In this episode, Riya Malik sit down with Max Dowling, Manchester MBA candidate, Student Council President, and founder of a public‑safety startup Vigil. Max reflects on the real‑world experience that inspired his current venture – a moment that made him confront the scale of public safety challenges and ultimately pushed him to build a technology‑led solution with social impact at its core. He also opens up about the realities of founding a startup in stealth mode while juggling MBA projects, leadership responsibilities, and personal wellbeing. Timestamps: 00.00 Introduction 00:35 What led Max to pursue an MBA? 02:19 Max's experience as Student Council President 08:46 Vigil, Max's public safety technology venture 14:28 How AMBS helped Max's entrepreneurship journey 18:18 Challenges of entrepreneurship 22:20 The Manchester Method 27:19 Max's advice to his month one MBA self 35:34 The Manchester Quiz 38:12 How the MBA will help Max with his future Follow us on: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/alliancemanchesterbusinessschool Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/alliancembs TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@alliancembs Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/school/alliancembs Find out more about our MBA programmes: https://www.alliancembs.manchester.ac.uk/study/mba/