Neha Mittal graduated from the School of Information with a master’s in information management and systems in 2019. Prior to the I School, she graduated from the National University of Singapore, with a bachelor’s in computer engineering. She is currently the co-founder and CEO of an AI-Marketing startup, justwords.ai.
Why did you choose the I School?
I came from a tech-heavy background and always aspired to build my own company one day. I wanted to build something people truly wanted, but creating software without a deeper, nuanced understanding of people and their circumstances was limiting. The I School offered an extraordinary environment where I could connect with UX researchers, lawyers, policymakers, and tech experts — all in one place. The opportunity was too compelling to pass up.
What was your favorite thing about the I School?
Working until 2 AM at the student lounge, and then goofing around with friends right after, until 4 AM.
What was your favorite class?
Info 205. Information Law and Policy — I barely followed anything for the first three classes, but once things started to click, my whole perspective shifted. It turns out the world operates on a foundation of people making collective “reasonable efforts,” and not on math and logic :)
You founded your own company, justwords.ai, which was recently part of Y Combinator’s Winter 2024 batch of startups. What compels you to start your own company and how has the experience been?
I get bored easily. My partner jokes that I ruin the whole point of vacations with my relentless planning. I have this constant urge to try new things and “always be shipping.”
I joined Twitter to lay the foundations of the Data Product org, a kind of mini-startup within the company. From there, I led 0-to-1 growth initiatives for the Notifications team and later managed Growth and Retention at Pinterest. Across all these roles, I was always itching to do something fresh, something disruptive, something that kept me on my toes. Then, two major events in 2023 pushed me to a tipping point: Elon’s acquisition of Twitter and the massive LLM wave. What felt like a low in mid-2023 became the springboard for one of my greatest highs: launching Just Words in early 2024.
Is there an achievement or project that you are most proud of (post-graduation)?
Living and overcoming the lows of running a company is a big high.
In the past nine months, I transitioned from product management to full-time sales, facing the humbling experience of over 50 rejections each month. I’ve pitched to 100+ VCs, learned how to hire and fire quickly, and developed a stronger sense of trusting my gut when making tough decisions because time is invaluable. I do it all while being intentional about building a product and team that creates a future I am proud of. It’s a unique experience that I will always cherish.
What advice would you give your past self as an I School student? To someone interested in starting their own company?
Go with an open mind and embrace the breadth. Dip your fingers in areas that are alien to you. There is easily more than one discipline in there that you are not an expert in. Explore it. It’s one of the best things that happened to me and (unintentionally) changed my worldview.
If you have an itch to start a company, just do it. There’s no soft landing. You have to give it your all and find out if it’s your cup of tea. It sounds like a scary thing because you haven’t seen the other side of the cliff but I promise, it’s packed with fun and weird surprises.
