Ritu Nayaran, CEO and co-founder of Zūm, explains how her mother was her biggest champion.

“[My mother is] my dreamcatcher. As a child and growing up, I was fascinated by math and physics. I wanted to be an engineer or an astronaut. At that time in India, where I grew up, there was only one astronaut in a country of 1 billion people. Nevertheless, my mom believed in my aspirations and never discouraged me. It was her unconditional faith in me that helped me become the first female engineer in my family. At that time, as a girl in India, the idea of a female going on to engineering and advanced degrees was progressive and forward-thinking. My mom was (and is) my fiercest supporter and encouraged me to achieve my goals every step of the way.”

Nayaran’s favourite quote, according to a Medium interview, is:

“You can’t be what you can’t see.”