(1) Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Manvi Kapoor. I’m a foodie from Toronto with way too many dietary restrictions. During the day, I’m a fintech Product Manager. At night I’m a bootstrapped start-up founder leading a team that is building menu personalization software and ingredient classification AI technology.
(2) In two sentences or less, describe how you participate in the startup ecosystem.
I’m the Founder & CEO of Gravi Train Technologies Inc. I’m building ingredient classification AI that helps hungry people with multiple dietary restrictions find something convenient to eat quickly.
(3) What are you currently reading right now and would recommend to others?
Potatoes Not Prozac by Kathleen DesMaisons was recommended to me by my Endocrinologist. It talks about how the order in which you eat food and at what time of day impacts your mood. It cites a number of studies and simplifies biochemistry so you understand that, for example, you should eat carbs after eating protein to prevent spikes in blood sugar. Stable blood sugar = stable mood. In a way, this book is a great productivity hack.
(4) What makes you stay in the startup ecosystem?
The little fat kid inside me who constantly wants to eat but has soooo many dietary restrictions. And the other annoying kid who constantly wants to create cool tech that can help maximize playtime.
(5) What drives your passion about the startup ecosystem?
I’m a bit of a loner to be honest. I keep my head down and work on ideas that make my life better, but that can also help others at the same time. I’m less interested in being social in an ecosystem for the sake of participating in an ecosystem and more interested in positively impacting multiple peoples’ lives in a scalable way. If I can find people who are aligned with my perspective then I’m happy to keep in touch. The ability to create something from nothing for myself vs for someone else in a traditional 9-5 is most appealing to me right now.
(6) Where do you see the startup ecosystem in 5 years?
More de-centralized collaboration. With all of the information at our fingertips, I see founders being able to do more with less but having the option and the resources to surround themselves in curated communities that could span multiple channels and locations. Hopefully there is more funding available for female founders of colour.
(7) How has failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success?
Knowing when to quit vs committing vs pivoting. I’ve quit past endeavors at the worst time – this includes being invested in something for too long that clearly isn’t sticking and quitting too late rather than pivoting, but also quitting too early for various reasons. I have a better compass now because of it and I’m confident that I’m able to recognize a winning product. I’m also able to better problem-solve vs quitting or incorrectly pivoting. The path to success is made up of corrected failures or lessons learned from failures.
(8) What is one of the best worthwhile investments you’ve ever made (could be financial, time, energy, etc.)?
I work a traditional job for a few years and then I take a few years off (mini-retirement). During my mini retirements I always learn a new skill. in doing so, I’m becoming less and less dependent on a traditional job. One of the best things I’ve done is taken the time to learn how to trade (not invest in) stocks and options. I’ve learned how to be a fundamental trader and a technical trader. I’ve learned how to make money in bull and bear markets. I no longer feel the stress and anxiety that comes with fearing unemployment. This has allowed me to take bigger risks and make bigger and more creative bets in my entrepreneurial endeavours. The other best investment has been doing a minor in law during undergrad. Knowing how to identify, navigate, and exploit loopholes, whether in legislation or in contracts has given me advantages that I could’ve never dreamed of. It’s like finding a cheat code in a game.
(9) What do you do to refocus yourself when you feel overwhelmed or unfocused?
Besides eating, I do something physical where I can turn off my brain. This includes going for a hike, a batting cage, the gym, or playing a sport (softball, volleyball, hockey).
(10) What’s one piece of advice you would give someone trying to break into the startup ecosystem?
Don’t try to do everything yourself. It’s okay to hire help, whether it’s in the house or for your business. Figure out what tasks you enjoy doing. Hire someone to do everything else. Otherwise, you’ll burn yourself out.
Click HERE if you would like to get in touch with Manvi.
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