Kathmandu- It was July 2019, a stormy night in Kathmandu. Thunder rolled through the valley and heavy rain lashed against the tin roofs, but for Karvika Thapa the turbulence outside was nothing compared to the storm inside her. While the city slept, she lay awake, restless, her mind racing.

The time was around 2:30 a.m. She sat up on bed beside her two daughters, one just two years old and the other barely a toddler. She looked at their peaceful faces and felt a swirl of emotions—love, fear, and an unshakable sense of responsibility. That night, she began retracing her life, from her childhood to the present, questioning the choices she had made and the path that lay ahead.

From Drowsy Haze to Glory

Karvika remembered that she had spent most of her early life in hostels. She was a shy, soft-spoken girl, raised by lawyer parents who were always busy. Her parents have an open mind. When she chose a field that was still new in Nepal, her parents supported her. After completing her schooling in Nepal, she went to Delhi for higher secondary studies as she wanted to experience something new.

At Delhi Public School, she found herself among thousands of students, but only two were Nepali—herself and one boy. Being in a new culture was difficult. It felt like survival of the fittest. She had to manage everything herself and keep up with the demanding academic environment. Yet she persevered, and by the end of two years, she had completed her Grade 12 with determination and resilience. She thought that it was better to return Nepal for her further studies. She at least wanted to study something in Nepal. 

From CDs in Kathmandu to Campus Projects in America

After returning to Nepal, she enrolled in KCM College at Tribhuvan University, she initiated the creation of a student council to minimize conflicts and p for her bachelor’s degree in IT. The program was unique because it combined IT with management, which gave her an edge. As she said, 'teachers used to teach tech to all students and at the same time, management to those who need to learn, as both of these were important.'

At that time, Nepal’s tech sector was underdeveloped, but she was determined to explore its potential. And she did. In her final year, she secured an internship at Midas Technology, working on a membership management project for the Management Association of Nepal. While doing so, she was also preparing for her American visa.

During this time, she became fascinated by the American education system. The CDs and supplementary books she used while studying for standardized tests were filled with animations, experiments, and explanations that simplified complex concepts. In contrast, she realized, the Nepali education system often forced students to memorize without truly understanding.

She thought, 'If Americans can simplify their education system by giving similar values, why not us? Why can't the Nepali education system and curriculum be easier and understandable for students in Nepal? Can't it get better? How can I make it better for my students?' She saw an opportunity in this flaw for change.

As per her, it's problems that create opportunities; if there are no problems, what will be solved? Driven by that vision, she pitched an idea to the CEO of Midas Technology: to produce CDs for SLC students that explained subjects through organized chapters, animations, and experiments. She promised to complete it within six months if given a single room and a few students to help.

The CEO trusted her commitment to work and decided to give it a shot. This way, she got a chance to execute her first entrepreneurial plan. But the way wasn’t simple; she used to have discussions with her dad. The condition of Nepal was not good at that time due to Maoist protests, and over that she had to work overtime. Most of the time, getting home late made her father nervous about her safety. He offered her to leave the job, but she was committed. She didn’t give up and worked continuously on it for months. 

Six months later, as per the commitment, the CDs were ready. Those CDs could bring great change in understanding the curriculum for students. The CDs featured her own recorded voice, as no other narration passed audience testing. For the first time, Nepali students could experience subjects more dynamically and engagingly.

Years later, she met a programmer who told her he had studied from those very CDs. It was a proud moment that reminded her how even small innovations could change lives. This was her first entrepreneurial success, but more importantly, it was her first taste of how social responsibility could blend with business.

She was not only focused on academics.  She focused on social welfare, too. She as a good student, could not see the problems like conflicts, disturbance etc., going on in Tribhuwan University and other colleges. At Tribhuwan University, she initiated the creation of a student council to reduce conflicts and promote extracurricular activities.

Under her leadership, students engaged in drama, dance, and music, and the council became a platform for talent and community building. It remains active to this day, as a result of her ability to plant seeds that grow far beyond her immediate involvement.

When the Midas project was completed, Karvika got her visa. Soon, she left for the United States to pursue further studies. Her journey there was anything but easy. Just three days after arriving, she started working at a burger shop. Long shifts of nine to ten hours left her with burns from steam and aching feet.

The cultural adjustment was equally difficult. In America, students often start working from the age of twelve, balancing jobs with school. It was a culture of learning by doing, and though the beginning was hard, she gradually adapted. She was so inspired by the system that she wrote an article about it for The Kathmandu Post.

