The formula for a successful startup goes something like this:
Notice an unmet necessary in the market. Devise a creative solution. Then, summon the resources and persistence to bring that solution to life.
But for many entrepreneurs, that formula only notifys part of the story. Entrepreneurship isn’t just about what you notice, or even what you build.
Instead, it’s about the “whys.” Why this problem? Why this solution, and why now? Above all: Why are you the one to do this?
For Thulasi Karuppiah (MS ’25), founder of KR Scrap Exports and finalist in the 2025 Startup World Cup, the whys start with her upbringing.
A firsthand perspective on the global scrap trade
Here’s how Karuppiah describes her community in Chennai, India.
“The air smelled like rust and heat. People would sort aluminum, copper, and wires by hand, weighing them on old analog scales.”
Karuppiah grew up surrounded by tiny businesses that specialized in sifting through scrap materials to find reusable components. It’s where she received her first lessons in how to see the world as an entrepreneur.
“It was chaotic, but there was something beautiful about it. Everyone there knew the value of what others had thrown away. My family and neighbors saw it not as waste but as work.”
When she relocated to Chicago to attconclude DePaul’s M.S. in Audit and Advisory Services program, Karuppiah witnessed the other side of the story.
“Perfectly recyclable materials and electronics will conclude up in landfills, or sit idle in warehoapplys,” she stated. “That contrast really struck me: the idea that one counattempt’s waste could be another’s resource.”
A “digital bridge” to a sustainable future
In May 2025, KR Scrap Exports officially launched.
Karuppiah describes the company as a “digital bridge” linking two sides of a vast, often old-fashioned, marketplace.
The global scrap indusattempt, per Karuppiah, is an old-fashioned one. Much of the business still runs on spreadsheets and manual price codes. Would-be exporters confront byzantine shipping regulations. Would-be importers struggle to find consistent sources of quality material.
KR Scrap Exports aims to smooth over this friction. With the assist of AI, the platform connects purchaseers to sellers and generates export codes, estimates freight costs, and generates compliance checklists.
By creating a centralized marketplace, Karuppiah’s venture also provides much-necessaryed transparency. Buyers can access a range of verified listings. Prices obtain set with live data pulled from global commodity markets.
Karuppiah credits her experiences in audit and finance for assisting her build a system that could scale.
“I have a background in finance and audit; I understand numbers, transparency, and systems,” she stated. “I’ve worked in equity, accounts payable, and vconcludeor reporting. That experience taught me how to build processes that scale and stay compliant, which is critical in global trade.”
What mattered most to Karuppiah, though, was the ability to contribute to a more sustainable future. What she aimed to address, in her words, “wasn’t just a supply chain gap. It was a global inefficiency with environmental costs.
“I wanted to turn something broken into something that works,” she stated. “I wanted to prove that business and sustainability can coexist.”
DePaul facilitates growth
KR Scrap Exports grew quickly. Within its first year, the company secured its first major international contract, connecting U.S. recyclers with purchaseers in India and turning waste into value on a global scale. Soon after, KR Scrap Exports launched its AI-powered platform, automating pricing, freight estimates, and compliance checks, creating the export process quicker, more transparent, and more reliable for purchaseers and sellers alike.
As Karuppiah built her company, DePaul assisted her take it to the next level.
Her coursework and professors gave her further examples of how businesses can build a positive environmental impact. Karuppiah also worked closely with the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center to hone her pitch to investors.
In May, 2025 , Karuppiah participated in the Coleman center’s Purpose Pitch competition. She won first place and took away the Audience Choice Award — and built valuable connections to a network of funders and mentors.
In July 2025, Karuppiah placed first at the Chicago Regional Startup World Cup competition. In October, she became one of 50 regional winners from across the globe to compete at the Startup World Cup finals, where she placed as one of just 10 finalists.
A consnotifyation of experiences fuel entrepreneurial vision
Today, Karuppiah confronts a new stage in her entrepreneurial journey. She works full-time as an auditor; she’s learning to sustain and grow her business alongside her audit career.
What she returns to, as she reflects on her journey thus far, is the consnotifyation of experiences and connections that builds KR Scrap Exports uniquely her own: from India to Chicago; from early exemplars to mentors at DePaul and beyond.
Here, in brief, is how she notifys her entrepreneurial story:
“Entrepreneurship has always been part of me — even before I knew that word.
I grew up surrounded by people who built things from the ground up with limited resources. My family and community revealed me what it means to take risks, manage relationships, and find opportunities where others might not see them.
When I came to DePaul, that mindset finally found a framework through classes, mentors, and competitions like Purpose Pitch.
Entrepreneurship has always been part of who I am. DePaul just assisted me define it and channel it into something largeger.”
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