We recently connected with NextBridge Advisory and have shared our conversation below.
NextBridge, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I found my purpose when I realized that the world doesn’t lack talent—it lacks access.
When I started high school, I began connecting with students globally through virtual communities, and I noticed a pattern: young people everywhere were passionate about entrepreneurship and innovation, but lacked mentors, startup guidance, or even someone to say “you can do this.” At the same time, I had begun helping a few friends launch their ideas, from pitch decks to prototypes.. What started as casual advice grew into a movement.
That’s when NextBridge Advisory was born.
I built it on one belief: young founders need more bridges, not barriers. We launched a peer-to-peer startup advisory model called the BRIDGE Program, where students could access real mentorship, build prototypes, and launch ventures, with zero cost and no gatekeeping. I began organizing youth advisors, growing our team, and reaching out to students across borders.
That purpose—to unlock startup access globally for young dreamers—has been my driving force ever since. It’s not just about entrepreneurship. It’s about building a world where opportunity is decentralized, and where the next big idea can come from anyone, anywhere.
This journey taught me that purpose isn’t something you wait to find—it’s something you build, one conversation, one risk, and one bridge at a time.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Hi, I’m Sujit pai, the founder of NextBridge Advisory, a youth-led global advisory platform helping students turn ideas into real, launch-ready ventures. At its core, we’re building a decentralized movement of student advisors, founders, and mentors who believe in one thing: access to innovation shouldn’t depend on geography or background.
What makes NextBridge unique is our peer-powered consulting model. Through our BRIDGE & NextBridge.AI Programs, we’ve helped over 100 student-led startups, launched 54 initiatives, and built a team of 200+ youth advisors spanning 32 countries. We’re not just giving advice—we’re helping young founders build pitch decks, growth strategies, and tech roadmaps from scratch.
What excites me most is watching someone with nothing but an idea go from doubt to demo day. We’re creating first-time founders at scale, and that impact doesn’t fade—it multiplies.
We’re currently expanding into new regions, partnering with schools and accelerators, and piloting tools to scale startup education more efficiently, including founder dashboards and AI-assisted advisory tools. Our vision is global, but our approach is local and personal.
Whether you’re a student with an idea, a mentor who wants to give back, or a school looking to empower the next generation of founders, NextBridge is your launchpad.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Looking back, three key traits have shaped my journey with NextBridge Advisory: resourcefulness, storytelling, and systems thinking.
1. Resourcefulness
When you’re building something from the ground up—especially with no funding or institutional support—you need to turn limitations into leverage. I learned how to use free tools, repurpose templates, build MVPs without code, and connect with global talent through cold outreach.
2. Storytelling
Convincing students to join a movement wasn’t just about our platform—it was about the story. Why do we exist? Who do we help? What do we stand for? Whether it was pitching to founders, recruiting youth advisors, or applying to global partnerships, being able to communicate our mission clearly and emotionally was critical.
3. Systems Thinking
As NextBridge grew, I realized that it’s not just about helping one startup—it’s about designing repeatable, scalable systems that can help hundreds. From our consulting process to advisor onboarding to startup tracking dashboards, thinking in terms of frameworks and repeatable workflows changed the game.
Ultimately, anyone early in their journey should know this: you don’t have to be the smartest person in the room—you just have to care enough to keep going. Everything else is a skill you can learn.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
Our biggest challenge right now at NextBridge Advisory is scaling without losing quality. We’ve grown rapidly, but with growth comes complexity: ensuring that every startup still gets meaningful guidance, every advisor is well-trained, and our systems can handle the volume.
To overcome this, we’re focusing on building a structure around our scale. We’re developing standardized training modules for advisors, automated feedback loops for startups, and internal dashboards to track progress and outcomes. We’re also piloting AI tools to support advisory sessions so that every founder gets consistent, high-quality input—even as we grow.
Growth is exciting, but sustainability is strategy. Our goal is to make NextBridge feel personal at scale, where a founder in South Africa and one in Texas both feel equally supported.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nextbridgeadvisory.com
