Aflevering The Uni Student Collabing With Nike, Coach Asos And More Kiara’S Journey | Kasa Connect Ep:19

We sit down with Kiara Rao, the 22-year-old co-founder of Trove Jewelry. What started as a pandemic hobby inspired by her grandmother has grown into a thriving brand with collaborations from ASOS and Nike. Kiara opens up about balancing university, internships, and running a business, while sharing the real challenges of burnout, time management, and staying authentic. From nearly giving up to receiving the game-changing ASOS email, Kiara’s story is a raw and inspiring look at what it really takes to build a creative, community-driven brand. Whether you’re a student, aspiring entrepreneur, or simply curious about how small ideas can turn into big opportunities, this conversation will give you both inspiration and actionable takeaways. - (00:00) Big Brand Breakthroughs: Landing ASOS & Nike - (00:35) Introduction & guest overview - (01:02) First workshop at Casa Café - (02:07) Starting jewelry making during COVID - (03:00) Trove’s evolving business model - (04:02) From workshops to brand collaborations - (05:05) How the ASOS & Nike deals happened - (06:08) Pricing & valuing their work - (07:08) Building a mission-driven brand - (07:51) Meeting co-founder Amber - (09:43) Balancing co-founder roles - (10:39) Time management challenges - (11:06) A day in Kiara’s life - (11:48) Burnout & support systems - (12:34) The ASOS turning point - (14:19) Trove’s future plans - (15:26) Volunteering in Nepal - (16:36) Engineering studies meet jewelry making - (17:16) Facing age bias as a founder - (18:24) Staying authentic in business - (19:08) Balancing university & Trove - (20:25) Identity tied to business - (21:13) Building a brand beyond the founders - (22:13) Lessons from a VC internship - (22:59) The meaning of ‘Trove’ - (24:00) Building community online & offline - (25:52) Social media & mental health - (27:08) Sticking to brand values - (27:45) Community-driven product ideas - (28:28) Keeping products accessible - (29:02) Connecting with Trove (29:47) Favorite drink & best advice