The Mavs Business Assist program launches at the start of the 2022-23 basketball season to support 100 diverse entrepreneurs and small business owners who call North Texas home.
The Dallas Mavericks have partnered with The Lonely Entrepreneur to give those in the program access to the knowledge, tools and support they need to succeed as part of the Mavericks Business Assistance (MBA) program.
At the Mavericks, we also believe in the power of storytelling, and we are honored to showcase various MBA members throughout the year to highlight their extraordinary achievements.
Every entrepreneur has a story to tell. This is especially true for minority- and women-owned businesses, which often have to jump through more hurdles to see their businesses succeed. The Dallas Mavericks are excited to expand the voices of various minority entrepreneurs in the inaugural class of the Mavericks Business Assistance Program. This week we introduce you to Samir Ranjan.
Samir Ranjan
Catenate Corp. Chief Technology Officer
About the chain
Samir Ranjan Many in his small hometown set refused to follow suit. While most children grow up working in local steel mills, Ranjan aims higher and dares to dream big.
At school, he thrived and fell in love with math and science. This passion was his ticket to the world, and he later passed one of the toughest exams in India. This enabled Ranjan to pursue a Bachelor of Technology at the National Institute of Importance of India (NIT Raipur). From there, he landed in Dallas, where his innovation and entrepreneurial skills came into play. He has also become a respected speaker and guest lecturer and a founding member of Catenate Corp.
Catenate’s fundamental belief revolves around this phrase: “Human behavior can be manipulated or inspired. As a leader, it’s your choice.” Catenate’s team has been working in the fields of data science, human-centered design, education, psychology, and more.
The cutting-edge company uses artificial intelligence to help hiring managers by “removing any prejudice against human skin colour, caste, creed or ethnicity…” while individuals are “judged on their talents and personality”, creating An inclusive business environment.
Ranjan is more than just an entrepreneur. He is an innovator, academic, data scientist, speaker, thought leader, and guest lecturer, and serves on several boards. Above all, he wants to make the world a better place.
He decided to join Mavs Business Assist to increase his product information to a wider web audience and to have the opportunity to get financing opportunities by pitching my business advice to investors.
Mavs.com reached out to Sameer to learn more about his story and background. Portions of the interview have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Mavs.com: Before we talk about your business or ideas, can you share more about your life and background with our fans? Where did you grow up, where did you go to school and how did you get here?
Ranjan: I grew up in a small city in India. I grew up being told that you need to study hard to get a regular job at a steel mill that happens to be the biggest employer in my city.
Since childhood, I was not interested in following norms, but somehow fell in love with math and science, which helped me pass one of the toughest exams in India. Therefore, I was selected to pursue a Bachelor of Technology at the National Institute of Importance of India (NIT Raipur). I got excellent grades at university and finished my engineering degree and I was second in the whole university.
After working in India for a few years and starting companies and helping small businesses, I decided to move to the US to pursue a Masters in Data Science. I graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas with a master’s degree and wanted to continue my entrepreneurial journey as I submitted a proposal to reopen businesses with a plan for those impacted by COVID-19. I met like-minded people after school and started creating products to help humanity develop, and now my team and I are creating a symbiotic world.
Mavs.com: Where did your passion for business come from?
Ranjan:I was actually one of the first employees and one of the founding members of our company, Catenate Corp. The idea is to help students find their true personalities and career trajectories that should align with them, because we’re amazed at the amount people spend doing things they don’t like, and later regret all the lost money.
At the same time, we found that employees and employers have the same problem, they are confused about what is right for them, which is why we now have the highest turnover rate in the world. We wanted to create a product to help candidates find the right job and allow employers to find the right candidate, not only based on resumes, but also on the soft skills and personality of the employee. We succeeded.
I’m passionate about helping people get the right education and resources because I’m here only because of my education. I believe that good luck only happens when you have the wisdom to back it up. I want to educate the world and make people more than just their resumes.
Mavs.com What do you want more people to know about being an entrepreneur or business owner?
RANJAN: It sounds cool to be an entrepreneur, but it has to pay a huge price, which is the limitless belief in yourself, the pride in your team, and the never-ending pressure of work, the freedom and joy you get from being told that Your work is incomparable to anything else on this planet. I believe there are general challenges, but personally I don’t think anyone is turning me down if I ask for help. So, I guess the biggest challenge is getting help.
Mavs.com: What is your vision for the business? How do you want it to affect others or change the world?
Ranjan:My vision for my business is to expand it and make it accessible to everyone. My system of finding the right people for the right jobs has changed the way the world thinks about how talent is recruited and managed, it has the ability to remove any prejudice against human skin colour, caste, creed or ethnicity and they are being judged for their talent and personality, not anything else. It will impact businesses in a very positive way by doing something for inclusion rather than just adding it to the business playbook as an agenda.
Mavs.com: Why did you decide to join Mavs Business Assist?
Ranjan: I’m looking for a great funding opportunity and a chance to showcase our growth to the business. I joined Mavs Business Assist to increase my product information to a wider web audience and to have the opportunity to obtain financing opportunities by presenting my business proposals in front of investors.
Mavs.com: How do people support you? Be bold! What do you need?
Ranjan:I want businesses to at least try my system to manage their talent and recruiting needs and help me create a world without bias, or at least try to evaluate and understand myself better.
My system costs employees less than a cup of coffee a month, and it can make a fundamental difference in your organization. I wanted the opportunity to present my business to investors who are looking for the next big idea that will change the world. I need newspaper and media attention on my product to globalize it and help me get my message across to the masses because it is a product that is adopted by the masses.
To learn more, visit the following links:
website – www.mayamaya.us, www.catenate.io
touch +1 9723428570
e-mail: sameer@catenate.io