Sushan Shetty (MBET '22), Associate Managing Consultant, Mastercard
It's not a typo; intrepreneurship is a thing. When we think of entrepreneurs, we think of self-starters disrupting markets and creating startups and ventures that lead to new things. And while that's a road that lots of people travel, the reality is that many more are making a difference and coming up with innovative projects and ideas within businesses and organizations. That intrepreneurial approach is exactly what Sushan Shetty is doing.
Remember when credit card promotions came as pieces of paper that fell out of your monthly statement envelope when you opened it? For decades credit card companies used this direct-mail approach. It must have worked; credit card companies built a huge industry using this form of marketing. But it's shifting.
Sushan Shetty works for Mastercard as an Associate Managing Consultant and is turning this age-old practice on its head. Customer data allows him to come up with personalized, real-time communications. For example, Shetty’s marketing technology stack team can use customer information to put together credit card reward offers that are tailored to individual clients, making them more appealing. This is just one of the countless examples of how intrepreneurs make a difference to an industry from within a business.
Creating opportunities when your career reaches a plateau
Shetty credits the Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) program at the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business for where he is today. With eight years under his belt in consulting roles in India, Shetty always knew that consulting was where he wanted to dedicate his career, but he’d reached a plateau. Applying to new roles and opportunities, Shetty felt like it was time to level-up his education. Exploring programs, he talked to graduates of programs from different institutions. What he loved about the MBET program was its hands-on approach to learning. “MBET allowed me to take a break from eight years in consulting, gain a new skill set and explore new ideas. It all just tied up for me."
Shetty had a startup idea but wasn’t sure if it was viable, or how to approach it. MBET gave him an arena to test it out as well as learn new skills that could help him grow in his career. The program allowed him to draw on the experience of faculty members and others in his cohort.
His MBET project wasn't built on the basis of commercialization but rather social good. Shetty’s parents run not-for-profit schools in India and observing their needs inspired him to come up with an idea to bridge the gap between internet connectivity and interactive learning. Using his virtual reality (VR) solution, students scan textbooks with their mobile devices to obtain additional interactive content in areas where connecting to the internet is patchy.
MBET allowed me to take a break from eight years in consulting, gain a new skill set and explore new ideas. It all just tied up for me.
“The faculty members in the program are amazing. You know, when you think of a business idea, you can easily talk yourself into thinking it’ll work. Faculty members give you an opportunity to see what’s likely to work and what’s not. They’ve seen it all. It’s sometimes hard to hear, but MBET allows you to work through problems before you enter the market with it.” And more than just building a viable startup idea, the process of going through those conversations is what Shetty draws on to see what can also be achieved within a corporation.
Shetty’s biggest takeaway from the program was what he learned interacting with fellow students in his cohort. As a listener and observer of others, Shetty picked up and learned from the experience and expertise of his peers. “I’m a curious person and I wanted to hear about others’ very different life and work experiences and understand what did and didn’t work for them. I was able to bounce ideas around with other MBET students. Those conversations were so rich.” Conversations with those that took an artistic approach to building a business pushed Shetty out of his corporate way of thinking.
He regularly connects with the many friends he made within his cohort. "I’ve made fantastic connections and great friends. You just can’t put a price or a value on those relationships.” They’re still in regular contact, bouncing ideas around and continuing to talk about how to make new things happen. Shetty continues to draw on these relationships and his MBET experiences to continue to create change on all the projects he works on at Mastercard.