Parth Mehta: Building a Founders Mindset for Life Success

Parth Mehta ’19, doesn’t believe in the question of “where do you want to be in five years?” According to him, since you cannot predict the future, don’t aim to build for five years ahead – build it now. When the information technology graduate founded Startup Tribes, his effort to bring startup and entrepreneurial support to the masses, he primarily relied upon sheer will and the conviction to settle for nothing less than 100%... the rest would be learned over time. 

Now, after his company was acquired by the market leader in startup ecosystem building, Mehta at 26 runs by the mantra, “At the top of one mountain, is the bottom of the next.” And his journey is only just beginning. Then again, he thrives on taking risks. 

Even when Mehta attempted to enjoy the fruits of his labor post-acquisition, he still found himself mentoring and consulting founders of high-growth companies in Silicon Valley and New York City. “My last break was in 2017 while I was still a student at NJIT,” he said. 

Embracing the journey with unwavering determination and a belief in destined inevitability is what Mehta terms as being at the very top. This is the realm inhabited by visionary founders, Olympic athletes, champions of their fields and those who turn the most challenging dreams into reality. Through strong bonds forged with venerated CEOs and founders, Mehta discovered that you can't truly excel in this space if you're living a conventional, run-of-the-mill lifestyle.

Aspirations and Accountability

Mehta now directs the complete security and compliance product suite as a Senior Leader in Product Management at SS&C Intralinks, the pioneers of virtual data rooms for mergers and acquisitions and the most reputed market leader of secure collaboration software for the largest banks and corporations around the world. The company approached him about the role while he was teaching workshops about entrepreneurial product management skills in Silicon Valley. It was originally written for an expert with more than at least a decade of experience as a product leader, but Mehta’s dual pedigree, as an entrepreneurial leader for a product as well as an entire tech company, made him stand out ahead of the competition.

Performing under extreme pressure, working on high-risk tasks, dealing with resource constraints and having a keen understanding of launching successful products while managing a range of stakeholders is a distinctive combination of skills that only people like Mehta can bring to the table.

He likens the transition from startup to corporation to driving a speedboat and then captaining a battleship, where you need more awareness of how hundreds of things are dependent on each other and a small change can have a domino effect company wide. However, according to Mehta, once you’ve managed $50 million, you know the blueprint for $500 million and so on. 

Leading the company’s cybersecurity product line, he collaborates closely with senior executives. Mehta upholds a strong sense of accountability and ownership, which in turn empowers him to excel in his role as a leader. Notably, he's at ease taking the reins of major initiatives at an age where this level of responsibility is less common. His confidence in delivering results stems from his experience working in highly stressful, high-stakes environments. Furthermore, his extensive subject matter expertise in cybersecurity, coupled with past founder experiences, positions him well to tackle critical challenges with a substantial impact.

Despite success in his 20s, Mehta takes nothing for granted; strong character and moral fiber in leading a life for which one is grateful can help to navigate the worst of adversity. 

Less anyone be jealous, such success for him was not earned easily. 

Startup Tribes ‘Democratized’ Entrepreneurship 

When Mehta began Startup Tribes at 22, he took no salary for the first two years; in the third year, he kept his income less than a fast food chain employee, preferring instead to make sure his staff and company were always provided for. 

“I worked 20 hours a day with no time off. I must have been crazy to do it! When you convert a 100-hour work week over a four-year period, I may still be underpaid,” he said with a laugh. 

Beginning a new company at the same time that COVID was becoming the “new normal” only added to the challenge – not to mention having no prior experience with building startup ecosystems.

Luckily, he had an invaluable head start in learning through his mentor and instructor, Suresh U. Kumar, director of entrepreneurial programs in NJIT’s Ying Wu College of Computing, who was recently appointed as the president of The Indus EntrepreneurNJ (TiE is one of the largest entrepreneurship support organizations in the world).

Kumar’s experience as a serial entrepreneur includes his own successful venture during a national crisis when he formed a company following 9/11. Kumar’s first-hand knowledge on how to build a startup ecosystem during a period of uncertainty proved to be valuable. Mehta also learned the core tenets of sales, marketing, fundraising and strategic partnerships — elements which are critical in creating a successful startup organization. 

Startup Tribes initially began as a solution for university entrepreneurship centers based on a challenge Mehta experienced as a student across multiple university campuses. He proudly shared that he was able to close his first customer based on merit, trust and not the best pitch deck. Three more clients were added before COVID caused most industries to begin remote operations. 

This proved to be fortuitous. Mehta and his company then expanded to digitize entrepreneurship support organizations, and startup accelerators, which opened more prospects for clients through selling services for multi-tenancy at a regional level.

The rest is (a four year, laborious) history of planning, problem validation, failing and failing fast, pivoting, scaling up and identifying and penetrating new markets and customer segments, resulting in the acquisition in 2022.

Mehta’s accomplishments have come at a cost, however. “My internal body clock has aged ten years; making sales calls 7 a.m. ET to 5 p.m. PT and working on technology teams at night, having meetings at 2 a.m. probably didn’t help. I’ve just begun getting back into exercising,” he noted. He also chose to forego much of the social life his peers enjoyed. “My friends now are people over 45-years-old who run billion-dollar companies, but I’m happy to say there are two real ‘buds’ who have been with me through thick and thin. They started as friends at NJIT and now are pretty much family,” he added. He also admitted to several difficult moments during the evolution of his company when his outlook wasn’t as bright, but it built a strong character to fight through extreme situations of hardship.

Making a Difference Over Making Money

In the end though, making a difference over making money has always been Mehta’s guiding principle. He had a high paying job with a major Wall Street firm right out of school but felt unfulfilled. Startup Tribes began with a mission to provide the right resources, access to capital, connections and tools to underserved entrepreneurs who could then pay it forward as he had. 

Kumar said, “It is critical for a startup founder to have someone believe in you. I immediately recognized the immense potential in Parth and wanted to support him. I tell my students to find a purpose and discover your passion. College is the time to take big risks, as you don’t have much to lose. You never want to say ‘I should have done that.’ Parth has not only taken an idea and run with it, in the process he helped solve real problems his clients faced, and by doing so he created jobs for others and value for his shareholders.” 

In addition to his current position with Intralinks, Mehta works with Kumar at TiE NJ as the chair of the Emerging Entrepreneurs Special Interest Group, which is devoted to helping young founders and first-time entrepreneurs acquire tangible skills during their initial years of building their own startups. 

Mehta's perspective embodies an unending odyssey of personal and professional evolution, where he eagerly embraces criticism and feedback to hone his skills, refine his character and uphold his moral compass. His resounding philosophy resonates powerfully: "Contentment with the present should coexist with an unwavering pursuit of excellence... for a life free of regrets."