MEET OUR MENTOR: RITA KAKATI-SHAH @ UMA
What does impact entrepreneurship mean to you? Why is it important to support impact ventures/founders?
When you make a difference in the world, however big or small, that positively affects someone’s life, way of living, our planet, then you are creating impact. When you are an entrepreneur that specifically creates solutions to these problem that changes lives, then you are an impact entrepreneur. Typically impact projects don’t earn as much revenue to start, and so supporting these change-making founders is key.
From your experience, what is the biggest obstacle young/minority entrepreneurs face? Any advice for them?
A big hurdle is funding, another is lack of resources such as meaningful contacts, and the third is mentoring, which can help tie the first two together. I’d suggest any new founder to first identify a mentor figure, whether from their alumni institution, workplace, friend or family circle to start bouncing ideas off and gaging interest and feedback, and to attend as many events as possible where you can meet other founders, funders, and just network.
ABOUT: Rita Kakati-Shah is an award-winning, gender, diversity, inclusion and career strategist, speaker, mentor and advisor to Fortune 500 companies. She founded Uma in response to her personal journey of motherhood, transitioning careers and entrepreneurship, and is dedicated to empowering women and minorities around the world. Prior to Uma, Rita lead Business Development globally in CNS healthcare. She began her professional career at Goldman Sachs in London, where she was awarded the prestigious Excellence in Citizenship and Diversity Award. She is also a Distinguished Alumna of King’s College London and a triple Stevie Awards for Women in Business winner and is also a judge for the Middle East Awards.
Rita is a graduate of King’s Business School, is actively involved with the King’s Leadership, Diversity and Entrepreneurial Institute Mentoring Programs, and is also a member of the New York and Los Angeles Alumni Committees. Rita actively coaches and mentors business leaders, veterans, survivors of domestic violence, women in technology/STEM, schoolgirls and students. She also serves as an advisor, ambassador, and diversity and inclusion expert to multiple boards and global organizations around the world, such as the JCC of Manhattan, Women Veterans’ Founding Circle of the ACP, New York City Bar Association, Democracy Without Borders in India, Turning Rock Partners, Ormiston Park Academy and the London Bihu Committee.
Rita is also a regularly invited speaker and guest lecturer at various academic institutions, multinational corporations and global policy forums such as UNESCO in Paris, European Parliament in Brussels and many more spanning New York, Delhi, London, Madrid, San Francisco, Shillong, Sochi, Toronto and Zambia.
Rita has been featured as an expert on multiple international television and news shows, interviewed and quoted in various podcasts and publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Thrive Global, Dell Technology, PRWeek and iHeartRadio. Rita also hosts the popular South Asian television show, The Uma Show, on Mana TV International. She is also a best-selling author, and has co-authored books on women in business, diversity and inclusion. Rita is also a trained and accomplished classical Indian dancer in the forms of Bharata Natyam and Xattriya, enjoys Post-Impressionist oil painting, is a foodie and loves trying new spots for afternoon tea around New York City, where she lives with her husband and two young children.
Check out Uma’s website here: beboldbeuma.com & Rita’s New School IEI Podcast on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/episode/5