Written by Jodi Chui
April 24, 2024
As a curious individual who constantly strives to expand my knowledge daily, I was immediately drawn to entrepreneurship. For as long as I can remember, I have always been surrounded by entrepreneurial family members. My mom started several businesses, from e-commerce startups in 1995 to real estate investments today. My aunts and uncles also started several businesses, and I have volunteered at them throughout my life. Seeing these accomplished women entrepreneurs successfully run their businesses inspired me to want to become an entrepreneur like them.
My curiosity for innovation and technology drew me to become a Computer Science major. However, I was still interested in exploring the entrepreneurial world. That is when I applied for Ciocca Center’s Idea Lab in the Spring quarter of my Sophomore year, which was one of the best decisions I’ve made here at SCU! I learned several lifelong skills, but one thing that stuck out to me, especially for entrepreneurs, was learning how to find a business opportunity by finding a pain point and empathizing with the people affected. This is also where I conceived my startup, DUTCH, along with my co-founders, Sabrina Gonzalez and Gema Sanchez Gomez. DUTCH is a new innovative app that provides an easy-to-use and hassle-free method to split checks. Recently, it was voted and publicized as 2023 Most Disruptive Business School Startups by Poets & Quants.
"I want to give back to my community and mentor others who have graciously guided me down this amazing path."
Nevertheless, once DUTCH’s theoretical components were finalized, we decided to apply for Ciocca Center’s BVA Prep School, where we planned to develop our product and launch our business. During this informative quarter, we attended workshops to develop our company, connected with a mentor to guide us, learned how to do a business pitch, and even placed third in Ciocca Center’s annual Business Pitch Competition!
Fast forwarding to now, my fourth and final year here at SCU, where I am currently the Co-Chair of Ciocca Center’s Student Advisory Board, I want to give back to my community and mentor others who have graciously guided me down this amazing path. Here at SAB, we strive to work with the Ciocca Center to increase the interdisciplinary entrepreneurial mindset on campus. We coordinate events ranging from networking & branding, dining with an entrepreneur, and Entreprelooza (our biggest event of the year)!
Jodi Chui'24 is a fourth-year student at Santa Clara University majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Entrepreneurship and Mathematics. She'll be joining the Workday Software Development Team after graduation!