Despite the hardships, she stayed committed to her studies and completed her master’s degree. While her friends relaxed in coffee shops, she searched for jobs and eventually secured one as a math tutor at her university. Teaching Americans in their own country was one of her proudest moments. At one point, she worked three jobs while studying, but instead of breaking down, she used it as an opportunity to build skills. She took every work she could get from her boss, even when her hands were full.

She said, 'I took every extra work given to me, even when I was busy and had piles of work. I worked overtime and learn every work. It taught me how the business runs and how important every single work is for the business.' She worked long hours, learning to value every dollar. The girl who once casually spent 200 rupees on coffee in Nepal now saves even a single dollar in America, knowing it could help her later. She thought, maybe this dollar can help me get a little more rice in the future. 

Her persistence paid off when she was selected for a prestigious internship. Despite being an immigrant, she became one of the few who was called for an interview at her state university. She achieved the post of vice president's intern. The American system used to question the state university for letting Karvika work there was that no immigrants were allowed or given a chance to work on the government's money.

She used to ask herself if no one else was capable of working there or something. She considered herself lucky for getting those opportunities. She trusted herself and, at that time, earned ten dollars an hour, had her own office, and worked across departments.

During this time, tragedy struck when the Virginia Tech shooting shocked the nation. Karvika was part of a project to increase campus safety, introducing classroom alarms and automatic door-locking systems. This was another instance where her work combined technology with social responsibility.

She learned lots of things from the team, and they were successful in the project. Maintaining security for all of the students was made easier with the help of tech there. She was assured about the importance of tech when she chose the IT sector, and it was one of the proofs of her belief.

Later, she married her close friend, with whom she had been working and learning for a long time, and together they moved to Boston. She worked at Covidien (Medtronic) and Boston Scientific, where she managed projects involving advanced medical equipment, in which technology was used to divert the signal of pain passed from the spinal cord to the brain. This way, doctors could solve common problems like headaches as without signals in the brain, the body can't get a signal of pain to a particular part.

During this period, she and her husband bought a restaurant, which was run by a family who were about to return to their country. Running it taught them about business transactions and employment management. They kept their professional jobs alongside managing the restaurant, but after their first daughter was born, balancing jobs, the business, and childcare became overwhelming. Eventually, they decided to sell the restaurant and focus on their family.

Path to Building Two Companies

After the birth of their second daughter, Karvika and her husband made a life-changing decision. They returned to Nepal because they wanted their daughters to grow up connected to their culture and close to their grandparents. Back in Kathmandu, they rented a house with the consent not to disturb their parents ' lifestyle.  Then, they spent a year traveling and exploring the country. After a year, Karvika realized something was missing. Despite her education and international experience, she was not working. She was staying at home with her daughters, managing the household, and living the role of a housewife. Since the time she was qualified, it was the first time she didn’t have a job. She felt like she was letting her dreams go away, giving up on them.

It reminded her of the legacy of the women before her. Her grandmother had given up her dreams for her children. Her mother had done the same. And now, she realized with a sinking heart, she was on the verge of repeating that cycle. That night, as thunder rolled through Kathmandu, she made a decision.

She would not pass down the same legacy to her daughters. She wanted them to see a mother who pursued her dreams, who balanced family with ambition, and who refused to surrender to limitations. Looking at her daughters asleep beside her, she promised herself she would set an example. She would return to work, and she would do it not just for herself but for them.

This moment of clarity, born in the stillness of a stormy night, became the turning point of her life. Her mind was clear and her mind was set. She decided to work. While traveling, she realized the condition of tech in Nepal. There were a few IT companies, among which little to no work. Due to the electricity crisis and less recognition of the sector, there was less of such work. For this problem, she was determined to find a solution.

For that, her first step was to establish Kimbu Tech, named after the fruit 'Kimbu' that she once tasted in Bhairahawa. To her, it symbolized Nepal’s potential to be recognized globally. She used her own savings and secured support from U.S. friends and investors. But what made Kimbu Tech truly remarkable was how it was built. She began while carrying her young daughter, managing household chores, and balancing motherhood.

For many women who feared their careers would end after having children, her journey became an inspiration. She showed that it was possible to nurture both a family and a business. She had visited many colleges, promoting the IT sector to students. Some of them had grown more than her own. Similarly, she had supported women in learning it and getting financially independent, along with managing their house.

She explains,' IT is the best sector, especially for those women who have to manage their house, who have children, and no time to go to the office. They could work it from their own house.' Today, many women like her are examples of this. They are financially independent and an efficient mother. As per her,' women multitask most of the time, and this makes it easy for them to work in the tech sector.'

