Ritu Narayan of Zum
An exclusive Tech Tribune Q&A with Ritu Narayan (founder and CEO) of Zum, which was honored in our:
Tell us the origin story of Zum – what problem were you trying to solve and why?
Zum is on a mission to improve the lives of and break down barriers for students, school districts, communities, and parents by reimagining the 80-year-old institution that is student transportation.
The beginnings of Zum come from a personal and extremely relatable problem facing working parents. While working as a product manager at eBay, I struggled with getting my two active children to and from school and after-school activities reliably and without impacting my career. I faced a crossroads that many other parents have experienced, including my own mother, who left her job in India to take care of me and my two brothers. I knew there had to be another way, and that’s where Zum was born.
What was the biggest hurdle you encountered in your journey?
As a woman in business, it has always been important to me to use my position to share my voice and normalize women disruptors and idea makers. My hope is that even one person can hear my story or see what I’ve been able to achieve as someone who looks like them, and feel emboldened to do it too. If we can remove the systemic bias and provide more examples of success stories, we’ll be able to remove barriers for the rising generations.
In 2020, with the announcement of school closures and an immediate halt to school transportation, Zum was at a critical juncture. Zum had always been 100% focused on children and providing smart mobility for students, but never before had our mission and focus been more critical. I was able to connect with our customers, schools, districts, and families all over the U.S.. Our plan needed to pivot, and as a result, we radically shifted our ambition beyond serving parents to directly meeting all students’ unique learning needs while distance learning was put in place.
What does the future hold for Zum?
We envision a world where every school district in the country has the best available tools and technologies at their fingertips to deploy appropriately sized vehicles, create efficient routes, share infrastructure with other nearby districts, and, in the process, save millions of dollars that can be poured back into the classroom. The inefficiencies and inequities currently embedded in the school transportation system are rectified in real time, bus drivers receive the support they need to prioritize safety on the road and in their vehicles, parents have visibility into their children’s whereabouts, and students spend less time commuting.
What’s your best advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?
Always remember that you can’t be what you can’t see, but you may not always find a role model leading your way. In these situations, you’re responsible for picturing yourself doing the unimaginable. Visualize yourself reaching that success and mastering what others have not yet mastered. Once you have the image of the outcome you want in your mind, it becomes more realistic and attainable.