Avi Gupta: Indian-American teen revolutionises healthcare with affordable ventilator invention
Compiled by: Team GI Youth
(September 13, 2023) “I want to take you back to March 2020. The coronavirus had landed in the United States. Social distancing entered into our vocabulary. Schools were closed and store shelves were empty. Against this backdrop, Europe grappled with its first wave of coronavirus. One of the key shortages they faced – ventilators,” that’s how Avi Gupta opens his TedX speech. The Indian American from Portland reveals that the US, especially Oregon, too faced a similar situation with a shortage of hundreds of ventilators for the critically-ill covid patients.
That’s when Oregon Health Authority reached out for help from many individuals and companies, including INTEL. However, it didn’t take the responsibility of designing and manufacturing a ventilator, instead the request was filtered down to the senior staff of the company, one of whom happened to be a manager of Avi at a former internship. That’s how the Stanford University student joined a team of doctors, researchers, and fellow engineers to co-found LifeMech, a non-profit that builds low-cost ventilators. Such has been the impact of his work that he was awarded the Truman Scholarship 2022 for his commitment to public service.
Avi Gupta played a key role in developing low-cost ventilator
Then an 18-year-old, Avi helped design the ventilator’s user interface, as amid the crisis, “rapid development and deployment of the technology were essential.” Interestingly, he wasn’t just the youngest member of the team but also the reigning Jeopardy Teen Tournament champion. “The original prototype which was fully functional was made in our garages. So, it’s truly something that can be deployed worldwide,” the Global Indian said in an interview.
Avi, who switched to Stanford to pursue his interests in artificial intelligence and public policy after a year of college at Columbia University’s School of Engineering, knew that the prototype had to be scalable in both design and manufacture. But more than anything it had to be “low-cost and open source to be deployed in communities worldwide.” “What it meant that anybody like a doctor or a non-profit in another country could download our designs and code and easily manufacture the ventilator with the parts available in their country,” he added.
Avi Gupta is currently studying at Stanford University.
Though he found the process of designing the interface stressful, he also found it equally rewarding as it could have a direct impact on someone’s health. Avi, who collaborated with his father, Dr Saurabh Gupta, a cardiologist for the making of the ventilator, said that the project epitomises the work that he wants to do – using technology to solve a bigger problem. “It’s using technology to advance public service,” he told the Stanford Daily. Later, the ventilator was approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and used widely during the ventilator shortage.
Apart from this, Avi is also involved in Public Interest in Tech (one of the groups on the Stanford campus) which focuses on fostering conversations around technology’s role in society. Since his school days, Avi has been keen to make a change, so when he won the 2019 Jeopardy Teen Tournament, in honour of the host Alex Trebek, he donated a part of his winnings ($100,000) to raise awareness and fund early pancreatic cancer research. He partnered with OHSU Knight Cancer Institute to create and lead the #InspiredBy campaign, raising over $225,000.
It was in 2016 that he kickstarted his journey towards creating social impact when he founded Project 32, a student-run social startup that uses the power of education to tackle dental diseases in youth. Since its inception, Project32 has provided thousands of dental hygiene kits to children in the US, India, Guatemala, and Haiti.
In his free time, he loves to play chess and basketball and is a huge Portland Trail Blazers fan.
