On Blue Day Thursdays, around 15 students gather in room 001 to learn essential business skills as part of a new club called the Saratoga Business Initiative (SBI) Club, which was approved in September.
Officers present a range of topics from brainstorming potential business ideas to the complete startup process, while actively engaging members in group activities and discussions.
Sophomore Shaina Salvi, the president and founder of the club, has around three years of experience in business and entrepreneurship through competitions and summer programs. The other officers — freshman vice president Sophie Haque, secretary Mahika Shandilya and treasurer Vedant Talwalker and sophomore director of outreach Kayla Li — all bring business knowledge from different backgrounds to the club.
The club’s main purpose is to create an inclusive space for members to brainstorm and develop ideas, gain hands-on experience and build valuable life skills such as financial management, leadership and public speaking. The officers will also prepare members for external business competitions such as the Conrad Challenge, which is held from August to April.
To complement their regular meetings, the officers plan on hosting workshops and bringing in guest speakers like students and alumni from business schools like Berkeley Haas or USC Marshall. Through this, Salvi aims to give members a glimpse of the professional world of business.
“The thrill of building something new and driving an impact in the community requires learning different facets of business, which inspired me to bring similar experiences to Saratoga,” Salvi said. “I want to help students create their own original pitches instead of being confined to a rubric.”
In the past few years, Salvi has competed in global business competitions, such as the Blue Ocean Competition, where she was recognized as one of the top 101-350 pitches out of over 12,000 participants. This summer, she attended the Berkeley Business Academy for Youth, a 2-week summer program, where her team won first place for their idea. In addition to learning a lot about teamwork and time management, Salvi found the program an amazing experience after spending two weeks living in the same dorm building and working with equally talented peers. All of this shaped Salvi’s vision for her club.
Looking ahead, SBI club leaders intend to host two major events: the Pitch Competition and the SBI Business Showcase, one at the end of each semester. The Pitch Competition will have members pitch startup ideas to a panel of judges — including industry professionals and CEOs — who will give feedback and investments to the strongest ideas. The SBI Business Showcase will be open to the school community, and teams will present their projects to the panel of judges after a semester of refinement.
Both events serve as a way for students to experience the full process of building a business from scratch. Currently, members have begun forming teams and ideas in preparation for the Pitch Competition.
“You don’t need prior business background to join our club,” Salvi said. “If you’re curious about business or just want to try something new, this is a place where you can turn your ideas into something real.”
