IB -> Starting Company... M7 MBA?

How would an M7 MBA program view someone with 1-2 years of IB experience who took a leap of faith to start a business instead of pursuing the traditional path of PE (assuming the business lasted 1-2 years)? Would it be a tangible differentiator on an application vs. those who went IB -> PE?

Other stats for consideration: Undergrad: Mid-tier State School, Finance Major GPA: 3.8 GMAT: Based off practice tests, realistically between 710-730

4 Comments
 

Hi InvestInYourShelf, whoops, looks like nobody chimed in here.... maybe one of these discussions below is relevant:

  • B-school summer internship CV- I-bank & Finance pitching this resume for summer internships with the bb I-banks & other finance firms. Any constructive ... a look and post your suggestions. I am in the 1st year of a business school and looking forward to ... http://www.razume.com/documents/16768-? Please comment also about the content in the resume with regard to summer internship at IBanks. IB ...
  • What's the use of going to a top b-school if you can get the same opportunities from a lower tier b-school? You can get the same from M7 and maybe the numbers are a little higher than these T15 schools but, and ... chance of getting offers from any of these at T15 schools and the pay packages are about the same. Now my ... question is why do people stress more on M7 even though no one cares where you got an MBA 2 years out? ...
  • The perception of these b-schools to employers, job prospects, and college decisions and I was wondering the prospects for me in I-banking and accounting coming out of these schools. And ... Now that I have heard back from the business schools I applied to for undergrad I am attempting to ... I was wondering what the employer perspective on each of these schools is and if the loans are worth the ...
  • Best B-School for Dallas? and/or an MBA. For funds and AM in Dallas, where do they recruit from? Still primarily M7 or do regional ... 2 years FIG IB at a bulge bracket + 1 year in a hybrid role doing mostly corp dev with some public ... and private equity investments (~10-25% of the job; focused only on insurance space). Looking at CFA ...
  • Biggest Decision of My Life: Undergrad B-School following schools: Georgetown Mcdonough School of Business Pro: Very strong placement into Wall Street ... better) and I know that I am already into their business school. Offer mathematical risk management. Cons: ... engaged in equity research and co-foundend a VC backed start-up. I have never been faced with such ...
  • Used B-School to Move From Back Office to IBD Associate at 25 scotch and doing my B-school homework halfheartedly. Thanks have to go out to all the WSO posters that ... salary, $3k bonus, and 3% raise were very underwhelming, so I started positioning myself to break into ... investment banking. At the end of my first year on the job my company announced the divestiture of a large ...
  • Undergrad B-School Environment Changing coming schools that are really making a name for themselves, even though they might not be on the i-banks ... such a high level of naivety on this site regarding undergraduate business schools. I can't even ... making it into investment banking or buy side analytics are out of their minds. What's the key to ...
  • To anyone considering an MBA pursue b-school Despite the fact that I am on a partner track without having an MBA, I made the choice to ... the rest of my career unless I lose my job or retire. What I can learn in B-school Money aside, I also ... B-school is an opportunity for people to develop this soft skill through frequent interactions with others ...
  • More suggestions...

If those topics were completely useless, don't blame me, blame my programmers...

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 

get the GMAT to 730+ and you should have a shot at some of the non H/S M7 depending on what bank/group you worked at and what success you have to show for the business you started

 

InvestinYourShelf,

Starting your own business could be a differentiator, depending on the nature of the business, but there will be other applicants who also went from IB to entrepreneurship and starting a business. The mere fact that you started a biz isn't enough. Your perspective on the experience, your role in its growth or what you learned form its failure, what you hoped (and hope) to accomplish, what you want to do after the MBA, are all germane.

And of course the GMAT does count. Closer or above 730, would be nice.

Best, Linda

Linda Abraham President, Accepted | Contact Me | Admissions Consulting
 
Most Helpful

Quia et dignissimos ullam totam veniam doloribus. Eveniet inventore occaecati libero aliquam. Repellendus consectetur sed neque vitae.

Eveniet soluta consequuntur neque dolorem magnam aut qui velit. Est placeat natus aspernatur ratione incidunt quis nemo. Soluta optio sapiente molestias non sunt iusto consectetur.

Susan Cera Director of MBA Admissions Stratus Admissions Counseling - www.stratusadmissions.com FREE Profile Evaluation - www.stratusadmissions.com/consult

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (68) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”