(September 19, 2023) Ace hockey player Rani Rampal who earned the moniker the 'Queen of Hockey,' has recently been appointed as U-17 coach to mentor rising stars of the game. "Hockey gave me an identity, people listen to me, talk to me because of hockey. So, I just want to work for it in any capacity. You can can play, mentor young kids, you can teach," she said accepting the role. This is the second milestone that the 28-year-old achieved in her career in 2023. She had reached a significant milestone earlier this year when Modern Coach Factory (MCF) Stadium in Raebareli got renamed to ‘Rani’s Girls Hockey Turf'. From being a girl who had to plead to enter a hockey academy to becoming the first female player to have a stadium in her name, Rani’s journey is extraordinary. [caption id="attachment_33144" align="aligncenter" width="794"] Rani Rampal coaches rising hockey stars[/caption] India's most celebrated female hockey player, Rani has journeyed from a village of Haryana to the international hockey stage with elan. From being a cart-puller’s daughter to representing India in all the major international hockey turfs is nothing short of an inspiration.The former captain of women's hockey team was bestowed with
India's most celebrated female hockey player, Rani has journeyed from a village of Haryana to the international hockey stage with elan. From being a cart-puller’s daughter to representing India in all the major international hockey turfs is nothing short of an inspiration.The former captain of women's hockey team was bestowed with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2020 and received the Padma Shri, the country's fourth highest civilian award the same year.
A stadium in her name
“Words seem too less to express my happiness and gratitude as I share that the MCF Raebareli has been renamed as ‘Rani’s Girls Hockey Turf’ to honour my contribution to hockey,” she had tweeted. She achieved this rare honour for her consistent good performances in the game. In another tweet, Rani remarked, “It is a proud and emotional moment for me as I become the first woman hockey player to have a stadium to my name. I dedicate this to the Indian women’s team and I hope this inspires the next generation of women hockey players!”
The self-made hockey player had dared to dream when there were odds stacked against her and with her sheer dedication has come a long way.
Life as a cart-puller’s daughter
Growing up in Haryana, Rani dreamed of becoming a hockey player ever since she was a little girl. But her cart-puller father who could not even manage two meals a day for the family was unable to support her dreams. Rani persisted. Playing with a broken hockey stick, running around in a salwar-kameez as she could not afford a tracksuit, the youngster carried on. Her mother worked as a housemaid.
"I wanted an escape from my life - from the electricity shortages to the mosquitoes buzzing in our ears when we slept, from barely having two square meals to seeing our home getting flooded when it rained. My parents tried their best but there was little that they could do,” Rani said in an interview.
There was a hockey academy near their house. Rani would spend hours watching players practice. She too wanted to play but every time she requested the coach to include her in the practice sessions, he would reject her saying, she was malnourished. While her parents kept on postponing her demands to purchase a hockey stick. One day Rani found a broken hockey stick near the academy and was on top of the world. Determined to change her life’s trajectory she begged the coach to give her a chance to learn. Eventually, with lots of pleadings, he agreed to train her. This was the beginning of a history that was waiting to be unfolded.
When Rani’s parents came to know about her plans to play hockey, they were reluctant. Instead, they wanted her to take up household chores and disapproved of the idea of girls playing hockey wearing skirts. It was the second time that Rani had to plead very hard. “I pleaded with them to let me play and if I failed, I promised I would do whatever they wanted me to do,” she said. It was only then that they agreed.
At the academy, each player needed to bring 500 ml of milk to drink before resuming practice. However, it was just 200 ml that the family could afford for Rani. The youngster did not want to take any chances and make the coach unhappy. She would mix milk with water in a 500 ml bottle and take it to the academy to do exactly what the coach desired. Rani picked up the sport fast. Looking at her dedication to the sport and how she did not miss a single day of practice, the coach built a liking for her. Later he even bought her a hockey kit and shoes and allowed her to stay with his family so that her nutritional needs could be taken care of.
It was a joyous and emotional occasion for her family when Rani came home with her first earning, a Rs 500 note that she won in a tournament. It was her first earning and when she gave the money to her father, he wept in joy. “I promised my family that one day we would be having our own home and worked hard to keep that promise,” the Global Indian said.
On the path to success
After playing several tournaments and representing her state under the guidance of her coach who stood by her in thick and thin Rani Rampal got a chance to play at the nationals. As she started to play professionally, GoSports Foundation, a sports NGO provided Rani with monetary as well as non-monetary support. At the age of 15, she was the youngest player in the national team which participated in the 2010 World Cup. After giving several consistent performances, there came a day when she was named the captain of the Indian Hockey Team – making her parents and hockey coach swell in pride.
