Sarthak Sethi
The early stages of your career are the perfect time to take a risk and start something new.” Sarthak Sethi
Engineering Business Management MSc
“I feel like I’ve been in the tech space for most of my life. My academic background is in telecommunications engineering, but I’ve been coding since I was 10, and started developing software and electronics back in high school.
I’ve always wanted to live in a seaside town, so Sussex felt like a great fit for my Masters. Being a few miles from the beach was incredible, and entrepreneurship felt like a significant aspect of the Sussex experience - I liked that I could attend networking events and work on my own personal development alongside my studies.
The idea for FlexiFone was inspired by a flight from Dubai, where I realised I had great internet coverage thousands of feet in the air. I could message and make video calls, but as soon as I got on the train at Gatwick, the network coverage was super patchy. A few months later, I was working on my dissertation, which focused on drones and autonomous flying vehicles. It was difficult for my drone to connect with networks at the far reaches of campus, so I developed a system that uses multiple SIM cards to create ‘aggregate’ connections that improve signal coverage. I thought back to my earlier experiences, and began to wonder whether this approach could be implemented in technologies like consumer smartphones.
I had the software engineering skills to develop the FlexiFone app by myself, but Sussex provided the support I needed to develop the concept further. Ideas Lab helped me to identify problems, approach customers and pitch more effectively, while the Summer Accelerator offered sessions on areas like marketing, financial planning and team building. Developing these skills has also helped me to feel more confident in writing business plans and developing funding applications, which recently helped me to secure a prestigious development grant from Innovate UK.
My time at Sussex has helped me grow in so many ways. My tutors encouraged me to apply to extracurricular opportunities, and helped me to manage my time effectively to achieve what I wanted to do. My time on campus also introduced me to a new hobby – after noticing small planes flying overhead, I'm now working towards getting my own private pilot’s licence!
Entrepreneurship isn’t easy, and it isn’t for everybody. You need to be willing to learn from other people’s insights and your own past experiences. You need to explore areas ranging from funding to storytelling, and learn what investors are looking for. You might fail and have to start all over again, but the early stages of your career are the perfect time to take a risk and start something new. Why work for someone else when you can take a leap and launch something of your own?