MBA Launchpad by SBC: Your AI-Powered Admissions Assistant
For more than two decades, the SBC database has lived in our internal files: thousands of anonymized essays, interview debriefs, and de-identified application results from every top school on the planet. We’ve spent the last year turning that intelligence into a tool you can actually use.
It’s called the MBA Launchpad by SBC, and right now, it’s completely free. Through August 2026, users can unlock all premium features at no cost.
What Is MBA Launchpad?
Think of it as your MBA admissions assistant, available 24/7. MBA Launchpad can assess your candidacy, help you build a balanced school list, guide your essay strategy, and flag the gaps you need to address before you hit submit. Everything is powered by real SBC data and the philosophy that has guided SBC clients for 25+ years. If you’ve been waiting for an MBA resource that actually knows what it’s talking about, this is it.
“We wanted to build the antithesis of a generic chatbot.”
“The MBA Launchpad isn’t scraping Reddit threads or random forums for ‘best guesses.’ It is fueled by 25 years of de-identified SBC data tied to real-world outcomes,” founder Stacy Blackman explains. “We are providing applicants with a high-fidelity predictive engine built on the largest, highest-quality database in the industry.”
Built for Every Kind of Applicant
Whether you’re working one-on-one with an elite consultant or navigating the b-school application process on your own, MBA Launchpad delivers the data-driven reality checks and logistical support every serious applicant needs.
As Stacy puts it: “This app serves as a strategic companion, providing the data-driven ‘reality checks’ and logistical support that every serious applicant needs to stand out during their b-school application process.”
Is This a Replacement for Working with an SBC Consultant?
Short answer: No. And Stacy is direct about why.
“I don’t believe anyone seeking high-end 1:1 attention will feel that level of specialization can be replaced by an app,” she says. “If a candidate believed a chatbot was sufficient, they would already be using generic tools like ChatGPT or Claude.”
What MBA Launchpad does is fill a different need. No consultant, however dedicated, can be in a client’s pocket 24/7. The app handles deadline reminders, data lookups, and gut-check moments that occur outside scheduled sessions.
For applicants who are just beginning to explore business school, it’s the most sophisticated free starting point available anywhere. For those who ultimately decide they want elite, human guidance to reach their goals, it’s the beginning of a relationship with SBC, not a substitute for one.
See It in Action
Curious how MBA Launchpad actually works? Stacy walks through the app in a full demo on YouTube.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can access MBA Launchpad? Anyone. The app is available free of charge on the App Store to both SBC clients and non-clients through August 2026.
Is there a desktop version? Not at this time. MBA Launchpad is a mobile app currently available only on iPhone. Android is in development and coming soon.
Will this replace other SBC resources? MBA Launchpad is the most comprehensive tool SBC has ever made available, and it stands on its own. It does not replace working with an SBC consultant for applicants who want elite, personalized guidance.
Ready to Get Started?
MBA Launchpad by SBC is now available on the App Store, and all premium features are free through August 2026. We’ve removed all paywalls to support Class of 2029 applicants for Round 1.
Let 25 years of SBC expertise work for you, at no cost. Download the app and start building your personalized MBA strategy today.
Here’s a snapshot of the caliber of expertise on our SBC team.
Ashley
Ashley is a former MBA Admissions Board Member for Harvard Business School (HBS), where she interviewed and evaluated thousands of business school applicants for over a six year tenure. Ashley holds an MBA from HBS. During her HBS years, Ashley was the Sports Editor for the Harbus and a member of the B-School Blades Ice Hockey Team. After HBS, she worked in Marketing at the Gillette Company on Male and Female shaving ...
×Pauline
A former associate director of admissions at Harvard Business School, Pauline served on the HBS MBA Admissions Board full-time for four years. She evaluated and interviewed HBS applicants, both on-campus and globally. Pauline's career has included sales and marketing management roles with Coca-Cola, Gillette, Procter & Gamble, and IBM. For over 10 years, Pauline has expertly guided MBA applicants, and her clients h ...
×Laura
Laura comes from the MBA Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS) and is an HBS MBA alumnus. In her HBS Admissions role, she evaluated and interviewed hundreds of business school candidates, including internationals, women, military and other applicant pools, for five years. Prior to her time as a student at HBS, Laura began her career in advertising and marketing in Chicago at Leo Burnett where she worked on th ...
×Andrea
Andrea served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at Harvard Business School (HBS) for over five years. In this role, she provided strategic direction for student yield-management activities and also served as a full member of the admissions committee. In 2007, Andrea launched the new 2+2 Program at Harvard Business School – a program targeted at college junior applicants to Harvard Business School. Andrea has also served as a Career Coach for Harvard Business School for both cu ...
