What started out as a joke between Lalit Kalani WG11 and his classmate Dan Garblik WG11 about the spiciness of Indian food led to a Kickstarter campaign, which led to them founding Bandar Foods. They produced the first mainstream Indian hot sauce and have now branched into snacks like naan chips.
Kalani recently returned to where it all started, Wharton’s Philadelphia campus, to participate in the Entrepreneur in Residence Program, during which time he met with aspiring student founders to offer guidance and words of wisdom. We took that opportunity to ask him:
How have you felt the Wharton Effect?
His response came back to his experiences getting a business off the ground. A significant portion of what Bandar Foods has raised has come from the Wharton network, Kalani said. What’s more, along the way, Wharton professors have served as advisers and mentors.
“It’s certainly a network that lives with you and breathes with you as you navigate your career and life after Wharton,” he said.
