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Career
Between Vision and Venture: What I Learned at Ignite Trek
Some experiences don’t just inspire you — they shift your perspective, remind you of what’s possible and nudge you toward the version of yourself you’re becoming. For me, the Ignite Trek was exactly that.
Over the course of four immersive days in Silicon Valley, fellow Rice MBAs and I engaged with some of the most dynamic voices in the startup ecosystem. From walking into venture capital powerhouses like Kleiner Perkins and B Capital to hearing directly from founders like Sonia Garcia, Mark Randall and Shreya Mehta, we were granted a rare window into both sides of the entrepreneurial equation: those who build and those who support the builders.
What made these sessions stand out wasn’t just the caliber of the people in the room, but their willingness to share their journeys. These weren’t rehearsed origin stories; they were candid reflections on uncertainty, resilience and the winding roads that eventually led to impact. It was in their transparency that I found clarity.
Having run two small businesses in India and spent the past year exploring entrepreneurship in the United States, I arrived at the Ignite Trek with a quiet restlessness. I had been circling the edges of larger dreams, unsure if I was ready to leap. But being in those rooms with people who had leapt, stumbled, recalibrated and endured offered something invaluable — it gave me the momentum I didn’t know I was looking for. It reminded me that the journey is rarely linear, and that staying the course allows something meaningful to take root.
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Equally powerful as the access Ignite Trek offered was the cohort that surrounded me. Our diverse group spanned engineering, life sciences, business and beyond. Whether on bus rides or over breakfast, we exchanged ideas and learned from one another in ways that will stay with me.
Sitting across from people who haven’t just built companies, but created real impact through sheer will, is humbling. It shifts your sense of what’s possible — and reminds you that the most powerful force behind change is often unseen: quiet, steady and relentless perseverance.
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More than anything, Ignite Trek helped me reimagine what entrepreneurship means — not simply starting something, but shaping it with clarity, intention and resilience. And it reminded me that if you truly will it, you can build it.
About Ignite Trek
The Ignite Entrepreneurship Trek is an immersive four-day trip hosted by Rice Alliance that allows students to meet successful entrepreneurs and visit startups, high-tech companies and venture capital firms in Silicon Valley. Applications are open to Rice Business MBA, engineering and computing, and natural sciences graduate students, as well as Enventure community members. Want to ignite your entrepreneurial spirit? Learn more about the trek.
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Get to Know Lipi Gandhi, Full-Time MBA
Lipi calls Vadodara, India, home and worked as a brand and communications lead at Execo (formerly Cacti Global) prior to joining Rice Business. She chose the Rice MBA because of its strong reputation for entrepreneurship and collaborative, tight-knit community. Post-MBA, she is interested in working in brand and product management, with a focus on customer experience.
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