Sanjna Rao – Class of 2008

I graduated from the ISB in 2008 and the last two years have been eventful to say the least. Today, I have my own venture, which provides advisory and project management services to companies in the Infrastructure sector with a specific focus on Energy and Water.

While at the ISB, I was constantly on the lookout for startup opportunities. I did not have any specific idea or sector in mind. Prior to the ISB, I had an engineering degree specializing in Artificial Intelligence from Cornell University and I was pretty set on doing a PhD. I realized later on that depth in one field didn’t really interest me and I wanted to work with many new ideas. History condescends the ‘Jack of all trades’ and upholds the mastery of a specific skill. However, I believe that in today’s world, an entrepreneur must be a Jack of all trades and not necessarily the Master of one.

I subsequently moved back to India and worked on understanding how technology could be used to empower the Infrastructure sector in the country. My skill sets were diverse and I was keen on starting up a business in India. I wanted to hone my skills in Finance, Operations and also wanted to develop a good network within the Indian business community.

While I was still at the ISB, I started a nano-technology firm with a classmate at ISB and an ex-colleague from Cornell, which was based on cutting-edge patented research. This taught me a very valuable lesson - that all experiences in life have a way of coming together. I never thought that I would have practical use for the high-technology knowledge gained during my engineering days and yet as Steve Jobs puts it, ‘the dots connected in hindsight’. Later that year, a US based company took over our concept and I found myself back in India scouting for the next exciting idea. I eventually connected with a person I had met during my business interactions at the ISB, and we started a company together. Within a year of its inception, the company has registered an impressive order-book and serves a wide clientele. The company now has a core team of 11 people and 18 associate consultants.

How do you think the ISB has contributed to your career growth as an entrepreneur?
I joined the ISB with a predetermined idea of furthering my ambition as an entrepreneur. I wanted to walk away with a venture and a team and I did. My first venture was based on a business plan created at the ISB and it went on to win many awards across the globe. This would not have been possible without the strong faculty guidance and support from the school.

The ISB’s global partnerships and associations help students gain wide exposure to business communities and markets around the world. The opportunity to present our plan to such a wide audience not only helped refine the idea further, it challenged us to push ourselves beyond self-defined limits.

The industry interaction sessions, knowledge sharing initiatives and student clubs are all a way in which the ISB helps transform students from passionate entrepreneurs into consummate business leaders.

Can you recall any particular instance or instances your classroom/peer learning at the ISB helped you solve a challenge?
The ISB not only teaches you about the fundamentals of business but it changes the way you look at things around you. You will look at the newspaper differently and appreciate world economics better. The Global Economics class for me was particularly interesting and the medium of instruction was engaging. I listen to some of the audio/video clippings of the class even today.

Some of the takeaways such as the NPV Analysis and Porter’s Five Forces were more basic than Global Economics but very crucial for me as an entrepreneur. I learnt how to put a framework around my passion, which sounds counterintuitive because passion is supposed to be unbridled. Somebody in a lecture at the ISB once said “Keep your eyes to the sky and your feet to the ground”. I don’t remember who said it but these learnings save me valuable time everyday.

What is your vision for the school? What are the strengths that the school can leverage upon and areas it can improve on?
Many students across the world dream of getting into an MIT or Stanford. My vision for the ISB is to develop the aspirational value where students not only in India but across the globe uphold this institution as a temple of learning and dream of getting admitted someday.

In order to achieve this, we need to do the things that we do well better and constantly strive to find areas of improvement. We do a great job at attracting the best faculty from across the world to teach part-time at the ISB. It would be fantastic if we could attract the best of the professors to be full-time faculty at the school.

What do you think is the alumni’s role in building the school?
Alums must develop a long-lasting bond with the school and we must contribute in as many ways as possible to our Alma Mater. The onus of fortifying this bond lies partly with us alums and partly with the school. The effort to build a strong and sustainable alumni network should begin right from when a student steps into the ISB.

The brand of a school lies in how each alumnus progresses and carries oneself. We have to ensure that we are responsible, professional and ethical business leaders/citizens and adhere to a code of conduct in our daily lives.

The ISBInsight magazine is a great communication tool to keep the alumni connected with the school. As an alumnus, I would appreciate any such annual newsletter/publication that is sent across to all alumni in hardcopy which is more likely to be read and cherished than email notifications.

The school should also provide maximum support to its student/alum entrepreneurs. For an entrepreneur, unlike in a professional role, everyday is a challenge and has many ups and downs – professional and emotional. We must reach out our student entrepreneurs, help them find contacts within our wide business communities and support them in whatever way we can.