Keeping to her promise she fulfilled the need for one’s own home for the family in 2017. “It was an emotional day for all of us. We cried together and held each other tight” she said. Having played the sport for more than 13 years, the veteran player had been the mainstay of the team. In 2020 the striker who often doubled up as a midfielder was honoured with a Padma Shri. Her coach Baldev Singh received the Dronacharya Award.
Bringing laurels to the country in numerous international tournaments Rani has also worked as an assistant coach with the Sports Authority of India. Apart from Padma Shri, she has won the Arjuna Award and the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award – the highest sporting honours of India.
(April 12, 2024) Aditi Saigal's voice still carries the innocence and charm of youth, which might be what drew director Zoya Akhtar to her music in the first place. Although the director had reached to Aditi about her music, the young singer-songwriter, who goes by the name 'Dot', was offered the role of Ethel Muggs in Akhtar's musical, The Archies. With her unique voice, as well as her musical style steeped in jazz, which is reminiscent of Lana Del Ray, KT Tunstall and her biggest inspiration, Peggy Lee, Saigal had already begun to make a name in indie music circles by the time, and Akhtar had been following her music for a long time by the time she approached her. Being cast in a film with Bollywood's biggest star kids, catapulted Saigal into the limelight, and she is still learning how to deal with fame. However, it did open up a new, unplanned avenue - acting, for the young woman who had always thought her life lay fully in music and songwriting. In December 2023, she released her album, Practice Rooms, comprising some of the songs that had caught Akhtar's attention. Interestingly, she released them raw, without having them re-recorded
thout having them re-recorded or re-mastered in a professional studio. Recorded at the practice rooms in the University of Bangor, Wales, where Saigal was studying music, the songs retain their rawness and the imperfections which, Saigal believes, make them so special in the first place.
A childhood filled with music
Saigal's stage name, Dot, has its origins in her childhood. "My mum and I used to do these colouring books when I was young. I am a perfectionist and everything has to be in line and the colours had to be just right. My mum on the other hand would do dots around the page, or add little designs. When I would complain that she was ruining the picture, she would say, 'a little Dot doesn’t hurt anyone and it adds so much to the picture'," Saigal told NDTV.
The Saigal household was also filled with music, and both her parents are artists. Aditi's father, Amit Saigal, earned the moniker 'Papa Rock' by the Indian rock community and was an Indian rock musician and a promoter of the genre too. He was also the founder of India's first rock magazine, the Rock Street Journal. Her mother, Shena Gamat, is also an actress who appeared as Chanda Narang, a wedding planner, in the 2010 film, Band Baajaa Baaraat. Aditi's own journey with music began small, when students were asked to sing bhajans in school, she laughs. "It always starts like that! And I also used to sing Hannah Montana and Demi Lovato. At home, we had a lot of jazz greats, like Ella and Peggy (Lee) and Louis Armstrong."
Jazz, and university life
That funnelled her into piano classes when she was young, "the typical tuition classes," as she puts it. She also learned Hindustani classical, after her grandmother, and dabbled in the bansuri. Her greatest love, however, was jazz. She went on to study it at the University of Bangor in North Wales. "That was where I started to write music in earnest," she said. "My family is pretty much all artists and they also wanted me to pursue what I wanted - which makes me very lucky, I'm aware of that."
The move was a big deal. Saigal was finally living the independent life she had dreamed of, and, in the interest of a brand new start, began introducing herself as 'Dot'. She would also head to the practice rooms to practice and record the songs she had written on her Motorola. "I didn't put them up on Spotify and Apple or whatever also because they are old songs and as an artist you want to move forward." However, the songs have finally made it to an album, Practice Rooms, which can be streamed on platforms like Spotify. "I didn't want to edit or re-record because when you go to a studio the song loses its honesty and charm. And that's what people connect with," Saigal says, even if it is "scary to put those imperfections out there." But then, she also doesn't see herself as a musician in the technical sense. "I'm a writer," she says instead. Now, with a backlog of some 150 songs, Saigal is working with musicians and producers and trying to think about how to push them.
