Episode 20. Founder and CEO of Zum, Ritu Narayan

One Mother's Sacrifice Inspires Daughter's Mission to Move Families Forward.

In this episode, host Soon Yu interviews Ritu Narayan, the CEO of Zum, a company revolutionizing the school transportation system. Ritu shares her journey from India to becoming a tech leader in Silicon Valley, discusses her family's influence and the challenges she faced while building Zum. The conversation delves into Zum’s transition from serving individual parents to securing large school district contracts, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the pivotal moments that shaped the company. Ritu emphasizes the importance of staying passionate and making daily progress for aspiring entrepreneurs. This episode provides insights into scaling a technology-driven business and innovating within a traditionally stagnant industry.

2:24 Ritu's Family Inspiration and Background
4:15 Challenges and Sacrifices in Education and Career
12:29 Transition to the US and Tech Industry
20:19 The Birth of Zoom: From Idea to Execution
27:08 Entrepreneurial Lessons from Stanford
31:25 Evaluating the Revenue Model and Lessons from Entrepreneurship
39:40 Pivoting to B2B
51:14 Rock Bottom Moments
57:30 Ritu’s Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs