This article was originally posted on Symantec's Medium publication #iamtech, by Pranam Lipinski, CEO, co-founder at @DoorofClubs. The #iamtech series explores the experience of minorities and women in tech through engaging personal stories within and outside of Symantec.
You have likely heard of student clubs or may have even been a member of one during high school or college. When I started my investment club in college, I could have never imagined that it would one day inspire me to create a solution for helping diverse students receive outstanding career opportunities.
I serve as the co-founder and CEO of a startup that provides companies targeted recruitment through student clubs at over 140 top colleges across the country. Our platform helps over 500 student clubs receive job and internship opportunities from Fortune 100's to non-profits.
The core foundation of our solution stems from my own unique background. I grew up in a diverse family and have benefited greatly from the valuable resource that is a student club.
Background:
My story begins in rural Massachusetts, where my family was one of a few who did not look like everyone else. I am the son of a Nepalese immigrant mother and an American Peace Corps father. I was the only kid in town with a different name and one of four students in my high school (including my brother) whose skin was any shade darker than white. However, being a three-sport athlete, I learned the value of working together beyond our differences and developed lifelong relationships with teammates that I now call best friends.
Founding a Club:
When I became a business major at Endicott College, I found myself surrounded by like-minded individuals with a passion for investing. We would get together regularly to discuss investment topics from Wall Street to Main Street and how we could potentially contribute. As the meetings became more frequent, we decided to start the Investment Club with a diverse founding group of men and women, and gained our college’s official support.