×Jennifer
Jennifer served as Admissions Officer at the Stanford (GSB) for five years. She holds an MBA from Stanford (GSB) and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Jennifer has over 15 years experience in guiding applicants through the increasingly competitive admissions process into top MBA programs. Having read thousands and thousands of essays and applications while at Stanford (GSB) Admiss ...
×Erin K.
Erin served in key roles in MBA Admissions--as Director at Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and Assistant Director at Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB). Erin served on the admissions committee at each school and has read thousands of applications in her career. At Haas, she served for seven years in roles that encompassed evaluation, outreach, and diversity and inclusion. During her tenure in Admissions at GSB, she was responsible for candidate evaluation, applicant outreach, ...
×Susie
Susie comes from the Admissions Office of the Stanford Graduate School of Business where she reviewed and evaluated hundreds of prospective students’ applications. She holds an MBA from Stanford’s GSB and a BA from Stanford in Economics. Prior to advising MBA applicants, Susie held a variety of roles over a 15-year period in capital markets, finance, and real estate, including as partner in one of the nation’s most innovative finance and real estate investment organizations. In that r ...
×Dione
Dione holds an MBA degree from Stanford Business School (GSB) and a BA degree from Stanford University, where she double majored in Economics and Communication with concentrations in journalism and sociology. Dione has served as an Admissions reader and member of the Minority Admissions Advisory Committee at Stanford. Dione is an accomplished and respected advocate and thought leader on education and diversity. She is ...
×Anthony
Anthony served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he dedicated over 10 years of expertise. During his time as a Wharton Admissions Officer, he read and reviewed thousands of applications and helped bring in a class of 800+ students a year. Anthony has traveled both domestically and internationally to recruit a ...
×Meghan
Meghan served as the Associate Director of Admissions and Marketing at the Wharton MBA’s Lauder Institute, a joint degree program combining the Wharton MBA with an MA in International Studies. In her role on the Wharton MBA admissions committee, Meghan advised domestic and international applicants; conducted interviews and information sessions domestically and overseas in Asia, Central and South America, and Europe; and evaluated applicants for admission to the program. Meghan also managed ...
×Amy
Amy comes from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where she was Associate Director. Amy devoted 12 years at the Wharton School, working closely with MBA students and supporting the admissions team. During her tenure at Wharton, Amy served as a trusted adviser to prospective applicants as well as admitted and matriculated students. She conducted admissions chats with applicants early in the admissions ...
×Ally
Ally brings six years of admissions experience to the SBC team, most recently as an Assistant Director of Admission for the full-time MBA program at Columbia Business School (CBS). During her time at Columbia, Ally was responsible for reviewing applications, planning recruitment events, and interviewing candidates for both the full-time MBA program and the Executive MBA program. She traveled both internationally and dome ...
×Emma
Emma comes from the MBA Admissions Office at Columbia Business School (CBS), where she was Associate Director. Emma conducted dozens of interviews each cycle for the MBA and EMBA programs, as well as coordinating the alumni ambassador interview program. She read and evaluated hundreds of applications each cycle, delivered information sessions to audiences across the globe, and advised countless waitlisted applicants. ×
Dana
Dana served as Assistant Director of Admissions at Columbia Business School for the Full-Time MBA program and has over 10 years of experience working in higher education. Known as a scrupulous file reader, Dana reviewed countless applications and assisted in rendering final decisions for the Admissions Committee at CBS. While leading information sessions at Columbia and on the road, Dana met and advised myriad applicants� ...
×Holly
Holly worked as a member of the NYU Stern MBA Admissions team for seven years and holds an MBA from NYU Stern. In her tenure as Director of NYU MBA Admissions, Holly worked closely with admissions teams from Columbia, Michigan Ross, UVA Darden, Cornell Johnson, Berkeley Haas, Yale SOM, and Duke Fuqua on recruiting events domestically and internationally. On the NYU Stern admissions committee, Holly conducted interviews, planned and hosted events, and trained staff on reading and interviewi ...
×Mark
Mark has been working in global higher education for nearly ten years, focusing on MBA Admissions at European programs including Oxford Said Business School and London Business School (LBS). At the University of Oxford’s Said Business School, Mark was the Associate Director of MBA Recruitment, leading the recruitment of all applicants to the Oxford MBA and 1+1 MBA programs. In this role, Mark advised countless MBA applic ...
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