A good way to determine whether the MBA path is right for you, as well as how to go about it, is to hear from graduates who were in your shoes a few years ago. This is what Grad Interviews is about, bringing you tips and insights from graduates of various business schools and industry backgrounds. Our current interviewee is investor, ex-product manager and HEC MBA 22′, Raviv Sapir.
A: I’m currently working as an Investment Manager in a Venture Capital Fund of Funds, located in Munich, Germany. I’m responsible for leading global investment opportunities end-to-end, from sourcing the deal until the decision making at the investment committee. In addition, I develop the Value Creation strategy of the firm, and am involved in the fundraising from potential limited partners.
A: My background is actually non-financial, but rather engineering & technology focused; I studied Industrial Engineering and Management at Tel Aviv University, and worked as a Product Manager for several years at two leading Israeli tech companies: Natural Intelligence (intent marketing) and Playtika (gaming).
A: I actually didn’t know anyone from my social circle that went to study MBA abroad. I only knew that I didn’t feel fulfilled in my existing (yet successful) tech track in Israel, and understood that an international MBA could be a springboard to many great global opportunities that I could never reach in my existing path. I took a leap of faith and applied for the adventure!
A: Since pursuing an MBA is also a time-consuming and expensive experience, I decided it would make the most sense to aim only at the best European business schools (I preferred to stay in Europe after the MBA). After being admitted to several schools, I chose HEC because of its academic reputation, its emphasis on networking and social life, and the variety of activities the school offered.
A: The actual MBA experience felt like a 16-months juggling. Prioritizing between many academic, professional, and social activities, and feeling a constant FOMO while trying to make the most out of my time on campus. Before the program, I expected the academic part to take most of my time. However, during my time on campus I discovered that the social aspect is the real ‘’competitive advantage’’ the school has, which also created the most memorable moments.
A: Few European business schools offer the opportunity to ‘’disconnect’’ from society, and spend so much time with classmates in a beautiful campus near a small French village. The time spent with your cohort on campus creates great opportunities to develop strong and lasting relationships with new friends who might be the next business leaders of tomorrow, with +90% of them coming from around the world. Plus, it’s a lot of fun!
A: The motto of the school is ‘’Learn to Dare’’. Indeed, I noticed that throughout the program, fellow classmates around me kept challenging internal and external truths, not accepting opinions and views as absolute truths.
A: During the program, a significant time was spent facing lockdowns and other socializing restrictions. However, it appeared that the decision to live on campus created a better quality of life compared with that of the average person – we were constantly spending time with other classmates, and were allowed to walk around the big area of the campus (that also includes forest, lakes, and animals!).
A: HEC has an image of a ‘’French’’ business school. However, only a single digit number of students in my +130 students MBA cohort were French, with most of them holding an additional non-French passport! International diversity is a major strong point of the school.
A: First – Live on Campus! For those who are not interested, I believe you are missing out on a critical advantage of studying at HEC and would recommend studying in a business school that is located inside a big city (which doesn’t have student accommodation). Second – focus on today and the experience! MBA is a one-of-a-lifetime adventure.
A: So far, I did a triple jump – my previous function, sector, and location, were Product Manager, technology, and Israel. Today, it’s investment manager, Finance, and Germany. The biggest change is the relocation. I’m pretty certain I wouldn’t have gotten to where I’m today without the MBA, since I wouldn’t even think about pursuing that.
