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Co-founder and head of business development, ASANTe听

Matei Fawzy鈥檚 love of skiing has had plenty of applications in business, such as perseverance, acceptance, risk and planning.听

But sometimes, it鈥檚 been tough love, as he鈥檚 suffered more than a few injuries on the slopes.听

And when he dislocated his shoulder while skiing just before the pandemic, it meant asking a family member to help share the long drive to his Washington, D.C., home after packing up his apartment.

On the drive, they talked about creating a kind of ethical currency that would empower consumers to support and share gratitude on social media. Matei and a co-founder created a prototype of the idea, 鈥渂ut once we did some market testing, we realized we missed the mark鈥� he said.听

The skills needed for a quick pivot

But one of the reasons Matei chose Leeds over Cal Poly is the culture of entrepreneurship he saw at the school and Boulder. Instead of giving up on the idea, he spoke with his mentors and teachers and went into an accelerator. Six months later, he had pivoted to ASANTe, which he鈥檚 been working to build alongside teams of graduate student interns from 麻豆免费版下载Boulder who are studying engineering and computer science.听

鈥淲hat鈥檚 been most fulfilling so far is all the interns that have worked with us, and all the people that we have met and collaborated with,鈥� Matei said, including opportunities to compete in the New Venture Challenge at 麻豆免费版下载Boulder. 鈥淚鈥檝e learned so much from our interns, and I hope they can say the same about us.鈥�

It鈥檚 no surprise Matei gets along so well with his more technically oriented interns. He entered 麻豆免费版下载Boulder as a mechanical engineering student, 鈥渂ut what stood out about 麻豆免费版下载were how many great programs it has, and I knew as an engineer that I wanted to be able to network with business people,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 transferred to Leeds because the reality is, everything that鈥檚 innovative is going to come from collaboration between engineering and business, and I thought that my strengths are more aligned with my entrepreneurial pursuits.鈥澨�

Conscious consumership

His business courses have been instrumental in his ability to pivot ASANTe. The business aims to connect businesses with nonprofits and causes in their communities through engagement with consumers. A company can create a campaign on the platform, then attach the campaign to a product it鈥檚 selling. When consumers purchase the product, they get credits through ASANTe that can be donated to a nonprofit or redeemed for use at another business in the ecosystem.

鈥淥ur vision is really trying to create a community around impact, and making the world a better place through conscious consumership,鈥� Matei said. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 necessarily recommend everyone start a business as a student, but I learned so much doing the business alongside my coursework, because what I was learning at Leeds, I was applying directly to my business.鈥�

What鈥檚 next for ASANTe? Matei will be finishing a certificate in international business over the summer in Milan, where he鈥檒l also be a marketing intern with South Garage, a manufacturer of high-end motorcycles鈥攁nother hobby of his. Post internship, he plans to focus fully on getting the funding needed to ensure his startup is able to grow, even as he considers going full-time with South Garage or elsewhere, or working part-time with more focus on his business.听

鈥淏ut once ASANTE gets funding, I鈥檓 going full time,鈥� he said. 鈥淔or now, it鈥檚 just a matter of getting the wheels rolling as we prepare to launch. And if the funding stars don鈥檛 align, I will take my knowledge, skills and experience to contribute to a business aligned with my values and commitment to making a positive difference in the world.鈥�

More Faces of Leeds听 Undergraduate programs听 Deming Center for Entrepreneurship