The HBS African American Student Union (AASU) aims to create a close-knit community for its members from the time they choose to join HBS, through their transition to the second year, and extending beyond graduation. In this feature, we highlight the experiences of two AASU members who have embarked on an entrepreneurial journey.
Anthony Martore (MBA 2025)
Where is your hometown?
I was born in San Francisco, California and raised just south of Oakland in Hayward, California.
What was your pre-MBA industry and role?
Before attending business school, I spent six years at Nike in various roles. Initially, I worked for three years at the Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, as a rotational operations analyst. Following this, I relocated to Los Angeles, California, to serve as a program manager. In this role, I helped build inclusion initiatives for our suppliers, contractors, and internal diverse talent.
What has been the highlight of your HBS experience thus far?
One of the highlights of my HBS experience has been the abundance of opportunities to hear from incredible guest speakers. Within my first month on campus, I attended a conversation between HBS professor Arthur Brooks and Oprah Winfrey, on their recent book launch focused on pursuing happiness: Build the Life You Want. It was refreshing to learn that even globally iconic figures—such as Oprah—go through the same rollercoaster of second-guessing that everyday people go through. The lessons on overcoming the internal feelings of otherness, disappointment, fear, and hesitation are frameworks that I apply to all walks of life, in and out of the classroom.
What are your post-HBS goals? How have you leveraged the unique educational experience at HBS towards that end?
I entered business school with the aim of leveraging my experience of building Nike’s inaugural Global Supplier Diversity program, seeking to expand my impact to help other organizations conduct and sustain meaningful business relationships with the diverse communities they serve. HBS has taught me the technicalities of how various industries operate, and it has provided me with a vast array of experts that have sped up my learning as an aspiring entrepreneur.
My experience at HBS has motivated me to take risks while maximizing learning. This is precisely why I decided to launch my firm, Ground Break Consulting (GBC), in February 2024!
Devon Gethers (MBA 2025)
Where is your hometown?
I’ve lived half of my life in Washington State and the other half in Salt Lake City, Utah.
What was your pre-MBA industry and role?
Before pursuing my MBA, I dedicated several years to a growth equity investment firm, focusing on investing in enterprise software and branded consumer companies. Beyond my role there, I founded, grew, and successfully exited an online marketplace designed to unlock educational and professional opportunities for underrepresented minority groups.
Inspired by the impact, the craving to build, and the potential to support emerging talents, I quit my job and embarked on another entrepreneurial journey. I co-founded Meridian Ventures—an early-stage venture capital firm investing in enterprise SaaS startups.
At Meridian, we have invested in 36 B2B software startups. Prior to my time at HBS, our efforts yielded multiple mark-ups in our portfolio, surpassed industry benchmarks for investing in diverse founders, and secured co-investments with leading funds!
What has been the highlight of your HBS experience thus far?
The highlight of my experience so far has been the people. HBS attracts some of the most talented, committed, hard-working, and inquisitive individuals from all corners of the world. I am fortunate to call these individuals my friends and family.
What are your post-HBS goals? How have you leveraged the unique educational experience at HBS towards that end?
After completing my journey here, I am energized with the purpose of finding, funding, supporting, and empowering entrepreneurs who are building durable technologies and shaping cultures that positively transform humanity. My goal is to become a preferred strategic and capital partner for founders at their earliest stages of growth and scaling. In the short term, our objective is to create a foundation for raising a $25M Fund II, as a continuation of our proof-of-concept strategy; however, our long-term vision is to build a firm that outlives us.
The case study method at HBS has proven to be a profound teaching tool, offering the best preparation for the challenges of the real-world. This approach has significantly improved my ability to make informed investment decisions with my business partner.
Embracing diverse perspectives from my peers and tapping into the expertise of world-class professors and industry leaders in the technology sector have played a pivotal role in my personal and professional growth. The network at HBS is unmatched, providing me with invaluable knowledge and resources that have set me on a path of exponential growth and impact.