My aspirations to become an entrepreneur began long before I co-founded U.K. shuttle-bus service RideTandem. As a child, I had seen my father take on uncertainty when he set up Mercedes-Benz’s first dealership in Brunei, where I was born. His parents before him had successfully started a restaurant in the country, while my other grandparents had opened a bakery there. It’s probably no surprise, then, that I inherited the entrepreneurial itch. But before making the leap, I heeded my father’s advice and set out to gain a strong foundation.
Four years as a consultant on economic development projects after my undergraduate education exposed me to a range of business sectors and affirmed my interest in social impact. I applied to Wharton to expand my network with people of radically different professional backgrounds. Joining a dual-degree program — earning my MBA from Wharton and my master’s degree in public administration from Harvard — was also a deliberate choice to delve into both the public and private sectors during my time back at school.
At Wharton, operations, information, and decisions professor Senthil Veeraraghavan offered an invaluable analytical framework to assess whether overshooting or undershooting on a decision leads to worse outcomes. Outside the classroom, my time in the MBA Finance Club impressed on me that cash is king and that no matter how much equity you raise, a lack of visibility into finances could quickly lead to adverse consequences. And guidance from MBA Career Management’s Jenn Savoie led me to a post-graduation position with the Global Innovation Fund in London. That role enabled me to gain deep knowledge about the funding side of social impact entrepreneurship.
With the fundamental skills from my varying experiences, I finally made the switch into entrepreneurship myself. It was at Zinc — a venture builder that brings together founders to start social-impact businesses — that I met my two co-founders, and together, we identified the need for RideTandem.
Since launching in 2019, our company has facilitated more than two million journeys on shared shuttles for employees who may not otherwise have reliable commuting options. Our services have similarly avoided more than 16,000 metric tons of CO² emissions. A pivotal event early on was the funding we received from three of my WG14 peers in the form of our first angel investment, following our five-year MBA Reunion. From classroom insights to classmate support, Wharton has been crucial to RideTandem’s success from day one.
Published as “Road to Startup Success” in the Fall/Winter 2024 issue of Wharton Magazine.
