Neeharika Hemrajani

HEC Paris (M2M with Yale SOM)

“Tech founder on a mission to make feeling good feel simple; for everyone, every day.”

Hometown: London, UK

Fun Fact About Yourself: I used to run a very popular Justin Bieber fan page on Twitter and thought it was my life’s greatest success (true story). Now I run a tech start up and I definitely credit those days as my early lessons in product distribution.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Toronto, History Major, Double Minor in Political Science & Digital Humanities

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Publicis Sapient – Associate Product Manager

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of HEC Paris’ MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? It was HEC’s emphasis on entrepreneurship through Station F and the Venture Incubation Program. As a founder, I wanted a program that didn’t just teach business theory, but gave me access to a live startup ecosystem. The proximity to Europe’s leading tech hub and support for real venture-building was exactly what I needed to build and scale my startup, Coreo.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at HEC Paris ? What excites me most is the Entrepreneurship Club – not just for the community, but for the chaos of pitch competitions. There’s nothing like standing in front of a room full of skeptics and trying to convince them your barely-built product is the future. That pressure sharpens everything. I’m building an AI wellness startup, so I’m especially drawn to the opportunity to refine my pitch, meet other obsessive founders, and test ideas fast.

HEC Paris is just 17 kilometers from Paris. What do you see as the best part of earning your MBA so close to Paris? Paris is where technology meets soul. It’s a city that breathes creativity, ambition, and possibility. Being so close to Paris means building my startup in a place where ideas flow as freely as conversation over coffee. As a founder, I’m inspired by the contrast: the pace of innovation alongside timeless beauty, art and culture. There is no place I’d rather grow, learn, and create in my 20s.

Why did you choose a 16-month program over a one-year program? How do you see a HEC Paris MBA giving you an advantage in the marketplace? I chose a 16-month program because real innovation and learning takes time. Startups are not built in sprints; they require space to test, to pivot, to grow. The HEC Paris MBA, combined with the Yale SOM dual degree, gives me the chance to learn across two countries, two cultures, and two world-class schools. That kind of perspective is rare, and powerful. HEC has produced more Y Combinator (world’s top startup accelerator) founders than any other French university – and it shows. The spirit of building, of daring to create something new, is everywhere. There is no better place to shape the next chapter of my journey.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: What has been the defining experience in your life? How has it prepared you for the rigors of business school and your career in general? My biggest accomplishment is choosing the harder path: walking away from a stable job to build something of my own. I earned a spot in a competitive accelerator in Palo Alto, the heart of startup culture, where I’ve been building my company from the ground up. That alone was a milestone; being surrounded by world-class founders, advisors, and investors pushed me to level up fast. But the real work happens every day: testing ideas, hearing no, pivoting, pitching again, and figuring things out in real time. There’s no comfort zone, just constant urgency and the pressure to grow before you’re ready. That journey has become my defining experience. It’s prepared me for the pace and intensity of business school; juggling classes, navigating uncertainty, and collaborating with peers from around the world. I’ve developed the grit, curiosity, and adaptability to thrive in an environment where you’re expected to learn fast and lead faster.

Looking ahead two years, what would make your MBA experience successful? Two years from now, success would mean more than just a degree. It would mean building lifelong friendships, contributing meaningfully to HEC’s community, and leaving behind a legacy that inspires the next generation – especially women in tech who dare to dream bigger. I want to break the barriers on raising funding as a female founder, launch products that change how we approach wellbeing in our daily lives, and show what’s possible when ambition meets purpose. If I can walk away having grown as a conscious leader, made space for others, and built something that lasts beyond me, then my MBA will have been everything I hoped for.

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