MBA Q&A with Co-Founder Sasha Pines and COO Jordan DeTar
July 31st, 2023
Co-Founder Sasha Pines (MBA Candidate at Stanford GSB) and COO Jordan DeTar (MBA Candidate at Columbia Business School) share their MBA application process, how they selected their current programs, and their advice for standing out. Both pursuing an entrepreneurial path, they reflect on their most valuable experiences in their first year of business school and what they're most looking forward to next.
Read along to soak up their incredible career advice for ambitious women, such as yourself.
MBA Application
Why did you decide to pursue an MBA?
Jordan: I knew I wanted to start a company, but I felt like I was missing some of the business fundamentals since my undergrad degree was in organizational psychology. For me, business school was an opportunity to not just gain skills and knowledge, but also to build a sense of inner confidence that I was capable of starting a business. I also knew that being a student founder would expand my network and open doors that I wouldn’t otherwise have access to, be it funding opportunities, investor introductions, or future co-founders and collaborators.
Sasha: Similar to Jordan, I knew I wanted to explore an entrepreneurial path, but didn’t feel quite ready. Business school offered me a designated time to pressure test ideas, expand my network, and further develop my business toolkit. It also gave me a space to learn about other career paths and reflect on my value set that will inform my career long-term.
How did you know it was the right time to go to business school?
Jordan: When I applied to business school, I was itching to start a company. I had experience in management consulting and then worked at a startup where I confirmed my entrepreneurial ambitions. I don’t think there’s ever a right or wrong time, but you should have a pretty clear reason for going and for me, that was testing out entrepreneurship. You’d be surprised how fast those 2 years go, so it’s super important to go in with goals and spend that time relentlessly pursuing them.
Sasha: Jordan and I have very similar paths and ambitions, so she said it perfectly! Reiterating, after 3 years in consulting and nearly 2 at an early stage startup, I was feeling ready to tackle entrepreneurship. Working in healthtech also exposed me to the inequalities women face in our healthcare system. With companies like Maven popping up as early Femtech unicorns and the sector starting to take off, I wanted to be a part of that turning point. And lastly, tactically, I was also ready to move back to the west coast (born and raised in San Diego!)
School Selection
How did you determine which programs were right for you?
Jordan: I am a New Yorker through and through. While I did entertain other East Coast schools, it ultimately came down to New York for me and Columbia was perfect because while it’s in the city, it’s also far enough uptown that it provided a separation from my pre-MBA life. I chose CBS because I knew I’d be able to immerse myself in not just the Columbia entrepreneurial ecosystem, but the overall New York founder community (and it’s worked!).
Sasha: The GSB is known for tech and entrepreneurship, the intersection of my career interests. Moreover, I’m born and raised in San Diego and wanted to move back to CA. Most of my undergraduate friends live in NYC, so the thought of moving to a new city with a much smaller social circle was intimidating. Grad school was a wonderful way to establish a social and professional network in an area I want to settle down.
What advice do you have for a business school applicant to be a competitive candidate?
Sasha: Write about what makes you feel emotional. When in brainstorming mode and testing out different story angles, I would spend 20 quick minutes dumping my thoughts on a page and see how I felt at the end. One story angle was about my mom; when I wrote my first 20 minute draft about the influence she’s had on me, I cried at the end. That’s how I knew I found the right story.
Jordan: I think the biggest thing is to lean into your story. My X factor was building and running Aspire to Her because it demonstrates my passion for entrepreneurship and empowering women, so I leaned into that. Everyone has a strength, so do everything you can to make that front and center in your application, and tie it into how you’ll leverage it to benefit your future business school community as well as the world at large.
MBA Experience
What has been the most valuable experience in your first year of business school?
Jordan: Definitely participating in pitch competitions and putting myself out there in a way that I never have before. I’ve had the amazing opportunity to pitch my startup on stage in front of hundreds of people at Columbia and HBS, and it’s lead to some of the most fruitful relationships with founder friends, investors, advisors, and more. Business school is a career playground - use it to your advantage.
Sasha: Founding the GSB Femtech Club! Through this process, I’ve developed a tight-knit community of students and professors from across Stanford’s ecosystem that are similarly passionate about women’s health. The club has also provided a fun excuse to invite industry leaders to campus and host engaging conversations about promoting innovation in a space I care deeply about.
What are you looking forward to most about your MBA experience?
Sasha: Ideating in women’s health! I’m currently actively exploring a few ideas at the intersection of women’s health and technology. Ideating with brilliant classmates and tapping into the Stanford network to push these ideas forward has been a ton of fun. I’m excited to see what sticks and then run at it.
Jordan: In college, I followed the straight path and did “what I was supposed to do.” I’m excited to spend another year doing the exact opposite - pursuing what I WANT to do. And ultimately, I’m looking forward to continuing to build incredible relationships with the people around me - it’s special to be in a place filled with so many curious, ambitious, and passionate people who you can learn and grow from everyday.
What does having your MBA set you up to do next?
Jordan: I’m currently starting my first company, Tango, which helps modern couples proactively learn, grow, and strengthen their relationships together (check it out here: www.jointango.co). It’s hard to predict where Tango will be in a year, but at the very least I will be better positioned to either run my startup full-time, or join another early-stage startup and help bring their vision to life.
Sasha: Business school sets me up to enter the Femtech industry with more relationships and deeper knowledge of the sector. But it’s the long-term set-up that I’m most excited about: a network of highly ambitious, inspiring, and brilliant classmates – many of them now lifelong friends – who I’m lucky to have in my corner, and to be in theirs.
Career Advice
What do you wish you knew when you were first starting your career?
Jordan: That your career will be several decades long, and it’s OK if your first job or jobs aren’t the right fit. Part of figuring out what you want to do is identifying what you don’t want to do.
Sasha: Literally was going to say the same thing as Jordan. I first learned this advice from our interview with Susan Lyne and it’s stayed with me ever since. We put a ton of pressure on ourselves to find the “right” first job out of college, but reality is, most people pivot after a couple years. Realizing this takes the pressure off and makes the whole career discovery journey more fun – because what is life if not to have fun?
Who is one woman you aspire to be like?
Sasha: My current boss Deena Shakir is a trailblazing investor in the women’s health category, having deployed $100M+ to women’s health startups. Her executive presence is powerful and commanding, but also empathetic. She’s also an incredibly articulate communicator, positioning her as a savvy investor and thought leader that’s brought real impact to advancing women’s health. I aspire to have similar impact on the world.
Jordan: From a career perspective, Sallie Krawcheck. She was an incredible leader on Wall Street for many years, and then shed the golden handcuffs and took her expertise and built a finance company for women. I hope to one day make as big of an impact on women as she has. She also happens to be a CBS alum!
