Rasika Patel, Xplore Austin
I started a jewelry business in middle school, and a baking business and print-on-demand business in high school, so I’ve pretty much been an entrepreneur for as long as I can remember. Having surrounded my middle and high school years around entrepreneurship, I’ve also known that running a business is what I’m meant to do!
Rasika Patel, Class of 2028
One of my proudest moments in creating my business was the validation I received from both UT students and small businesses around campus; the first time I interviewed both groups, they were both ecstatic for my application to come out because it’s “exactly what they needed.” After interviewing 15+ students and 10+ small businesses, every interviewee claimed that they would definitely use the app, which was one of my proudest moments.
How Did You Come Up With The Idea For Your Business?
I originally came up with the idea for my business through a case competition last November. The idea stemmed from me having started several small businesses, as well as working for a small business for three years, and I realized that there wasn’t an accessible platform for UT students to discover small businesses that they didn’t already see everyday.
Xplore Austin
Website
Industry
Social Impact / Technology
Mission
Xplore’s mission is to help UT students discover and support local and student-run businesses through authentic, student-driven discovery, to allow these small businesses to gain foot traffic and sales.
Year Founded
2024