She was still writing songs in college when she was discovered by Zoya Akhtar. During a Zoom call with Akhtar, where they were doing minor edits to her song, Assymetrical, for the film, Akhtar said, "Hey, do you act?" Saigal, who had no acting experience apart from the occasional school play decided to give it a go. "I called my mom and since she is in theatre, she gave me advice on how to read the script, timing and to go in well-rehearsed." Around three rounds of audtions followed, all on Zoom, as Saigal was in the UK. "I had a toilet roll and I was using it as hair and a comb because that was the scene I had to audition for."
The Archies
Saigal bagged the role and a place in the all-star ensemble cast, and found herself in a new world. She might have had a "tendency to seek the spotlight" (Interview by Verve magazine), but even so, this kind of attention took some getting used to. In fact, it threw her back in 2017 too, when at the age of 19, she uploaded Everybody Dances to Techno on social media, which went viral very quickly. And as always, fame brought new and added pressures - to put out new music, to find a style, to perform. The process was overwhelming, and Saigal retreated from her Instagram and her YouTube channel for a couple of years.
In 2021, Saigal returned with her EP, 'Khamotion', which features in The Archies. When the cast was finalised, including Dot as Ethel Muggs, the work began. This included year-long acting and singing workshops, which Saigal describes as an "intense boot camp." She, Khushi and Agastya (Nanda) learned dancing on the job, while Suhana Khan (Betty) and Yuvraj Menda (Dilton Doiley) took to it naturally. "We were together the whole time, as a group," she said.
"I had to learn on the job and it was really trying," Saigal admits. "You know Suhana is the actual dancer. She is very good and Yuvraj is great." Some of the cast members also had singing lessons, which Saigal didn't need. The cast bonded well, playing music together on set because there were instruments around all the time. "We share a very close bond," she says. "There is a certain intimacy you feel with your co-actors because we spent so much time together in close quarters and we were working towards something together, even when we all had different personalities." The intensive training sessions, she feels, only brought them closer together.
Then came the promotions, which Saigal found she enjoyed. "I honestly thought I wouldn't enjoy it but I did up doing so. When you're filming, you're wearing the character's clothes. But promotions are a different thing because I get to be Dot." Although she admits she doesn't know too much about fashion, she enjoys it. "When they put new clothes on you that you wouldn't have chosen for yourself, I felt like I was slipping into a new character every time. You have to embody the skin of what you're wearing."
The aftermath of fame
This kind of fame also comes with challenges and most artists find themselves at a crossroads between the popularity of the crowds and what they truly love. Can a middle ground be achieved? Saigal fits firmly into a little niche, with her jazzy sound and her slightly vintage preferences. And, as she now hopes to act more, can she bridge this gap? Is it a gap she even wants to bridge? "If you're doing work to please someone you have already missed a step," she said. "If you're doing good work you will connect with someone. You don't really need to connect with everyone."
(February 25, 2023) The news was as exciting as it was historic. One of the most prominent basketball teams in the USA, Dallas Mavericks, had picked Satnam Singh to be their team member, making him the first Indian-born player to be selected in an NBA draft in 2015. Little did the world know that Satnam's entry in the NBA would open doors for an aspiring Indian American basketball player, Ryan Agarwal, who at the time was just another sixth grader at a Dallas middle school. Now a Stanford freshman, Ryan is one of the only Indian-American players on the Division I level and wishes to represent India in the American basketball landscape. "Even as I play today, I just have to keep in mind the fact that I help represent such a big community, and only a few people have the ability to do what I’m trying to do,” the basketball player said in a recent interview, adding, "It’s amazing to see how many people support me and have my back." The Stanford player, who is also deemed as the rising star of US basketball, is fully aware that his game could push him to be greater on the court,
ing, "It’s amazing to see how many people support me and have my back." The Stanford player, who is also deemed as the rising star of US basketball, is fully aware that his game could push him to be greater on the court, but it doesn’t pressure him. "Basketball is just kind of fun for me. I don’t really feel like it’s a burden on me," the Global Indian shared.
