MBA Challenge Q&A - RiteSight

RiteSight is one of six teams shortlised for our MBA Challenge. In an FT interview, team members explain their motivations.

Why did you enter the challenge?

Dev: I believed this would be a great learning opportunity, especially with respect to writing a business plan.

Aaron: It immediately intrigued me. I am currently working as the deputy director of administration at the Bansara Eye Care Centre, which is a leading eye care service provider in the state of Meghalaya in India. I can definitely see the need to solve this issue.

Kathleen: It was an excellent opportunity to learn something new. I have had the opportunity to work in India and Nigeria for several months - mainly on project and business development. It’s an enriching learning experience and I believe that humility and curiosity helps to bring people closer together.

Rajiv: I have always been attracted to challenges as it allows me to test out the knowledge gained in studies in practical settings. This is the seventh challenge I have now taken part in with the most recent one being the Hult Global Case Challenge where my team was awarded the runners up prize for our business model for One Laptop Per Child, an NGO.

Ishanie: I have had prescriptive glasses since I was in sixth grade. Knowing first-hand how it feels to be a child growing up wearing glasses, this challenge seemed to be just the right fit for me.

Enoch: My passion is driven by two questions: what would it take for all businesses to be sustainable? Can social entrepreneurship be synonymous with all types of entrepreneurship?

Why do you think your business plan should be chosen?

Rajiv: India has a caste system […] The only time people don’t think about their strata is when they are playing games. A game is something that brings everyone together – creating a level playing field that breaks boundaries.

People [also] look for products to have multiple uses [yet] glasses have always been used as one entity. If you give people more choice, they will be happy - choice is something we really love to have.

Furthermore, we have been lucky to partner with Ramak Radmard, an award winning industrial designer. His modular glass design was patented in 2007 and he won an award for it in 2009.

How have you found the experience of working with students in other regions?

Kathleen: I love to work with different personalities from different countries, cultures and backgrounds. How else are we going to learn from each other?

Dev: It has been easier to connect with students from other regions - people are always online! It has been more challenging to organise a physical meeting with people in the same city because of time and work constraints.

Aaron: It has been a challenging yet enriching experience. Even though internet based collaboration is good, it still has a long way to go.

Rajiv: Balancing different expectations is always challenging but in a constructive and positive way. I have learned a lot and believe that for any successful venture […] diversity should become the norm.

How do you feel your MBA has helped you with the challenge?

Dev: It has helped in structuring my approach to analysing a problem. My interpersonal skills have also developed greatly from dealing with people from different parts of the world.

Rajiv: Networking, problem solving, human resource management and innovation management are some of the key areas that the MBA has helped impact upon this challenge as well as other challenges.

Enoch: A great gain is that two other RiteSight team members are from my MBA programme. We have stuck together since we identified our core competencies.

Compiled by Charlotte Clarke