(27th September 2026) Midnight thoughts typed in solace. I passed two proficiency certificate level studies - one in Science and another in English. I joined two Bachelor of Arts and passed in one majoring in English Literature and Sociology/Anthropology. I started but dropped out of two Masters degrees - one in interdisciplinary literature and cultural studies(MA) and another in Mass Communication and Journalism(MA MCJ). I never went for a convocation ceremony as I was not intrigued to throw my graduation hat on air and get fancy photographs with the graduation gown. However, deep inside me was an unfulfilled willingness to acquire one more University degree. One more degree that makes me content. One more significant certification that helps me re-fuel my learning hunger and quench my knowledge thirst. Especially a business degree - which I never attained before starting my venture, or while stepping up towards growth, during my failed business attempts or while diversifying/pivoting my course of actions. I read many Harvard Business Review(HBR) articles, several MIT case studies, numerous Cambridge University researches, and countless business bestsellers. Over my two and a half decades of active business life, I have devoured at least 500 self-help literature ranging from classic “Law of Success” to modern day “The Subtle Art of not giving a F*ck”. My exposure to Greek philosophies to Stoic Principles to Oriental Hindu mythologies to currently trending historians’ Sapiens-HomoDeus-Nexus series…. everything has just added some more curiosity on human existence, belief, faith, manifestation, purpose, fulfilment, so on and so forth. One sunny afternoon in 2021, a LinkedIn feed caught my attention that was calling for CEO’s/Founders of established companies with $300k - $ 15M annual revenue to apply for a seemingly peculiar one year course - with no fixed curriculum and no formal academic title like MBA as a final outcome. More interestingly it was not only a degree for me, it was a degree for my company and for my leadership team. Even more interestingly - the subject matter of the course would be my own business, the course venue would be my own office and one of the modules would consist of a professor coming to my actual workplace to conduct intensive workshops loading me and my team with rigorous assignments. Fascinated by the name Stanford University, without understanding much about the specifics - I filled the Expression of Interest. Selected for the second round, I was later called for a recorded video interview however due to my hospitalization with severe COVID infection, I could not meet the submission deadline(even missed the extended one as it took a while for me to fully recover) hence unable to proceed further. With the same enthusiasm, I filled the application in April 2022 for the class of 2023- but this time with the unfavourable outcome of not being selected from the 1st round. I probably thought I was not the right fit for this program and maybe my stream of business does not match the expectation of Seed Transformation program focusing on local impact with the ambition to extend global footprint. So I didn’t apply in 2023. Then came May 2024. On the last day of the submission deadline, I filled the form again. Progressing to the second round of video interview then up to the one-to-one virtual interview with a Business Transformation Advisor. Myself and my whole executive managers’ team participated in the interview. Later got the rejection outcome with a ‘sweet sorry message’. As is human nature, I got no motivation to apply in 2025 hence left the year blank. I decided 2026 would be my last attempt. Four applications across six years felt like enough. If I failed again, I would conclude that either I wasn't ready for the programme, or the programme wasn't meant for me. Eventually resilience won, persistence prevailed and unfaltering determination got rewarded. Finally admitted to Stanford Seed Transformation Program Class of 2027. Along with the selection email, Stanford has promised me of the following: As a participant in the program, you will: Take advantage of a world-class curriculum from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the innovative thinking that has shaped some of the most successful companies in Silicon Valley. Create an action plan to grow and scale your business. Establish relationships that build your network and help fuel your growth. Really excited to learn, unlearn and relearn to validate and execute my dream of building a scalable yet sustainable business with much lesser founder dependability and much more system integrations cementing the solid foundation to GROW, ACCELERATE & EXCEL further. Let the new learning era begin!
How I landed at Stanford Seed?
Four applications. Six years. One final attempt. This is how I earned my place in the Stanford Seed Transformation Program, Class of 2027.