2020 Summer Catalyst Startup Profile: UNfabricated
当Prabaarja Bedi MBA'20年龄16岁时，她花时间与母亲一起设计礼服，经常去她家庭的纺织制造公司。她只看到了在工厂楼层工作的人，注意到从未使用过的堆织面料。Prabaarja还注意到印度有许多女性，缝制衣服的天赋，他们是失业的或对他们目前的工作不满意。性别不平等和纺织污染的普遍性，以及女性人才的未充分利用，激发了Prabaarja启动社会变革。
“我对减少纺织废物和赋予女性的热情，患有未经建订的。我们确定在纺织品制造公司中产生的可重复使用的废物面料，并将其交给未充分利用的女性劳动力，该劳动力具有基本的女裁缝技能。“作为联合创始人，她和她的母亲与所有女性生产房屋设计的产品和合作伙伴制造配件，服装，家居用品和面部面具。她的产品很优雅，以及社会和环保意识。事实上，邪教中的“联合国”是由三个关键的启发联合国可持续发展目标which the venture aims to address: no poverty, responsible consumption and production, and gender equality.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Prabaarja was eager to help out and launched the production of facemasks. In the beginning of July, UNfabricated began selling facemasks in India. The masks are sold on a buy one, donate one basis: when a customer purchases a mask, UNfabricated will immediately donate another mask to an individual who cannot afford one. After about three weeks, 80 masks have been sold in India and another 80 have been donated. UNfabricated has been preparing to launch this initiative in the United States. Prabaarja invites the recipients of the donations to to share photos wearing their masks. Check out UNfabricated’sInstagramto see photos and stay tuned for the release of masks in the U.S.
In夏季催化剂那Prabaarja has enjoyed networking with peers, building relationships with mentors, learning from Hot Seat, and attending Lunch & Learns. Her peers and mentors have provided invaluable feedback on her products, website, and the venture as a whole: “Being an entrepreneur gets really intense and having a strong support network is very helpful.” The most rewarding part of the entrepreneurial journey for her is waking up to do something she is incredibly passionate about. In addition to Summer Catalyst, Prabaarja was a member ofBabson’s Women Innovating Now (WIN) Labaccelerator.
What are some of the most valuable lessons Prabaarja has learned as an entrepreneur and how has the journey shaped her as an individual? First of all, it has given her more strength and resilience. She has learned that it is important to keep the ultimate vision in mind. Looking at the bigger picture, focusing on the impact, and reminding yourself of your major goals can help you persevere through challenging times.
她对抱负企业家的建议是什么？她鼓励她的同行与其他有不同技能的人合作;那样，同伴可以互相学习：“你不需要学习一切开始冒险。了解你的优势并在其他领域获得帮助。“她还认为，与企业家社区保持联系并在您需要时伸出帮助。