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  An entrepreneur, to me, is a person who sees an unmet need. When you know that you have to solve this problem, you become an entrepreneur in that moment.  

Alumnus tackles financial inequality through mobile technology

For the roughly 100 million Americans living paycheck-to-paycheck, the financial services industry can be confusing, burdensome or downright exploitative. Late fees, overdraft penalties and predatory payday loans can turn a temporary setback into a crippling cycle of despair.

But what if you could access your own earned money before payday—seamlessly, confidentially and at little to no cost? That’s the promise of PayActiv, a 5-year-old company led by founder and CEO Safwan Shah (MSElEngr’90, PhDAeroEngr’94).

Shah said the venture was driven not by an entrepreneurial impulse but by the perennial calling of an engineer: to solve problems.

“Entrepreneurship was entirely accidental,” Shah said. “An entrepreneur, to me, is a person who sees an unmet need. When you know that you have to solve this problem, you become an entrepreneur in that moment. When problem-solving is pursued with laser focus, entrepreneurship ensues.”