It’s important for young students to be exposed to the world of work early in their academic journey, according to Sabari Raja, founder and CEO, Nepris.

Nepris facilitates that classroom-to-industry experience through virtual connections.

WorkingNation sat down with Raja at the ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego.

To date, Nepris has reached two million students across the country including Texas and California, among other states.

Raja says her motivation for starting Nepris was inspired by her own experience. “I grew up on a small coconut farm in south India to parents without college degrees. I had one uncle who was very different from the rest of my family. Most of my family was into farming. He was a tech entrepreneur.”

When visiting him as a child, Raja says her uncle pointed to a large facility – Biocon Limited – and told her it was founded by a woman. Raja says, “It opened all kinds of possibilities for me.”

“It was the first spark. For me, at that point, success was defined as becoming a successful entrepreneur. It always goes back to that moment.”

Learn more about Nepris.