Yeah, I know: that’s a lot to accomplish as an 18-year-old! And so, on the July 4th weekend, we sat down and dove into the different things that have made her the person she is today. Taarini’s drive for entrepreneurship was sparked when her parents shared their own stories of their entrepreneurial journey with her when she was just 6 years old. Taarini was fascinated by the impact you can have on others as an entrepreneur.
By the time she was in 8th grade, she started an entrepreneurship club, wherein students were assigned different roles based on their strengths. Learning about entrepreneurship, she was flabbergasted by the comparatively few number of women in the field. She also learned more about disadvantaged women and the lack of VC funding through non-profit organizations such as TIEcon and movements that represent marginalized communities, like the Jakara Movement. All of these events lead to the founding of the venture capital firm Brave14.
However, starting out, she, like many others, would sometimes lose motivation for her work. Her proposals and ideas would be misunderstood or shot down. Even loved ones would be indifferent to her ideas and vision. But what kept her going was her commitment to help other marginalized communities. It is her hope for these communities that propels her forward and inspires her to keep going, especially when the days get tough.
Through her work with her venture capital firm, her association with non-profit organizations, and her Instagram account @classywomenn, she inspires other women to pursue entrepreneurship. From time to time, she has also taken advantage of networking opportunities available through various organizations, which helped her gain more diverse perspectives and refine her presentation skills and the way she spoke about venture capital. That’s why she recommends joining organizations like ASEI, which provide a platform for tech professionals and youth to network and gain inspiration from other industry leaders.
Her advice for youth today is to keep fighting. Continuing to pursue your passions; showcase the fact that you are worthy and capable. She says, “you have no idea how that will impact your life. You may not have all the bells and whistles in the early stages of your journey, but your ability to consistently move forward on your idea keeping the end in mind is the first and most important gateway to success.”
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This article is based on conversations ASEI president Piyush Malik and ASEI youth coordinator Aditya Guthey, a Silicon Valley chapter member and a career coach have had with Taarini Kaur Dang for ASEI Youth Corner via Youtube on 7/4 and on Clubhouse 7/24.
ASEI has a partnership with Moonpreneur – a Silicon Valley based startup that accelerates youths’ path from STEM education to entrepreneurship. They are offering summer internships for ASEI youth members as well in summer 2022. Click to avail special offers for ASEI community
