From an Average Student to Founder of a Design School Understanding that famous brands are distinguished by their design led Radha Kapoor to launch her own design school

By Punita Sabharwal

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Radha Kapoor admits being an average student at school. But one thing that separated her from others was her inclination towards the creative genres. This inclination made her create an identity for herself rather than just being known as the daughter of country's leading entrepreneur Rana Kapoor. Her parents always allowed her to pursue her passion. She studied design and management at Parsons School of Design at The New School, New York. On her return, she wanted to leverage her design and creative aspect to do something meaningful for India. "Design and innovation are key drivers to future businesses. What Apple and other successful brands have in common is design and innovation," she says. Working on this belief, she started DOIT Creations where the idea was to invest in creative ventures and new game-changing ideas where design, creativity and innovation are a common thread. She also set up a school in partnership with her alma mater, Parsons School of Design at The New School, offering design courses. The school has recently tied up with the WPP School of Communication.

She also runs an accelerator program with Microsoft Ventures, deriving an environment where people can be job creators than job seekers. "It's the Silicon Valley model that we are trying to replicate here," she shares. Currently, it is the only accelerator in India that focuses on design. On setting things on her own rather than being a part of the legacy, she says, "My father's Yes Bank, in its set-up, is very professionally run so there is no family involvement in the bank. I was very sure of doing something disruptive. It's always interesting to start something on your own."

(Article first appeared in the Entrepreneur Magazine, March 2016, India edition)

Punita Sabharwal

Entrepreneur Staff

Managing Editor, Entrepreneur India

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