Victoria Germanova
Top Expert
English @Cambridge + MBA @Stanford = Storytelling Expert | < 10h packages!
Successful clients at
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410
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Available Tuesday
Starting at 2:00 AM UTC
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Work with Victoria
Full MBA application package for your #1 dream school 🏅
Starting at
$1,148.16
"Invited to Interview" - Let's gooo! MBA interview prep 🚀
Starting at
$870.09
Full MBA applications package for 3-5 schools ✅
Starting at
$2,392
About
Customer favorite
In the top 10% of MBA experts on Leland
Hi there, I'm Vica. I am a double émigrée (age 7: Russia -> UK, age 24: UK -> US -> UK -> US… visa issues 🫠), former Silicon Valley tech exec and startup founder, now loving Mountain Time life in Utah and working at eBay. I grew up poor and watched my mum make some crazy sacrifices to get us out of Russia, then out of UK council (state-provided) housing, & into a privileged life full of amazing opportunities and adventures. I studied English literature at the University of Cambridge, spent 3 years at a top-tier strategy consulting firm in London, then got into Stanford GSB on the day I turned 24 - with an 80% tuition discount / scholarship. I worked at Salesforce, directed sales at a startup, then raised $300K for my own venture from Silicon Valley angels and VCs. I moved from an F1 visa to a H-1B visa, suffered more than my share of mishaps on the US border, and know both the pros and the cons of moving to the US via a degree program intimately well. I was NOT a likely candidate for Stanford - too young, non-MBB, non-STEM, wonky GMAT (99th percentile verbal, 55th non-verbal 😆), state-schooled. Just like college and my first job, I was an underdog with low chances of success. I never used an admissions consultant myself because I could not afford one. The one I spoke to for a free 30-min consultation told me to give up hope on my dream schools... but I got into GSB and INSEAD without professional support, and proved her wrong. Why did I get in? Because I’m a strong, persuasive storyteller, incisive editor, & expert pitch-creator. With my help, it can work out for you too. You CAN do this! The only way to fail is not to try at all.
Victoria also coaches for Law School and PA School. View all.
Victoria’s MBA Qualifications
Coaches professionally
90+ MBA clients
Open to working with clients outside the U.S.
Victoria has helped clients get into these schools:
🎉 Dozens of candidates I've worked with have got into Stanford GSB, Harvard, Wharton & the rest of M7 🎉 ⏳ Fair, honest pricing: 4-5 hours for one school, 8-12 for 3+ is almost always sufficient⏳ 💰 Check out my packages for discounts, or ask me for 50% off your 1st hour 💰 My story: I was 23. My GMAT was an uneven 710: 99th percentile verbal, 55th(!) non-verbal. My major was English literature. I was at a non-MBB consulting firm with zero US brand recognition. I had less than 3 years of work experience. I couldn't afford an admissions consultant. And yet... I got in. How? Because I'm an expert-level storyteller. And telling your story is >50% of your application. A bad story can kill an otherwise-great application. A GREAT story can make up for a mediocre GMAT, so-so work experience, etc. Beyond your qualifications and institutions, you have several short- and long-form essay/answer prompts, plus 2 letters of reference. Together, these present you with an opportunity to craft a COMPELLING, HOLISTIC narrative for why you belong at the business school of your dreams. What got me over the line and won the heart of my AdCom reviewer was that I treated these answers not as distinct opportunities to shine, but a tapestry through which I wove a singular, compelling narrative thread. On Leland, I help others achieve the same. I am confident that any life, no matter how mundane-feeling, carries a powerful growth story. I will help you tell that story in a way that feels authentic and inspiring, making your offer a no-brainer to AdCom. I work with candidates for any school, and have a range of approaches based on your specific needs & working style. I particularly love to support international applicants - the US has a very specific, slightly opaque culture and set of values that I've had the privilege of adopting, through the lens of both a Brit (where I grew up) and a Russian (where I was born). No need to message ahead - my calendar is up to date. Schedule an intro call anytime!
Victoria can help with:
Application Strategy
Ding Analysis
Editing
Essays
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Interviews
Recommendations
Resume
School Selection
Secondary Review
Waitlist Strategy
Why do I coach?
