# Ilana Walder-Biesanz

> Ilana Walder-Biesanz is the founder and CEO of National Math Stars, a nonprofit that finds mathematically extraordinary children as early as second and third grade and gives each of them a decade of mentorship, advising, and funding worth more than $100,000. A child prodigy herself who took college courses at 13 and finished her undergraduate degree at 19, she pairs an engineer's rigor with a theater critic's flair. Before building National Math Stars she was a product manager at Yahoo, a Bain consultant, a Gates Cambridge Scholar, a Fulbright researcher of German opera staging, and a working opera critic. In December 2025, Jeff and Lauren Sanchez Bezos named her one of five recipients of a $5 million Courage & Civility Award.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at National Math Stars
- **Organizations:** National Math Stars, Carina Initiatives, Bain & Company, Yahoo (Oath), Ars Minerva (board)
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** College math and Spanish coursework (began at age 13), Lewis & Clark College, B.S. in Systems Engineering, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, M.Phil. in European Literature and Culture (Gates Cambridge Scholar), University of Cambridge, Fulbright research fellowship, theater and opera staging, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munich, MBA (Class of 2020, Siebel Scholar), Stanford Graduate School of Business
- **Known for:** Founded National Math Stars (2023) and grew it to secure $16.5 million in philanthropic commitments, Recipient of a 2025 Bezos Courage & Civility Award ($5 million), Gates Cambridge Scholar

## Career timeline

- **2013** — Graduated from Olin College with a B.S. in Systems Engineering at age 19
- **2013** — Named a Gates Cambridge Scholar; M.Phil. in European Literature at Cambridge
- **—** — Fulbright fellowship in Munich researching contemporary stagings of classic opera and theater
- **—** — Product manager at Yahoo/Oath, rising to senior product manager
- **2020** — Earned MBA from Stanford GSB; named a Siebel Scholar
- **2020** — Joined Bain & Company in Houston, advising nonprofits in education, climate, and manufacturing
- **2023** — Became Entrepreneur in Residence at Carina Initiatives and founded National Math Stars
- **2023** — Launched a 12-student pilot cohort ('Protostars')
- **2024** — Second cohort drew 1,300 applications for roughly 60 spots
- **2025** — Expanded beyond Texas; cohort retention reached 98%
- **2025** — Awarded a $5 million Bezos Courage & Civility Award (announced December 2025)

## Achievements

- Founded National Math Stars (2023) and grew it to secure $16.5 million in philanthropic commitments
- Recipient of a 2025 Bezos Courage & Civility Award ($5 million)
- Gates Cambridge Scholar
- Fulbright Scholar in Germany
- Siebel Scholar at Stanford GSB
- Named to Poets&Quants Best & Brightest MBAs, Class of 2020
- Scored a perfect 100/100 on an advanced optimization final in a class of 140+ students
- Working opera and theater critic for San Francisco Classical Voice, Bachtrack, Parterre Box, and others
- Built a program with 98% second-cohort retention

## Latest updates

- **2025-12** — Named one of five recipients of a $5 million Bezos Courage & Civility Award, to be used to accelerate National Math Stars' growth, fund a new pilot program, and build scaling infrastructure.
- **2025-08** — National Math Stars expanded its 2025 cohort beyond Texas, naming new Stars in states including Iowa.

## Links

- Website: https://ilanawb.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilanawb/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ilana-walder-biesanz
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-24