Former Head of Consumer Product Innovation and Insights at Verizon Renu Chipalkatti on Challenging the Status Quo
“Today we are at the cusp of major transition to the web to one that will be highly experiential, immersive, and intelligent, also termed the metaverse. “ Today’s woman dreamer, Renu Chipalkatti, is the Chief Operating Officer of Bitreel, and previously she was the Head of Consumer Product Innovation and Insights at Verizon. A passionate mentor, advisor, and business leader, Renu shares her thoughts on the technology’s future (NFTs, Virtual Stores & More), and addresses the need for women to challenge the status quo and “explore the unexplored.” Enjoy her story!
1,Tell us your story. You have had an exciting leadership journey in business, as the COO of Bitreel and your experience at Verizon prior to that. What were some of the moments in your career that had a big influence on you?
I have had an incredible journey, never shying from taking risks, exploring new trajectories, and uncovering new opportunities.
I came to the US from India, as a graduate student, to study Physics. Two years later, turn of events took me to Computer Science where I focused on computer networks - today known as the Internet. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there were more women in Computer Science: 10% vs. a dismal 3% in Physics. Here I developed critical foundations for my career.
My professional career started at GTE Labs as a researcher in computer networks. Within a few years, upon my return from maternity leave, I became the Director of a research team - all men with PhDs and former peers. Thrown into the deep end of personal and professional life, I had to quickly earn the respect my team, and develop leadership skills, all as a new mother.
The early ‘90s was a very exciting time with the birth of the internet - it which both liberated information and compressed time! Along with my team, I launched my first product – Superpages: a yelp-like search engine for businesses. This was a major transformational moment in my career. We were no longer publishing papers but developing products for revenue and I rapidly needed to learn business skills for market success.
After 25 years as an intrapreneur and innovation leader, I left the corporate world and became a mentor within the startup community within Boston. I found myself being drawn back into the world of innovation and took on my current role first as mentor and then COO of Bitreel.com.
2. You are passionate about innovation, customer experience, and mentorship of women. You also believe in challenging the status quo and bringing new ideas. Reflect back to your first job. What advice would you give yourself and other female young professionals who are starting their careers?
There are several things I learned along the way as a woman leader in technology and business. Firstly, mentorship is very important at every stage in one’s career, and it is critical to find the right mentor, one who can work alongside, as well as challenge you. Secondly, always look forward, celebrate successes, learn from what didn’t work, and quickly move on, stronger and better. Last but not the least, let what you know guide you, not what you don’t know – you can learn these along the way.
3. What are some technology trends and innovations you are excited for in the tech world for 2022.
As I look back into the evolution of the web since its birth in 1993, there have been some major transition points: For example, in early 2000 user generated content was introduced which created social networks, or 2007 when smartphones came along, sand the mobile web transformed our lives. Today we are at the cusp of another major transition in the web to one that will be highly experiential, immersive, and intelligent, also termed the metaverse. The transition is already underway: Ecommerce is moving from 2D to 3D, Virtual Stores are emerging, crypto currencies and NFT continue to grow in usage. These will have a profound impact on our lives seamlessly melding physical and digital experiences. I feel the same level of excitement and enthusiasm as I did during the early Internet days.
4. As the platform for women dreamers, what is your next big dream?
I have lived my dream at each stage in my life: professionally as I progressed in my career, as well as personally, through the different stages of life. It has been tough and often exhausting juggling between two rising careers (my husband’s and mine) and parenting, especially when corporate policies were not family-friendly e.g., there was no paid maternity leave and paternity leave was unheard of. For me it’s time to give back to society and the planet, whilst continuing my journey of exploring the unexplored – whatever that may be!
Thank you Renu for sharing your inspiring story with us! We are excited to have you in our global women’s network!
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