After over 3 years on Leland, I can confidently say: I LOVE being a coach. There's nothing so singularly rewarding as helping lift someone a rung higher on the ladder of life. (What you DO with that gift is another question!) The opportunities on the other side of getting into a top school are endless. It would be an insult to my values not to offer my hand, and my superpowers, to others braving that lonely, trying climb. This is not my fulltime job, and I am hell-bent on coaching efficiently (ie, charging you the absolute minimum amount of hours needed to achieve your goals). That's important for me because I was shocked to find out that ~80% (anecdotal data) of my peers at the GSB used an admissions consultant. I am living proof that you DON'T need to be born rich to get into these institutions, and a passionate believer in expanding access to first-gen, low-income, and/or international 'underdogs'. I'm here on Leland for YOU.
Work Experience
Strategy & Ops
eBay
September 2026 - Present
Helping eBay grow its US Vehicles division - so basically I’m a used car saleslady
Sales & Marketing
Leland
June 2025 - August 2026
Helped Leland grow and pivot into B2B AI upskilling during a challenging year for the business
Portfolio Strategy & Inorganic Growth
Octopus Group
July 2024 - June 2025
Octopus Group is a £14B privately-held alternative investments firm in the UK. I worked closely with the founders of their financial services and fintech portfolio on strategy, ops, and M&A. Turns out being on Team Investor wasn't for me - though the breather in between intense tech startup jobs was much appreciated!
CEO
Migo
August 2023 - May 2024
Led a vast strategic transformation of a mobile content distribution company, recalibrating it to be a social enterprise aimed at bridging the digital divide in Emerging Markets, starting with SE Asia. Amazing work, but not enough $ in non-profit land to pay off my student loans.
Co-founder & CEO
Callity
September 2021 - May 2023
Founded a startup during my last couple of Quarters at Stanford, to address a huge problem in B2B SaaS sales. Took it through Startup Garage (a famous Stanford d-school class). Ultimately pivoted into complex enterprise SaaS, with an initial focus on cybersecurity. Went FT on it as soon as I graduated. Recruited and led a team of 4, raised $300k angel funding, booked $40k ARR, built and shipped a marketplace MVP. Wound it down due to changing market conditions (less appetite from enterprise buyers for 'taking risks' with smaller vendors). Toughest and most rewarding 1.5years of my life 😊
MBA Intern, Strategy & Operations
Salesforce
June 2020 - December 2020
Got a summer internship in the SF office (virtually), and then took a Leave of Absence from Stanford, so I extended the internship and got "transferred" to the UK office. Stayed working for the same high-calibre team throughout. Got a FT offer.
Associate
OC&C Strategy Consultants
September 2016 - June 2019
Applied during my 2nd year at Cambridge. Did the International Strategy Week program, and was offered a FT role at the end of it. Applied for business school while there, though ultimately chose not to commit to coming back.
Education
Stanford Graduate School of Business
MBA, Business
2019 - 2022
Generalist 1st year, focused on entrepreneurial track 2nd year (eg Startup Garage, Eric Schmidt / Scott Kupor's VC/Entrepreneurship class, TA for Industrialist's Dilemma). Took 2 quarters out halfway through during the pandemic to dodge virtual b-school.
University of Cambridge
BA/MA (Cantab), English
2013 - 2016
I applied for and interviewed at King's College and got pooled. I then interviewed at Fitzwilliam and Churchill, and got an offer from Churchill. (Will never know if Fitz wanted me too! Apparently, hilariously, in that situation the student's fate is sealed by a coin toss 😆.)
Victoria was also personally admitted to
INSEAD
University of Durham
5.0 average review
63 reviews
Overall rating
Victoria has helped clients get into these schools:
Full MBA application package for your #1 dream school 🏅
Starting at
$1,148.16
"Invited to Interview" - Let's gooo! MBA interview prep 🚀
Starting at
$870.09
Full MBA applications package for 3-5 schools ✅
Starting at
$2,392
Final Application Review
Starting at
$870.09
Nail the Stanford GSB Interview
Starting at
$870.09
Boost Your MBA Applications
Starting at
$586.04
Victoria also coaches for Law School and PA School. View all.
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