Naomi Rajput ‘26, BS Behavioral Neuroscience | Mumbai, India and New Jersey
What inspired you to pursue your current field of study/research?
My first co–op resulted in me pursuing my venture – Eden. Working as a front office administrator, I saw pain points on administrative workflows that affected physicians, admins, and patients alike. This resulted in me exploring current solutions in the space and after realizing that the solutions were outdated or did not solve the problem, I sought out innovative ways to solve this problem which resulted in me cofounding this venture.
What does winning a Science Connects to Innovation Scholarship mean to you?
Winning the Science Connects to Innovation Scholarship provides us with the support to advance to the next steps. We can use the funds to pilot our product with our pilot partner and prove that what we plan to do can happen. With these funds we can acquire new clients and grow the business and get better care faster to patients.
What do you plan to use the Science Connects to Innovation Scholarship for?
We plan to use the scholarship to accelerates our technological build and client acquisition over the next few months. We have built out three features already and this money will help us continue to build the remaining features.
How has implementing entrepreneurship impacted your view on science and/or your current research/study area?
Entrepreneurship has made me more open minded, and I see things a lot more differently. I think in science we sometimes get caught up with a micro level focus and in technical language, but through this venture I have learned to communicate effectively with broad, non-technical audiences – a key asset to any founder.
Where do you see your entrepreneurship ideas going in the next few years?
I plan to build Eden and grow the startup to a successful and sustainable business. I also plan to become a physician entrepreneur.
What advice would you give science students interested in entrepreneurship?
Don’t limit yourself to your textbooks, premed, or study track. Life begins on the other side of fear.
Explore new territories and challenge yourself. Don’t seek comfort or balance – Aggressive Growth is the product of imbalance. Just dive in and ask the obvious annoying questions – no one is an expert.
What is something that you are most proud of?
I am proud of my involvement in bringing entrepreneurship to COS while working with Assistant Dean Reisberg. I have been able to educate my peers about the benefits and importance of having business acumen, grit and persistence – I recently gave a TEDxNortheasternU talk on that very topic – The Growth Blueprint: Neuroplasticity, Grit, and the Power of Change.
