About Victoria

Hi there, I'm Vica. I am a double émigrée (age 7: Russia -> UK, age 24: UK -> US.. and then back again to London at 28), former Silicon Valley tech executive and startup founder, now working on the investor side focusing on for-good financial services at Octopus Group. I grew up poor and watched my mum make some crazy sacrifices to get us out of Russia, then out of UK council (state-provided) housing, & into a life full of amazing opportunities and adventures. I studied English literature at the University of Cambridge, spent 3 years at a top-tier strategy consulting firm in London, then got into Stanford GSB on the day I turned 24 - with an 80% tuition discount / scholarship. I worked at Salesforce, directed sales at a startup, then raised $300K for my own venture from Silicon Valley angels and VCs. I moved from an F1 visa to a H-1B visa, and went through a denial of admission on the border - so I know both the pros and the cons of moving to the US via a degree program intimately well. I was NOT a likely candidate for Stanford - too young, state-schooled, non-MBB, non-STEM, wonky GMAT (99th percentile verbal, 55th non-verbal 😆)... But I AM a strong, persuasive storyteller, incisive editor, & expert seller. I never used an admissions consultant myself because I could not afford one. The one I spoke to for a free 30-min consultation told me to give up hope on my dream schools... but I got into GSB and INSEAD without professional support, and proved her wrong. I was FOR SURE an underdog in every process I ended up successfully completing. With my help, it can work out for you too. You CAN do this! The only failure is not to try at all. These days I coach students for business school, law school, doctorate programs, recruitment, and career advice. If you want to work on something not on this list, let me know - happy to offer a steep discount to expand my expertise!