We sit down with Kiara Rao, the 22-year-old co-founder of Trove Jewelry. What started as a pandemic hobby inspired by her grandmother has grown into a thriving brand with collaborations from ASOS and Nike.
Kiara opens up about balancing university, internships, and running a business, while sharing the real challenges of burnout, time management, and staying authentic. From nearly giving up to receiving the game-changing ASOS email, Kiara’s story is a raw and inspiring look at what it really takes to build a creative, community-driven brand.
Whether you’re a student, aspiring entrepreneur, or simply curious about how small ideas can turn into big opportunities, this conversation will give you both inspiration and actionable takeaways.
(00:00) Big Brand Breakthroughs: Landing ASOS & Nike
(00:35) Introduction & guest overview
(01:02) First workshop at Casa Café
(02:07) Starting jewelry making during COVID
(03:00) Trove’s evolving business model
(04:02) From workshops to brand collaborations
(05:05) How the ASOS & Nike deals happened
(06:08) Pricing & valuing their work
(07:08) Building a mission-driven brand
(07:51) Meeting co-founder Amber
(09:43) Balancing co-founder roles
(10:39) Time management challenges
(11:06) A day in Kiara’s life
(11:48) Burnout & support systems
(12:34) The ASOS turning point
(14:19) Trove’s future plans
(15:26) Volunteering in Nepal
(16:36) Engineering studies meet jewelry making
(17:16) Facing age bias as a founder
(18:24) Staying authentic in business
(19:08) Balancing university & Trove
(20:25) Identity tied to business
(21:13) Building a brand beyond the founders
(22:13) Lessons from a VC internship
(22:59) The meaning of ‘Trove’
(24:00) Building community online & offline
(25:52) Social media & mental health
(27:08) Sticking to brand values
(27:45) Community-driven product ideas
(28:28) Keeping products accessible
(29:02) Connecting with Trove
(29:47) Favorite drink & best advice