Indian Association at Penn hosts inaugural conference on entrepreneurship, career pathways

The Indian Association at Penn hosted its inaugural “Pathways Beyond Penn” conference on Sunday at the ARCH building.

The day-long event brought together Penn students and alumni for panels on investing, entrepreneurship, family business, and early careers as part of an effort to build stronger alumni connections and highlight global career pathways. Edelweiss Mutual Fund CEO and Managing Director Radhika Gupta delivered the keynote address. 

In an interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian, Wharton and Engineering senior and IAP co-president Teena Bhatia said the conference reflected a broader evolution in the group’s goals.

“I think the goal was always to be able to get to a level where we’re able to bring together alumni and current students to foster a community that Indian internationals were specifically missing out on because of a lack of structure,” Bhatia said.

Wharton and Engineering senior Seher Taneja, who is also IAP co-president, said the event was designed to extend the organization’s role beyond social programming.

“I always wanted to make sure that the Indian Association was not just about community in terms of social events, but also a way to build a network,” Taneja said.

Taneja added that connecting students with alumni was a key motivation behind launching the conference.

“For a lot of people who plan to go back [to India], it’s very important to have that connection and base, not just with friends, but also alumni,” she said.

The conference featured four panels: “Capital & Impact: Investing in India,” “Balancing Tradition with Growth: Family Businesses,” “Building The Future: Entrepreneurship,” and “Navigating First Roles: Early Careers.” 

Penn alumni working in venture capital, startups, investment management, and technology spoke on the panels, including 2016 College and Wharton graduate Saanya Ojha, who is a Bain Capital Ventures Partner.

2013 College and Engineering graduate and Master’s Union Founder Pratham Mittal, along with 2007 Wharton and Engineering graduate Anant Jatia — who founded Greenland Investment Management — also spoke at the event.

Organizers said they structured the program to address both immediate career decisions and longer-term pathways that are not always emphasized in traditional campus recruiting conversations.

Taneja pointed to the entrepreneurship panel as especially meaningful, both personally and for students considering global opportunities.

“I think one thing that I’m really excited for would definitely be entrepreneurship in India, because when I go back to India, the goal is to start something on my own,” she said. “Before coming to Penn, I actually interned at a company that the moderator started. It’s called Zivov, by Aryan Chauhan. It’s so full circle.”

College junior and IAP Co-Vice President Anmol Jain told the DP that the conference also responds to growing student interest in global opportunities tied to India’s economy. Jain explained that the event was open to a broad audience, including students interested in international markets and entrepreneurship more generally.

“There’s also people who are interested in investing in India and building startups in India, since it’s such a growing market,” Jain said.

Bhatia echoed Jain’s sentiment, adding that “it’s a global world” and a “global economy.”

“Learning about these different countries and how the world works is always useful, because everything is interconnected,” Bhatia said.

The event also included networking sessions and a lunch aimed at facilitating direct interaction between students and alumni.

“I hope we can make it established to the extent that alumni want to fly down for the conference to the U.S.,” Bhatia said. “Hopefully we can even have an edition hosted in India.”

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