Nikita Gupta is the CTO and co-founder of Symba, an all-in-one digital platform that helps organizations streamline the management of their talent development programs, specifically targeting internships and apprenticeships. The female-founded tech startup is based in San Francisco and aims to power more than one million job opportunities in the next five years. Learn about Nikita Gupta…
Hometown: Princeton, NJ
First job: Software engineer at a startup
Favorite ways to spend your free time in CA: Exploring wineries in Napa, driving along the coast and finding the best fried chicken sandwich in San Francisco.
Your biggest accomplishment and why: Starting Symba with an incredible female-founded team. I’m lucky that I was able to take a risk earlier and co-found a startup after leaving a cushy software engineering job. Launching a startup has taught some incredible lessons, which I am forever grateful for and hope to inspire other women like myself to take the risks and not let fear get in the way.
The biggest obstacle you overcame: Throughout the startup journey, I’ve had to listen to many “nos.” Rejections coming from selling to potential customers, VC firms when it comes to raising money and much more. These experiences have helped us gain a muscle that has helped us overcome rejection and stay aligned with accomplishing our mission to #OpenUpTheWorkforce.
Someone who inspires you and why: Indra Nooyi, former CEO of Pepsi. She was the first woman of color and immigrant to run a Fortune 500 company and has been an inspiration to all South Asian women like myself.
Advice to someone pursuing a career path in what you do: Don’t be afraid of people who say no to you. Instead, take that as a challenge. And always dream big so you consistently have new goals to work towards.
Favorite quote: “Don’t follow the recipe, follow your gut.”
Something someone would be surprised to learn about you: I’ve officiated a wedding in Mandarin.
What makes someone fabulous: “If you do whatever you do but with style.”