5 Questions with Niharika Piratla, Management Information Systems & Entrepreneurship '18

Q. How did you become interested in entrepreneurship?

A. I grew up in a culture where women were discouraged from becoming entrepreneurs. It was considered safer or more appropriate for women in India to work in a company or better, stay at home and serve their families. However, I always knew that I had a problem-solving mindset and continually looked for opportunities to innovate and make processes more efficient. Entrepreneurship was one of the business classes I took in high school and instantly knew that I wanted to be an entrepreneur. I love that the field of entrepreneurship provides opportunities to create solutions for problems. 

Q. Why were you interested in the McGuire New Venture Development Program?

A. I am excited that the McGuire New Venture Development Program is not simply a set of classes, but an incubation program that supports interested entrepreneurs through the entire process of coming up with an idea and turning it into reality. It goes beyond the classroom and allows students to work and test their ideas in real-life settings. I have been following other teams that went through the McGuire Program and have seen them become more successful entrepreneurs or have taken off in their careers. I want to be able to get the same out of the program. 

Q. How do you plan to use your entrepreneurship education? 

A. I hope to launch my group's project through this program. However, I would like to continue to pursue entrepreneurship and explore different ventures in the service industry throughout my early career. In the future, I would like to attend graduate school for my MBA but would like to pursue entrepreneurship by starting a venture with a few people I meet there. 

Q. How does entrepreneurship compliment the rest of your studies? 

A. I am studying MIS (Management Information Systems) along with entrepreneurship. Since the world is moving toward technology, I would like to use technology in my business within any field to work more efficiently. Entrepreneurship also teaches problem-solving through innovation. I believe that the process of identifying a problem and developing a solution to it would help my interest in consulting a career or any line of work. 

Q. What is your dream career? 

A. Within the next 10 years, I would like to own a few businesses. I would want to work hard in the early stages of the businesses so that I can develop sustainable businesses systems that give me enough time and money to focus on the experiences in life.