A star in the making
Ryan's parents had emigrated from India, and he was born in a Dallas suburb. While the young kid never saw someone playing basketball or considered it as a career path, it was the selection of Satnam in the Dallas Mavericks that encouraged him to start playing. In 2017, Ryan and his cousin had a chance to watch Satnam in an NBA G League game, and it was there that Ryan realised he wanted to play just like him. And once he had made up his mind, there was no looking back. The youngster started playing at his school and was soon picked up to be a part of the local team. Standing at 6’7 and a slender 175 pounds, the Indian American player is a certified bucket.
[caption id="attachment_27827" align="aligncenter" width="651"] Ryan with his family[/caption]
While he loved playing the sport and spending several hours mastering the skill, Ryan credits his parents for supporting him throughout the journey. Even though they were initially unsure about the rigorous world of recruiting and elite sports, watching their son play gave them immense confidence. Eventually, Ryan shared, that several families started reaching out to them to ask for advice, partly on how to encourage their children in sports and get them noticed by college coaches. "I’m blessed with the parents I have, because they put me in every sport possible to just try to see what I love, which honestly, not a lot of Indian parents do,” Ryan said, adding, "I think that’s the biggest thing for me. If it wasn’t for the support from my parents, who knows where I would be.”
More mountains to climb
The 18-year-old, who is a part of the Standford team now, understands how rare it is to see Indian basketball players playing at the Division I level and also realises his responsibility to encourage other South Asian kids, who aspire to be basketball players. "We didn’t really have a lot of players that were Indian-American playing Division I basketball that we could all look up to,” Ryan told in an interview, adding, "In AAU travel ball, I didn’t see any Indians at all. Even in Texas, playing travel ball against other teams, I didn’t see a lot. It was just kind of on my own team if anything.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acCnKfoOb-U
However, the teen player didn’t shy away from a certain amount of pressure that comes with people judging an entire culture based on his play. In fact, a few months back, Ryan also shared a video highlighting the efforts of his coaches and relatives who helped him during his journey, saying that he wants "to set an example for a whole heritage and prove that we can do it, too.”
So far this season, Agarwal has come off the bench for Stanford in nearly two-thirds of its games, averaging roughly eight minutes when he plays. Rivals.com once ranked Agarwal as a top-20 shooting guard, but Stanford Coach Jerod Haase believes that Ryan is a more complete player because of his size at 6-foot-6 and his passing ability. "I want to continue getting better and better and ready for the next level. I’ll be in the gym probably more than ever with my trainers and by myself," the player shared.
(April 6, 2022) It was during a sports event in Nizamabad, Telangana when 12-year-old Nikhat Zareen was first told that boxing is not for girls. Today, the pint-sized girl boxing champ has won several gold medals in various international boxing championships and is regarded as one of the best in the sports. “I remember telling my father that someone had told me that boxing is not meant for girls. He told me, there is nothing one can't do if they are determined," shares the 25-year-old Indian boxer, speaking exclusively to Global Indian. [caption id="attachment_14274" align="aligncenter" width="563"] Nikhat Zareen[/caption] “After I first stepped inside the box, there was no turning back. I knew boxing is what I wanted to do. My father supported me throughout my journey, encouraging me. Today, after I have won many medals, I feel that all the hard work was worth it. However, I have much more potential, and a long way to go,” adds the girl boxing champ, who recently defeated Ukraine's Tetiana Kob, a three-time European Championships medallist 4-1 to clinch a gold medal at the 2022 Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament. She had also won gold in the same tournament in 2019, making her the
adds the girl boxing champ, who recently defeated Ukraine's Tetiana Kob, a three-time European Championships medallist 4-1 to clinch a gold medal at the 2022 Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament. She had also won gold in the same tournament in 2019, making her the only Indian to win two gold medals at the event.
