Full-Time MBA Student Profile Pursuing an MBA for Entrepreneurship with Ude Adekunle

Several courses and programs have been especially valuable because they have helped me build toward Entrepreneurship through Acquisition (ETA) from different angles— technically, strategically, operationally, and personally.

On the technical and strategic side, ETA and Private Equity (PE) Lab have been foundational. Taking the ETA course during my very first quarter gave me an early and highly practical introduction to the search path, the economics behind it, and the realities of business acquisition beyond the romanticized version. PE Lab complemented that foundation by placing me inside a private equity environment, where I could see how investors evaluate businesses, think about diligence, and assess value creation in real time.

Courses like Outperform and Outlast, Value Creation in Small Business, and Business Operations Management have deepened how I think about stewardship after acquisition. They moved me beyond “how do I buy a company?” to “how do I strengthen one?” I have come to appreciate that operating a small or closely held business requires judgment around succession, culture, systems, incentives, and execution, not just finance. Business Operations Management, in particular, has felt like a hidden gem because it sharpens the operational instincts you would actually need if you were running a company day to day.

What has surprised me most is how much courses like Interpersonal Dynamics and Voice of a Leader matter for this career focus. ETA is not just about deals; it is about people. Interpersonal Dynamics has made me more aware of how I show up, how I build trust, and how I navigate tension and feedback. Voice of a Leader has pushed me to communicate with more clarity and executive presence.

As I wrap up my first year, I know there is more to learn ahead, but these have already been some of the most impactful parts of my Booth experience.

My MBA journey has made me more intentional about the kind of leader I want to become. Before Booth, I already had a pattern of stepping into unfamiliar environments, moving across countries, changing industries, and learning quickly in order to move forward. Booth has taken that instinct and given it a sharper direction. It has helped me connect my long-term goal of owning and operating a business to a bigger purpose: creating economic opportunity for others through jobs, stability, and sustained value in the communities those businesses serve. That is the lens through which I now make choices about how I spend my time, what I study, and where I lead.

A big part of that growth has come from staying close to the ETA ecosystem. As Co-Chair of the ETA Club, I help create meaningful access between students, investors, and operators in a professional space that can otherwise feel opaque. As a TA for the ETA course, I support our professors in shaping a strong classroom experience each week and stay close to real-time feedback on how students are processing a career path I care deeply about. That role matters to me because I am not just interested in ETA for myself; I care about how people learn it, enter it, and gain confidence in it. Alongside that, courses like Outperform and Outlast, Value Creation in Small Business, Business Operations Management, and PE Lab have deepened my business judgment. I am also looking forward to my upcoming exchange at the London Business School in the Winter Quarter of my second year. I believe it will add a more global lens to how I think about ownership and leadership.

The personal side of that growth has mattered just as much. My leadership is grounded in the belief that technical competence only goes so far; what matters is how you show up for people and enable them to perform at their best. As an incoming LEAD Facilitator, I’ve stepped into environments that push that philosophy in real time. During our retreat in Wisconsin, I found myself suspended mid-air on a high-ropes course, close to stepping down. I didn’t. I saw it through, drawing on the energy around me while staying grounded in my own decision to finish. That moment has stayed with me because it reflects how I lead: steady, people-centered, and able to move forward without losing conviction. As I prepare to own and operate businesses, that balance between individual resolve and collective strength feels essential.

I came into Booth already committed to owning and operating a small business post-MBA. Before enrolling, I completed an internship with a Booth alumnus in the early stages of his search process, and that experience gave me clarity early. ETA was not something I wanted to explore casually; it was the direction I intended to pursue.

That conviction is what drew me to the ETA Club from my first quarter. It is one of the most active and practical communities at Booth, with programming that meets students at every stage, from those encountering ETA for the first time to those already preparing to search. I chose to fully immerse myself early because I understood that proximity matters on this path.

The club creates that proximity in a way that is difficult to replicate independently. Through regular coffee chats with investors and operators, Lunch & Learns, partnerships with the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, conferences, and small-group sessions, I have been able to engage directly with people who are actively investing, searching, building, acquiring, and operating businesses. These interactions have been instrumental in translating ETA from an abstract concept into a tangible, executable career ambition.

Just as important is the peer community. ETA is a rigorous and often uncertain path and being surrounded by classmates who are equally committed has created a level of accountability, support, and shared learning that has shaped my experience at Booth.

More recently, I stepped into a leadership role as Co-Chair of the club, where I help organize investor engagement and social programming. In that role, I am focused on creating the same access, experiences, and clarity that accelerated my own journey, ensuring students, regardless of their starting point, can engage meaningfully.

The ETA Club has not just complemented my MBA experience; it has anchored it. It has given me direction, community, and a clear sense of how I want to show up as an operator.