How I Became A Founder: Perkies’s Rosie Mangiarotti
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Rosie Mangiarotti graduated from Brown University in 2018 with a Bachelor’s degree in Business, Entrepreneurship, and Organizations. She was a four-year member of Brown University’s Women’s Varsity Lacrosse team, captaining it her senior year. As the Founder & CEO of Perkies, she’s managed to accomplish quite a bit already:
- Named one of “2020’s Startups to Watch” by Rhode Island Inno
- Participant in Brown University’s Breakthrough-Lab; intensive & selective 8-week accelerator program for startups
- Audience Vote Winner for the 2018 Cox Business “Get Started RI” Pitch Competition
Frederick Daso: When did you first gain interest in being a founder?
Rosie Mangiarotti: Since I can remember, my father has been an entrepreneur, so this idea of starting a company was never too foreign to me. I began taking it more seriously once I got to college, specifically my junior year, when I took a class at Brown called “The Entrepreneurial Process” taught by Professor Danny Warshay. As part of this class, we had to create a business plan based on a product or service that solves a customer pain point. At the time, Brown also started building up its entrepreneurial presence through The Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship. This new center, coupled with the entrepreneurship course’s timing, made me think that pursuing a venture and being a founder was something I could continue after I graduated from Brown.
Daso: What were the essential experiences that helped you be in the position you are today?
Mangiarotti: I give my parents a lot of credit to encourage me to pursue this and provide me with a place to live these past two years; I understand that I am fortunate to have supportive parents who happen even to live just an hour from NYC! I also give Brown and their Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship a lot of credit, including the Breakthrough Lab program; the mentors I met and opportunities provided to me wouldn’t have happened without Brown facilitating them. Winning the $5k…
