Stanford MSx Insider
Real stories, honest reflections, and personal journeys from Stanford GSB’s MSx program. Hosted by Alessandro Balzi and Miki Watanabe (Class of 2026), this podcast explores life inside one of the world’s top business schools through candid conversations with students, alumni, and beyond. Originally launched by Jateen Kooverjee and Sasha Gidwani (Class of 2024) and carried forward by Béa Asavajaru and Vinicius Quintanilha (Class of 2025), the podcast continues as a student-led tradition. The views expressed in this podcast are our own and do not represent those of the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Episodes
Tyler Martin, Martín Coulthurst, and Miki Watanabe (MSx '26) take an honest look at the MSx experience: the moments that made it all worth it, the parts nobody warned them about, and the costs of spending a year at Stanford GSB. From the incredible people and opportunities to possibility paralysis, financial pressure, and being away from the people and life you left behind, they discuss what surprised them, what challenged them, an...
Clara Leow, Neo Zhang, and Steven Yan (MSx ‘26) discuss what many of us come to Stanford GSB for: entrepreneurship. From finding an opportunity and choosing a cofounder to validating a business and navigating the inevitable uncertainty, they talk about what it really takes to turn an idea into something more real, the Stanford resources that helped along the way, and what the journey taught them about themselves.
Links refere...
Natasha Su Sivarajah, Jessica Olsen, Eléonore Windisch, and Alessandro Balzi (MSx '26) sit down to reflect on their different paths to social impact at Stanford GSB. With backgrounds spanning climate capital, community justice, ESG, and responsible AI, they discuss what brought them there, the resources they leveraged, what’s next, and…even what they wrote in their application essays.
Links referenced in the episode:
<...Sahaj Saini, Maite Muniz Telleria, Ignacio El Idd, and Huan Ting Lee (MSx '26) join us to talk about why they came to Stanford, the choices they made, and the unexpected things the MSx gave them. A tech product leader at Snowflake, a startup founder from Mexico, an oil & gas executive from Argentina, and a police director from Singapore — four completely different paths, one shared year at the Stanford MSx program. I...
Béa Asavajaru and Vinicius Quintanilha (MSx '25) join us to kick off Season 3. As the hosts who handed us the mic, they sit down with us to reflect on life after the MSx: the transitions, the takeaways, and what they wish they'd known. Béa is now based in Paris after a 17+ year career in global luxury beauty, and Vini has gone from investment banking to founding Rentax.ai. Two very different paths, one honest conversation. The perf...
Diwas Neupane (MSx ’25), a third-generation family business leader from Kathmandu, Nepal, shares his journey from scaling and taking his family company public to joining Stanford’s one-year MSx program. He reflects on the unique realities of building a career inside a family enterprise, including blurred boundaries between work and home and the emotional highs and lows of shared ownership. Diwas explains how the MSx exp...
Felipe Lourenco (MSx ’25), a three-time entrepreneur, discusses his journey from founding startups in Brazil to joining Stanford’s one-year MSX program. He highlights the program’s global network, its tailored leadership and entrepreneurship curriculum, and the uniquely supportive ecosystem in Silicon Valley. Felipe shares lessons learned from successes, failures, and the fast-evolving VC landscape, underscoring t...
Ann Songphatanayothin (MSx ’25) shares her transition from consulting to entrepreneurship through Stanford’s one-year MSx program. She highlights the cohort’s global diversity, details her early-parenthood care startup, and underscores how resources such as Venture Studio and founder networks helped move her from idea to execution. She also offers practical tactics for balance, prioritizing close friendships and q...
Caleb Huber (MSx '25), a former US Army Special Forces officer and Green Beret, shares his transformative experience at Stanford GSB. Diving deep into his pivot towards defense technology product management, Caleb reveals how the MSx program has equipped him with skills to bridge technology and military strategy. With candid insights on veteran resources, startup courses, and balancing family life with academic pursuits, he offers ...
Jing Lin (MSx '25) shares her transformative journey from healthcare investor to Stanford GSB student, discussing family support, academic challenges, and her passion for women's health innovation. She explores how the MSx program empowers professionals to take risks, expand their knowledge, and pursue ambitious career goals while integrating personal and professional growth.
Antoine Gamberini (MSx '25) reveals his dynamic Stanford GSB experience, transforming from a European telecom executive to a multifaceted student. He emphasizes the importance of reflection, community engagement, and seizing diverse opportunities. His journey demonstrates how the MSx program enables professionals to explore personal passions, develop leadership skills, and create meaningful impact across diverse domains.
Jateen Kooverjee (MSx '24) discusses his MSx journey and how the program's flexibility and resources, including an independent study, enabled him to explore entrepreneurship. He highlights the support from his wife, who also engaged in Stanford's academic and entrepreneurial opportunities, and emphasizes the value of challenging conventional career paths, developing leadership skills, and forming lasting relationships.
Sasha Gidwani (MSx '24) shares her journey from a long-standing career in finance to exploring new opportunities through the Stanford MSx program. She discusses how the program's flexibility allowed her to challenge conventional career paths. Sasha emphasizes the value of leadership development, diverse experiences, and lasting relationships formed during the program. Her story highlights the transformative nature of the MSx experi...
On the season finale, we are joined by Scott Brady, Sloan Fellow and Lecturer at the GSB. Scott served as the chair of the MSx Advisory Board and has overseen the program's transformation into one of the world's premier programs for experienced leaders. Scott shares his journey from being a student to becoming a lecturer at the GSB.
Jed Simon shares his inspiring journey of pursuing a career in music through an unconventional path. His stories highlight how he created opportunities and challenged conventional wisdom. He also discusses his passion for business and how it fueled the creation of his most recent FinTech venture.
We explore the dynamic career of Julia Vasconcelos, a master of professional pivots in Brazil. Beginning her journey as a skilled M&A lawyer, Julia successfully transitioned into Corporate Development and Product roles at a NASDAQ-listed FinTech company. Now, she's setting her sights on venture capital. Julia shares valuable insights on leveraging the power of the Stanford network and offers a glimpse into her strategic approac...
Abraham Ogoubou started his journey in Benin and has become a true global citizen after building his career at EY across Europe and the USA. He shares how he structured his time at Stanford to maximize his learning and how he ultimately wants to make an impact on his home continent of Africa.
Daulins shares his perspective on his storied career, which spans from being a mechanical engineer to earning a PhD in Microeconomics, and culminates in transforming and listing a business on the NASDAQ.
Parul Gupta, a Class of '24 member, shares her journey of exploring a new career in sustainability at Stanford, balancing her roles as a mother, spouse, and former founder.
Cayla Marvil, a member of the class of '24, an outdoor adventurer, and brewery owner, joins us on our podcast to discuss how she's using her time at Stanford as a springboard for changing the future of food.
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