Business school students may be teeming with cutthroat ambition, but not all dreams are realized as a race to the top. As a New York Times article spotlighting innovative clothing start-ups indicates, the MBA experience can foster cooperation as much as competition.
The Times showcases two groups of would-be competitors at MIT as a case in point: a pair of Sloan business students (one a former investment banker and the other a former management consultant) and two engineering students, all of whom shared the common goal of creating a line of high-tech office apparel that could withstand strenuous bicycle commutes. The two groups crossed paths at MIT’s entrepreneur center in 2011 and decided to pool their efforts. Shortly thereafter, the two business students signed on to join the other pair’s company, Ministry of Supply. With a $50,000 investment from Boston Red Sox pitcher Craig Breslow to show for their hard work, Ministry of Supply shows that collaboration can pay off.