Humble beginning
Nikhat started her sporting journey from a town called Nizamabad, in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh. Participating in several school competitions, Nikhat was a junior sports star. The Indian boxer shares that her father is not only her biggest support but also an inspiration. “My father was also a sportsperson. He was working in Saudi Arabia, but when he got to know that one of his daughters is interested in sports, he left his job and came to India. Despite many people saying that I am a girl, and can’t box, my father constantly encouraged me and reminded me that the first rule of any sport is to not give up,” shares the girl boxing champ whose father mentored her early on.
It just took her a year to prove her mettle in boxing. She won several state and national level championships and was inducted into the Sports Authority of India in Vishakhapatnam to train under Dronacharya awardee, IV Rao in 2009. With her hard work, Nikhat was selected to represent the country at the 2011 Women’s Junior and Youth World Boxing Championship in Turkey.
“I defeated the Turkish boxer Ulku Demir, which everyone said was going to be very difficult as she had the support of the crowd. But frankly more than winning the competition, the greatest moment of that tournament was when India’s national anthem was played after I won gold. I was overwhelmed and that was the moment I decided that I will become a professional boxer,” she shares.
Not only was this the first win at an international tournament for the Indian boxer, but this was also the first time she sat on the flight. Just before leaving the country for the competition, Nikhat shares an amusing incident, “I have motion sickness, so I requested a window seat on the flight. I didn’t know that you can’t use those windows.”
Scaling new heights
After the Turkey win, there was no looking back for Nikhat. She won medals at various national and international events, including the 2014 Youth World Boxing Championships, Bulgaria, the 2014 Nations Cup International Boxing Tournament, Serbia, and the 2015 16th Senior Woman National Boxing Championship, Assam.
However, in 2017 the champion’s shoulder snapped during an Inter-University Championships bout, forcing her out of the ring for a year. “As sportspersons, we are often told that injuries are a part of our journey. But, there is nothing more difficult than sitting out of the ring and watching compatriots do so well. I always found myself thinking about all those tournaments I could have been winning medals at. I was mentally down. Many people said that I was finished and had no chance of representing India again,” shares the Indian boxer.
[caption id="attachment_14275" align="aligncenter" width="673"] Nikhat after winning the 2022 Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament[/caption]
But just when people were about to write her off, the girl boxing champ made a resounding comeback after winning gold at the 56th Belgrade Winner International Championship 2018. “Before that tournament, I remember I was determined to show everyone who thought that my career was finished, what I was made off. I practiced a lot and finished on the podium,” says the smiling girl boxing champ.
Winning the world
Currently at the national camp, at the Indira Gandhi Stadium, as a flyweight boxer, she feels she doesn’t just need power. Explaining further, the girl boxing champ says, “(I need) speed to step in and out, duck, weave and throw punches. For any tournament, I do strength training - to convert strength into power. We also do cardio, and train in the ring.”
The boxer, who recently returned to India after her second gold at the 2022 Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament, is back to training hard to claim more laurels. “I took a short leave to visit my family in Nizamabad. My next aim is the upcoming World Boxing Championships and later the 2024 Paris Olympics. I dream of winning gold there for my nation,” shares the girl boxing champ.
A foodie at heart, Nikhat enjoys trying new things. “When I travel for tournaments, I hardly get time. I just keep training. However, whenever there is a chance of getting a break, I go out and eat with my team members. In fact, whenever I am back in Nizamabad, I catch up with friends over street food. Although, I have to keep a tab on what and how much am I eating,” shares the Indian boxer.
