When Bhavini Patel ran for Allegheny County Council in District 8 in 2019, she lost.
However, the experience of running for public office set Patel on a new career path — founding a startup based on what she learned during her campaign.
While knocking on the doors of local constituents, Patel said she had a wide variety of conversations with people who had “real and visceral” interactions with the communities they lived in. To harness the knowledge that exists at that local level, Patel’s startup BeamData created the Be The Change software platform.
“The origins of BeamData were around representation around data and how data was being used for social good,” Patel said. “I experienced this disconnect between the information people have and how they imagine problems to be solved and how that information is reaching our lawmakers. Be The Change bridges that gap.”
Patel said Pennsylvania has one of the largest and most expansive state legislatures in the country, and she said it’s difficult for the average person to access current political information. She said she wants Be The Change to include features that make it easier for average citizens to follow bills and help them understand the most impactful and important times to submit public comments.
While most of this information already exists on government websites, Patel said the goal of Be The Change is to make this information “digestible” and not full of legal jargon. She said the state government often lags in its adoption of technologies.
“I think it is such a great resource for the average person to understand what bills are being debated and have access to information that allows them to come to their own decisions,” Patel said. “A lot of people don’t know how state government functions despite its critical role in shaping daily life.”
Patel graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with undergraduate degrees in sociology, Africana studies and international area studies. After that, she took a gap year in Pittsburgh working on access to health care for underrepresented populations before completing her master’s degree in international relations.
She said starting a tech company was outside of her comfort zone.
“It was a lot of learning in the moment,” Patel said. “I struggled a lot because technology is really difficult. There are so many different components to it. … But I think one of the best things about Pittsburgh is it is a very supportive community for someone who has an idea and wants to take action.”
Patel and her team of five employees applied to various pitch competitions to refine the idea. BeamData placed in the local UpPrize pitch competition and received $20,000 in grant funding, and it also received $4,000 in funding from incubator Ascender.
The money helped BeamData launch a pilot of its technology with Pennsylvania Sen. Jay Costa. Since then, the Be The Change platform confirmed and onboarded several Pennsylvania state senators and representatives.
Patel said BeamData officially launched its Be The Change app for both Android and Apple users on Feb. 25. The app currently has about 815 downloads.
Once the startup further validates the concept in Pennsylvania and receives more funding, Patel’s long-term goal is to expand the platform across the country.
“I think it is an incredibly exciting moment because people are really curious about these policy questions,” Patel said.
Q&A
What are the pros and cons of being a young entrepreneur? It is very fast-paced. It can be emotionally taxing because of the ups and downs. You have to learn how to balance your mental health. … And being so committed to something that you are unshakable in your commitment to it at a young age is hard, but once you get that, you are unstoppable.
What advice would you give to another young entrepreneur? The quicker and faster you fail, I think that you will arrive at a more solidified idea. Don’t be afraid of failing because at the end of the day, once you do succeed, that is what people will remember. What you have failed at has made you better for it.
How do you get people to take you seriously as a young entrepreneur? Consistency and hard work. I don’t think there is any replacement for being consistent and putting in the hard work.
What has been the impact of starting a business during the pandemic? “During the peak of COVID-19, we realized early on we were fulfilling an important need by creating digital space for legislative dialogue and this motivated us to put in longer hours to deliver a useful tool. This was especially the case as in-person visits to the legislator’s office or community events became rare. As a team, the adjustment to virtual working was not as difficult because many of us are located in different geographic areas already.”
TIMELINES
Personal:
2012-2016
Completed her undergraduate degrees in international area studies, sociology and Africana studies at the University of Pittsburgh
2016-2017
Took a gap year in Pittsburgh to work on health care access for underrepresented populations
2017-2019
Completed her master’s degree in international relations at Oxford University
Professional:
January 2020
Officially launched Be The Change by BeamData
February 2021
Launched the Be The Change app
BIOBOX
Age: 27
Title: CEO and co-founder, BeamData
Dream job: CEO of a company that transforms at-scale how society interacts with state governments. There is a lot of room for innovation in state-level government that can drive positive societal impact that people have not considered.
If you could have a conversation with anyone, who would it be? Barack Obama. I just think that he is so connected to community, and he figured that out at such a young age.
