East Central University student Srijita “Dia” Ghosh is already putting her entrepreneurial skills into action.
The senior from Kolkata, India won the pitch competition and placed second in the small business division at the i2E Love’s Entrepreneur’s Cup held this past spring.
Ghosh’s winning product is called “StoPanic,” an emergency device, resembling a hearing aid, that is designed to help people overcome panic attacks by playing calming music when it detects certain physiological changes.
“I am currently working on patenting my product with the $10,000 prize money that I won for the competition,” said Ghosh. “Dr. Stacy Bolin, my mentor, coached me through this.”
Ghosh was primed for that statewide collegiate competition by virtue of placing second in ECU’s own Tiger Tank Pitch Competition last November.
“It kind of gave me a confidence boost,” Ghosh said. “It was overwhelming. I gave my best and I’m very happy.”
Ghosh said she also received coaching from James Eldridge, interim president and CEO of the Ada Jobs Foundation.
“He helped me in preparing for my competition,” said Ghosh, who was recently hired by Eldridge as an intern and entrepreneurship specialist for the Ada Jobs Foundation. “With the entrepreneurship strategy, it’s something I want to do in my career.”
Bolin says Ghosh’s drive for success is inspiring.
“I am very excited to see Dia share her experience as a young entrepreneur with the community of Ada,” said Bolin, assistant professor and director of ECU’s Wilburn L. Smith Center for Entrepreneurship. “While continuing to make progress with StoPanic, Dia is already working on another entrepreneurial endeavor. Her drive for success is inspiring and contagious.”
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