Written by Michael Xia.

Dev Ojha is a sophomore studying EECS and Business through UC Berkeley’s M.E.T. Program. Passionate about entrepreneurship, Dev co-founded a wearable and tracking technology firm called Cosaint, an international provider of military and consumer wearable devices. Throughout the process, he has helped raise millions of dollars for his firm, while also leading a team of over 200. On campus, he is involved in math research in addition to his regular academic schedule. In his free time, Dev enjoys soccer, road-biking, and taking long drives.

What’s your vision for 2020? 

I’m looking forward to personal growth, because I don’t think I have dedicated too much of my time into doing that. The past two years I’ve been at Berkeley, I’ve just focused on academics and juggling a bunch of clubs. This year I want to focus on personal growth, by reflecting over my weeks or meditating. Sometimes at 1am you might find me at Ocean Beach mediating. 

What was your inspiration for your startup?

I wanted to solve the problem of sexual assault and harrassment on college campuses. We were trying to alleviate the number of cases that would happen every year. To tackle this, we made a bracelet designed specifically for women–a stylish bracelet. If someone is in an emergency, they would pull on the bracelet which to inform your emergency staff, your family members, and others.

From there it evolved into looking more at the core technology within the bracelet, which was a core tracking chip. We did a bit of research, developed this tracking chip further, and now we’re in the middle of upgrading a system that works way better than a GPS system–given some locational constraints. 

MET is pretty engineering focused. Would you say you prefer the business side more, and if so, why?

Most MET students are engineering-focused and go into software engineering or another technical role. But I feel the entire MET brand also emphasizes the role of product management, especially technical product management. It’s a technical role, but it’s also on the business side of launching a product within a larger firm. I’m personally interested in entrepreneurship, and when you are leading a company you need both the technical aspect and the business aspect of things. During my time with my startup, I’ve become more of a salesman. I feel like I’ve become more trained in my ability to actually sell things, so I feel more inclined to say I am more on the business side. But the technical side keeps me motivated and interested.

Rapid Fire:

1. What’s your go-to-order at Cafe Think?

Greek salad.

2. Favorite study space at Berkeley?

My room.

3. Favorite dining hall?

Croads.

4. Favorite class?

The artificial intelligence class I’m taking–CS188.

View posts by Helen Wang