David C.

David C.

MIT Sloan MBA | Ex-Google Sales Leader, OpenAI GtM | Career Pivot Expert

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Studied at MIT Sloan

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Works at Astra Education

Available tomorrow at 7:30 PM UTC

Questions? Start chatting with this coach before you get started.

David’s MBA Qualifications

Hello! Thanks for visiting. Are you looking to pivot your career with business school? With an MBA from MIT Sloan, I specialize in helping MBA applications with nontraditional backgrounds thrive in the admissions process and on campus. My lessons come from making the challenging transition from public school classroom teacher to finding a new path at business school, and ultimately landing a job at Google. Using my professional journey which includes leadership roles at Google, YouTube, and OpenAI, I can help you navigate your career goals while staying true to who you are. Whether you need help with application strategy, essay crafting, or interview preparation, I'm here to help you succeed. Let's connect and chart your path to your dream MBA program!

David can help with:

Editing

Recommendations

Interviews

School Selection

Secondary Review

Application Strategy

Essays

Resume

David also coaches for Artificial Intelligence, Sales, and Communication. View all.

About David

My story begins in a classroom, where I discovered my passion for helping others break through barriers. As a teacher working with students facing significant challenges, I helped improve reading levels by an average of 2.5 grade levels in a single year. This experience taught me something I carry to this day: with the right guidance and tools, people can achieve far more than they imagine possible. This belief led me to co-found a charter school before pursuing my MBA at MIT, where I led the Social Impact and Education Club while focusing on innovation. My path then took me to leadership roles at Google and OpenAI, where I built high-performing teams and pioneered partnerships that consistently exceeded expectations. Throughout my journey across education and technology, I've developed a unique ability to see connections others miss. I understand both the human and technical sides of any challenge, which allows me to develop solutions that work in the real world. I've applied this perspective to help organizations transform, teams excel, and individuals discover new possibilities for themselves. As your career coach, I bring this integrative approach to our work together. Whether you're navigating a career transition, seeking advancement in your current field, or building something new, I combine strategic vision with practical steps tailored to your unique situation. I believe that everyone has distinctive capabilities that, when properly aligned with the right opportunities, lead to both personal fulfillment and meaningful impact. My role is to help you discover that alignment and create a clear path forward. Working with me means gaining a partner who sees your potential perhaps more clearly than you see it yourself. I combine the patience of a teacher, the strategic thinking of an executive, and the innovative mindset of an entrepreneur to help you achieve breakthrough results in your career journey. My approach isn't about quick fixes—it's about transformation. Together, we'll build on your strengths, navigate obstacles with confidence, and connect you with opportunities that truly resonate with who you are and who you want to become. Connect: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-chen-34083446/

Why do I coach?

I coach because I've witnessed the transformative power of the right guidance at the right moment. From my days as a classroom teacher helping students break through learning barriers to leading teams, I've seen how people flourish when someone truly sees their potential and helps them navigate toward it. My journey across education and technology has taught me that success isn't just about skills or knowledge—it's about alignment. Finding that sweet spot where your unique strengths meet meaningful opportunities creates both personal fulfillment and professional impact. I coach because I believe everyone deserves a thoughtful partner in their career journey—someone who combines strategic thinking with practical steps, who understands both the human and technical sides of today's professional landscape. Whether you're pivoting careers, seeking advancement, or building something new, I'm passionate about helping you connect the dots in ways you might not see on your own. At its core, my coaching is about unlocking possibilities. The greatest reward for me is watching clients discover capabilities they didn't know they had and build careers that truly reflect who they are and what matters to them.

Work Experience

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Chief Product Officer, Co-Founder

Astra Education

August 2024 - Present

Building Astra Academy, the next generation of American education - a revolutionary network of schools designed for the AI era. Our mission: to nurture tomorrow's leaders through a uniquely human-centered approach that combines academic excellence with real-world skills, financial aptitude, mental fitness, and ethical AI literacy. Drawing on 12+ years at the intersection of education, technology, and entrepreneurship, I'm leading the creation of an accessible, premium network of secondary schools that's reimagining what's possible in American education. Our vision goes beyond traditional college prep - we're building an educational ecosystem where students develop the agency, critical thinking, and practical capabilities needed to shape our collective future. At Astra, we believe in unleashing young leaders through a powerful combination of timeless human skills and cutting-edge innovation. We're not just building schools - we're creating a blueprint for education in the AI age.

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Customer Success Manager

OpenAI

January 2024 - Present

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Head of Sales

Google

January 2020 - January 2024

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Strategic Partnerships

YouTube

June 2019 - January 2020

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Sales, Google Cloud

Google

January 2018 - January 2020

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International Program Manager

Google

April 2016 - January 2018

Infosys Logo

Summer Associate

Infosys

June 2013 - August 2013

Management Consulting

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Teacher

Teach For America

2009 - 2012

Education

MIT Sloan Logo

MIT Sloan

Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)

2012 - 2014

Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern) Logo

Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern)

Bachelor of Arts

2005 - 2009

David C.

David C.

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