See if you can defer your Harvard MBA for 1 year and try to do TechStars. That way you can try your hand at entrepreneurship and still have the Harvard MBA in your back pocket if things don't work out in a year.
From the Harvard MBA website: How long can I defer my acceptance?
Candidates should submit applications only for the year they plan to enter the MBA program. Postponements and deferrals are granted rarely and are considered on a case-by-case basis.
So it is no guarantee that you can defer it, but if you can, I think the deferral route is the best option.
Many of these deals may have special terms as well. At a minimum VCs will get 1x and at times 2x or 3x of the first money made. That way, VCs can protect their downside while investing in some of the companies that have the biggest potential.
That being said, these valuations are still quite high.
Hey Ramit, great comment. I think your educational experience was unique in how applicable it is to what you now do--for a non pre-professional degree.
For someone outside of college, how'd you recommend people learn those topics?
Working at a company at facebook or google increases your human capital, increasing one's opportunity cost.
This can make it harder to leave the stable and growing pay check and try to create your own thing. This is not to even mention the growing amount of responsibilities that come with age (mortgage, family, etc.).
I'd be interested in working from somewhere interesting (Germany, Chile, New Zealand, etc.) for 6 months, but I'm not really that interested in being a beta tester for a new government program. I also don't speak any Spanish.
From the Harvard MBA website: How long can I defer my acceptance? Candidates should submit applications only for the year they plan to enter the MBA program. Postponements and deferrals are granted rarely and are considered on a case-by-case basis.
So it is no guarantee that you can defer it, but if you can, I think the deferral route is the best option.