Business may be known as a challenging world of entrepreneurship, but that hasn’t stopped freshman Arav Kumar from kick-starting his career through his extensive business profile.
In general, businesses focus on four main sectors to maximize their profits and efficiency: research and development, production, management, and funding. Arav said he has established his personal profile based on the funding aspect of a business. He was initially introduced to business at a young age through his mother, who works in the business world, as well as through his fascination for famous businessmen. “Media introduced me to famous people, and I was (and still am) very fond of Elon Musk and Bill Gates,” Arav said. He also has a love for business itself. “I enjoy problem-solving, and business seems like the most efficient way of doing that,” he said.
Currently, Arav’s business, which he built in 2016, aims to deal with major world problems in manageable increments by innovating new solutions and simpler ideas. As of now, his staff consists of himself and a handful of other volunteers who help with the production and funding aspects. Arav built the outline for his project by launching and managing new products, and he was inspired by an innovation competition he took part in at Wesleyan University, which featured many top-notch contributors to the business field. “There were many speakers there at the conference, some who had their own nonprofits and for-profit businesses as well as some who worked very high up in companies such as Apple, Motorola, and more,” Arav said. The day included presentations on marketing, product cultivation, and investor relations, as well.
After this, there was a pitch competition in which the young entrepreneurs, like Arav, had two minutes to pitch an idea that they brought with them. The winner of this competition would receive 150 dollars, access to an office, and innovation space full of tools to create their invention. Additionally, their product would be featured in the Innovation Destination magazine. Luckily for him, Arav’s invention won, and he was allowed to create his business into what it is now.
Arav said he has been working on his business more in-depth these past four months because his product just became applicable to the markets. His team is aiming to hit the markets with an even newer invention by July 2020. As of now, Arav is focusing on gaining funding for his product through his Kickstarter page.
The product’s purpose lies in finding a solution to pollution (also known as an STP) and how to stop some of the world’s greatest issues: global warming as well as climate change. Actually called STP, Arav said it’s a small, lightweight, and heat resistant metal tube which is meant to be attached to a tailpipe of a vehicle, where the special substance inside purifies the exhaust. Arav said he believes STP is an amazing invention for those who do not own electric cars and need a solution for gas-powered vehicles. This way, the carbon footprints of gas-powered cars are reduced. The extremely affordable invention only costs seven dollars to make, a benefit for Arav’s business. It also lasts for one month and purifies 90 or more percent of the exhaust, a benefit for the consumer. Arav assures that this percentage is valid and has been calculated through a number of certified trials.
Here at Kingswood Oxford, Arav said he is working on making an impact within the school by bringing his creative energy and wicked math skills to the investment club, creating more opportunities for those interested in business, and informing those who don’t know so much about it. It’s obvious that Arav has a bright future ahead of him, and the KO community looks forward to experiencing a frontseat to his accomplishments.
