaches will walk you through the final checks that matter most, from tightening your narrative to eliminating subtle weaknesses that could cost you an admit. You’ll leave with a clear, prioritized plan to submit a polished, compelling application with confidence.
Bootstrapping Versus Fundraising for Startup Founders
One of the biggest decisions every founder faces is how to fund their startup—should you bootstrap or raise capital? In this workshop, Angela C.—a Stanford entrepreneurship instructor and founder of Stanford’s Education Entrepreneurship Hub—will walk you through the pros and cons of each approach and how to determine what’s right for your business. Having bootstrapped her own SaaS startup to users in 80+ countries and coached hundreds of first-time founders, Angela will share frameworks for evaluating funding strategies, building sustainable business models, and pitching effectively when you’re ready to raise. Whether you’re launching your first MVP or scaling toward growth, this session will help you make smarter, more strategic funding decisions.
Score Your Shot - M7 MBA Candidate Profile Evaluation
Evaluate your M7 MBA competitiveness with this comprehensive scoring rubric. Discover your true standing across 6 dimensions.
The Jobs to Be Done Framework
Learn what Jobs to Be Done means, how to write effective JTBD statements using the three-part formula, and see real examples from companies like Notion, Airbnb, and Spotify. Understand why knowing the "job" reveals your real competition and transforms how you think about your product.
How to Conduct Useful Customer Discovery Interviews
Learn the three-act interview structure (Context, Deep Dive, Future State), the golden rule of customer discovery (listen, don't pitch), and powerful JTBD questions that uncover real problems. Get specific guidance on what to ask and the five mistakes to avoid, from leading questions to interviewing only friends.
Customer Discovery Interview Guide: Questions, Structure & Best Practices
Complete interview reference guide with all key questions organized by interview stage (context, jobs to be done, future state), red flags vs. green flags to watch for, and preparation checklist. Use this before every interview to stay focused on learning truth rather than seeking validation.
How Might We Examples: 12 Companies Across B2B & B2C Industries
Comprehensive examples guide showing Meh → Better → Best HMW progression for 12 real companies across diverse industries: EdTech (Udemy), Personal Finance (Mint), Wellness (Headspace), Food Delivery (DoorDash), Fitness (Peloton), Collaboration (Slack), Sales (HubSpot), Recruiting (Lever), Analytics (Mixpanel), Customer Success (Zendesk), DevOps (GitHub), and Finance (Brex). Each example includes the customer insight, three HMW versions with explanations of why each works or doesn't, and industry-specific patterns.
Interview Synthesis Guide: From Data to Decisions
Step-by-step synthesis guide covering the 5-step process (consolidate, identify patterns, prioritize, validate JTBD, decide what to build), pattern-finding questions to ask across interviews, priority framework matrix, common synthesis mistakes to avoid, signs you've done good synthesis, and an action plan.
Jobs to Be Done Framework Reference Guide with Multi-Industry Examples
Reference guide covering the JTBD formula, real-world examples across B2B and B2C companies (Spotify, Peloton, Slack, HubSpot, Figma, and more), and quick tips for applying JTBD thinking to your startup. Use this to understand the framework deeply and see how different companies address different jobs for different customer segments.
The How Might We Framework for Reframing Problems
Learn what makes a great "How Might We" statement (broad enough for creativity, narrow enough to be actionable, outcome-focused), see examples from Notion and Loom showing insight-to-HMW transformation, and get tips for writing HMWs that inspire your team.
How Might We Framework Summary Guide
Reference covering what HMW is, how to write HMW statements step-by-step, good vs. bad examples with explanations, common mistakes to avoid (prescribing solutions, being too vague, ignoring research), insights for creating your own HMWs, and validation checklist. Use this to turn each key insight into 2-3 different HMW framings and select the most inspiring ones.
What is Customer Discovery?
Learn the core principles of customer discovery, why it's the foundation of successful startups, and how it differs from market research or user testing. Understand why founders must lead discovery themselves and common myths that lead entrepreneurs astray.
Synthesizing Interview Discoveries into Useful Insights
Learn how to consolidate interview data, identify patterns (problem, solution, pain point, language, and buyer patterns), prioritize insights using frequency × urgency framework, validate your JTBD statement with real customer language, and make three critical decisions: Is this worth solving? What's the MVP? Who do we build for first?
Didn’t Land an MBB Offer? Here’s What to Do Next
Not landing an MBB offer isn’t the end of your consulting journey—it’s the start of your next opportunity. In this workshop, Angela C.—a Stanford instructor, venture coach, and former Deloitte Senior Consultant—will share how to turn a setback into a launchpad for success. With experience coaching founders, high-achieving professionals, and aspiring consultants, Angela will walk you through practical next steps to strengthen your profile, explore adjacent roles, and strategically position yourself for future cycles or alternative paths in consulting, startups, or venture capital. You’ll leave with clarity, confidence, and an actionable plan to move forward.
Founder Playbooks: Growth Strategies for Early-Stage Startups
Building an early-stage startup is an exciting but daunting journey, especially when it comes to driving sustainable growth. From finding product-market fit to scaling operations and building the right team, founders face countless decisions that can make or break their trajectory. In this session, Renato V. (Founder and CEO of Parallel), Angela C. (Founder of Stanford’s Education Entrepreneurship Hub and Founder of instructiv) and John K. (Founder and CEO of Leland) will share proven playbooks for navigating the critical growth stages. You’ll gain practical insights on refining your go-to-market strategy, attracting customers, raising capital, and avoiding common early pitfalls so you can build a strong foundation and accelerate your path to success.
Is a U.S. Degree Still Worth It? Hear from Recent F-1 Grads & BigTech Hiring Managers
With a turbulent U.S. political climate, difficult economic conditions, and the rise of global multipolarity, many applicants are asking: Is a U.S. degree still worth it? Recent U.S. visa policy updates have added new layers of complexity to the decision, leaving international students and early-career professionals weighing the risks and rewards of moving to the US more carefully than ever. In this panel moderated by Soundarya (Author of Unshackled, O-1 recipient, Columbia MS'19), you’ll hear from Angela C. (recent O-1 recipient, Stanford MIP '23), David H. (Former Recruiter @ Meta, Intuit & A16Z), and Madhuri M. (recent green card recipient, former Product Hiring Manager @ Adobe) who have hired, coached, and worked with with dozens of international applicants. They’ll share candid perspectives on how U.S. employers view international candidates, what still pays off, what may be shifting, and how to think about long-term career security in light of today’s environment. You’ll leave with a grounded understanding of both the opportunities and the risks of studying in order to work in the U.S., so you can make an informed decision about whether pursuing a U.S. degree aligns with your future goals.