(September 19, 2024) In March 2020, two young women launched a podcast, sitting in their bedrooms and broadcasting from their laptops. They had a modest audience of around a thousand listeners at the time, all they wanted to do was make finance more approachable to first-time investors. Simran is a TEDx speaker and her podcast, Girls That Invest has over one million downloads to date. The two friends, Simran Kaur and Sonya Gupthan, were over the moon. "We're from New Zealand. It's a small island. Things like that don't really happen around here," Simran told Vogue. In 2022, they also published their book, Girls That Invest: Your Guide to Financial Independence through Shares and Stocks, which is available on Amazon. Why teach women to invest? To give them the independence so many of them sorely lack, they say. " The Global Indians both grew up in Auckland, and first met when Simran, then five years old, stole some stickers from Sonya, also five. That was the start of a lifelong friendship and, although they didn't know it yet, a thriving business. Both had comfortable lives, attending good public schools. Simran recalls, however, the family's Sunday rip to the temple, which was
hat was the start of a lifelong friendship and, although they didn't know it yet, a thriving business. Both had comfortable lives, attending good public schools. Simran recalls, however, the family's Sunday rip to the temple, which was in a less affluent part of town. "Very quickly, I learnt my temple friends didn't have the same privileges and experiences that my school friends did, and the reason was money. Money is such a huge part of our lives, it affects how we interact, it affects our ability to receive access to care," Simran said. Sonya, like her friend, had a good life and didn't really think of personal finance until she turned 18, which she admits is "a huge privilege in itself." On her 18th birthday, her brother gave her a copy of Rich Dad Poor Dad, which stoked her interest.
Girls That Invest
As Simran began learning about investing, the early experience was quite formidable. Full of complex jargon, the subject seemed unapproachable. Still, she was just about to begin her career and wanted to know how to manage her money. She did a certificate course in investing and was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't so difficult after all. Not long after, the two girls sat together in Simran's bedroom at her university, and had their first heart-to-heart about money. That's where this story begins, really. They chatted for hours, discussing what they earn, save and invest. "There was such fire in that conversation, we thought that we should share this information as a podcast to encourage friends and family to invest too."
The idea for a podcast had already been on Simran's mind. "Right after the conversation, we made tea and Sim talked about her vision for Girls That Invest and starting a podcast - it didn't take much convincing for me to jump on board," said Sonya. With these modest intentions, the two friends decided to start a podcast. The pandemic provided them with an opportunity - as stocks spiralled, Simran knew it was a good time to invest. That's how Girls That Invest began, as a friendly banter between two childhood friends sitting in a bedroom and broadcasting from a laptop. "It was truly a grassroots mission, we learned everything about ourselves through editing, recording, software all through our saviour Google while trying to balance full-time jobs," Sonya recalls. Two years down the line, Girls That Invest has nearly 2,00,000 monthly downloads and a big social media fan base.
Changing a mindset
"Only the rich can invest'. 'That's too complicated'. 'I'll invest after I buy a house and a car'. 'It's boring'. The idea of investing is full of misconceptions, although there is a wealth of apps and businesses that help with it, the sheer volume of information is daunting too. Interestingly, Simran and Sonya observed, in their own words, that "most money-media is usually about men. For women, it's about how to save $10 on your grocery bill."
They made it their mission to remove jargon and deliver advice that be understood and followed. Sonya admits that it was a barrier she faced too. "One of the most important t hings to know is to figure out what type of learner you are. This allows you to understand how you can digest and retain information best," Sonya says.
Girls That Invest is also a book now, and was the number 1 business book on WH Smith. The entrepreneurs have also relaunched their masterclass. They gave their first TEDx talk in the US and are nearing the quarter-million follower count on Instagram.
The aim of being savvy with money, the two entrepreneurs say, is freedom. "Money is not about cars or fancy things for me, it's the ability to live life the way I want to. It means choosing when I work, where I work, how I live my life, who I surround myself with, how much time I spend with my loved ones and what values I live by daily," says Simran.