Eve Knapp, '16

Eve Knapp, ’16, took a risk when she pursued an internship at the start-up Babyscripts, an unfamiliar company in a field to which she had never given much thought. Then again, willingness to make a leap of faith based on the instinct that an opportunity is worth the time is a critical quality in the world of start-up companies.

“Our two co-founders quit steady, well-paid jobs to purse their dream of creating a start-up, and I hope to have that sort of courage as I enter my postgrad career,” said Knapp.

Babyscripts aims to employ technological advancements to improve women’s pregnancy experiences. The program uses a two-part approach: First, women receive wireless weight and blood pressure devices for home use, and second, they use an app to track daily nutritional, medical, and lifestyle information and to access pregnancy resources.

Because of the start-up company’s small size, Knapp had the opportunity to work in many areas of the business, from sales and research to product design and implementation. Through these varied roles, Knapp analyzed how reluctant customers can be to try something outside of their comfort zones.

“At conferences our booth gets a lot of ‘that’s a good idea, but it’s not for me.’ People fear change to their status quo significantly more than I anticipated,” said Knapp. “Technology innovation in the healthcare field has more responsibility to implement new technologies because it does deal directly with people’s lives—and it has the power to make them better.”

Knapp pointed to the importance of equality in the healthcare field to make these advances. As a company that specializes in prenatal services, Babyscripts must understand women’s perspectives and need; however, like most start-ups, it is managed primarily by young men.

“One thing that has been fascinating in the office is recognizing that though we market our product to providers, our consumer is a new mother who is likely more scared than she has ever been. It’s easy to lose sight of the consumer and how intensely personal this experience is for her when you interact most closely with doctors and hospital administration,” said Knapp.

The scale of the start-up meant that Knapp could contribute her own insights and ideas and add to the female perspective. She described the gratification she felt at seeing the results of her tasks and the value her colleagues placed on her opinions.

“In this office, there is an underlying vitality that I have never experienced before when I’ve worked in larger business environments,” Knapp elaborated. “Working here is risky and the possibility of failure looms much closer than it does in established work environments, but it’s exciting.”

When she graduates from the Jepson School in May, Knapp knows that she wants to pursue a career that evokes that same level of excitement.

“I have seen and been around people that have been transformed by their vision for the future, and dedicating my career to anything less would no be unfulfilling,” said Knapp. “No matter what field I am in after I graduate, I now understand that I want to be in an environment that isn’t too comfortable with the ordinary and searches instead for innovation.”