Should aspiring entrepreneurs get an MBA?

Bridget Pujals, University of California Berkeley Haas MBA '24 and Co-Founder of Saelo, shares her experience being an active founder during her Full-time MBA. What resources did she find most helpful? What should active and aspiring entrepreneurs consider before and during their MBA? And finally, what differentiates the MBA as a launchpad for founders?

Bridget shares specific steps she (and other entrepreneurs at Berkeley) took to de-risk their startups and increase their odds of success. After listening to this conversation, you'll get a much clearer picture of whether an MBA makes sense for your entrepreneurial goals.

Topics

• Introduction (0:00)
• How Bridget's entrepreneurial plans evolved during her MBA (4:00)
• Lean launchpad at Berkeley Haas (7:50)
• Co-founder dating (9:45)
• What entrepreneurial resources Bridget found most useful at Haas (14:30)
• Professors as an influential resource for MBA founders (18:40)
• How other active & aspiring entrepreneurs approached the MBA (25:00)
• Tips for active & aspiring founders to make the most of their MBA investment (30:15)
• Importance of student culture for MBA entrepreneurs (33:30)
• Should aspiring entrepreneurs get an MBA? (39:00)

About Our Guest

Bridget Pujals graduated from University of California's Berkeley’s Haas School of Business Full-time MBA program in 2024, where she focused on building her startup. She is Co-Founder and CEO of Saelo in San Francisco, which offers high-tech, clinical skin treatments.

Before getting her MBA, Bridget worked for Meta as a Senior Product Manager (Messenger) and Product Lead (Privacy for Instagram Direct), and before that, Postmates in business development and product management roles. Bridget graduated from University of California Irvine with a Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry.

Show Notes

• Follow Bridget Pujals on LinkedIn
• #196 How I Got Into UC Berkeley Haas MBA (and HBS, Wharton, UCLA too!) & Breaking into Product Management with Bridget Pujals
• Saelo
• University of California Berkeley Haas MBA
• Berkeley MBA Resources for Entrepreneurs
• Berkeley's Lean Launchpad Accelerator
• Y Combinator's Co-Founder Matching Platform
• Search Funds & Entrepreneurial Acquisitions by Jan Simon
• Growth Marketing with Bill Pierce

MBA Application Resources

• Get free school selection help at Touch MBA
• Get pre-assessed by top international MBA programs
• Get the Admissions Edge Course: Proven Techniques for Admission to Top Business Schools
• Our favorite MBA application tools (after advising 4,000 applicants)