Kimbu Tech started small but grew steadily, securing business from the United States and building a reputation for delivering high-quality IT services. The Covid-19 pandemic unexpectedly accelerated its growth. As the world realized the importance of IT, Kimbu Tech became a reliable bridge connecting Nepali talent with international opportunities. She realized that Nepalese are not less than other countries. They can handle many projects once they are prepared. They get chance to work with Philippians, Israel, USA and many more countries as a proof of their capability.

Not long after, Karvika founded her second company, Simjung Company. Unlike Kimbu Tech, which began with savings and investors, Simjung started with zero investment. Its first office was nothing more than a single room with a dining table. What drove her to start it was her concern about Nepal’s brain drain. Most companies only wanted experienced employees, leaving young graduates with no opportunities.

She realized that young people did not necessarily demand high salaries—they simply wanted enough to sustain themselves while gaining experience. And to this problem, she found an opportunity to run her second business, along with giving opportunities to new people and reducing one social problem.

Simjong created opportunities for all people, especially those who want to gain real-life job experiences. It began with an all-women team, offering roles in data entry, tax filing, sales data formatting, and advertising support, just like in big companies like Nike and Dell. They were supposed to convert raw sales data into smart data that could guide marketing strategies.

Over time, it grew to employ two hundred people. By giving youth a platform to learn and earn, Simjong addressed one of Nepal’s most pressing problems and gave hope to an entire generation.

Redefining Success: Business Beyond Profit

Karvika’s entrepreneurial journey was always tied to social responsibility. She did not believe in business for profit alone; she believed in business that solved problems. Her involvement in Startup Fest reflected this philosophy. She helped organize and later judge these festivals, reviewing hundreds of applications from eager young entrepreneurs. Many, like Veda and SkillSewa, went on to become successful after pitching at these events.

Startup Fest became a platform where ideas found opportunities, and Karvika played a key role in nurturing that ecosystem. She described it as the best fest she had ever taken part in. It was the fest in the Soaltee Hotel  and there was not even a place to step out. All people attended the program till the end, and it gave her goose bumps.

She also invested in education by acquiring V.S. Niketan International College. The owner of the college never thought about selling the college to anyone, but when she approached the owner, he agreed, saying she could truly lead the college where his father wanted to see the company. There, she introduced a unique model: students attended academic classes in the morning and worked in real jobs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This 'learning by doing' approach, inspired by her American experience, gave students practical skills alongside their degrees. She believed it was better to learn human resources management by working with an HR professional than by simply reading textbooks about those professionals. The results proved her right, as many of her students went on to achieve great success in IT and many other sectors.

A role model for many

Today, Karvika Thapa stands as a role model in Nepal’s entrepreneurial landscape. She runs two successful companies, has invested in several startups, and continues to mentor youth. At home, she raises her daughters with the same spirit of independence and resilience that shaped her own journey. She is not overprotective; instead, she lets them face challenges, teaching them that resilience and creativity are the keys to growth. Her ten-year-old daughter already understands investment and revenue and is experimenting with startup ideas of her own.

Karvika’s journey shows that entrepreneurship is not about choosing the easy path. It is about solving problems, creating opportunities, and uplifting society. She returned to Nepal not just to reconnect her daughters with culture, but to prove that meaningful change could begin at home.

She built companies while balancing motherhood, turning her challenges into sources of inspiration. She empowered youth by giving them jobs when no one else would. She championed women by showing that IT could be a lifeline for mothers. And she wove social responsibility into every venture, proving that business with purpose is the most successful business of all.

Breaking Cycles, Building Legacies

While I was setting a question to ask her, I was constantly thinking if it would be worth it or not. It was my first time interviewing of someone. I was excited and nervous up to some point. Till the time she started sharing her story, I was both nervous and excited. And by the time it ended, I was motivated and determined to do something. In her words, I have found many things that were new to me. I had definitely learned lots of things from her.

 Her story is a reminder to me that legacies can be rewritten. On that stormy night in Kathmandu, she broke free from the cycle of women giving up their dreams, especially after having a kid. In doing so, she not only transformed her own life but lit the way for countless others to follow.

During an interview, she told me something that stuck in my mind. She said, 'Problems create opportunities'. She added,' You cannot start a business where people do not have any problems. Business is a form of solution to a problem. And you can come up with a solution only when there is a problem. You just need to find opportunities in those problems.' That can be seen in her life, too. She started tech when there was a lack of tech in Nepal. She created CDs cause of flaws in the education system.

Businesses have certain social objectives. Business that support society and solve its outrageous problems gets supported. When you think about solving problems for others, you get a step ahead. And that’s what I have seen in her story. Really, it's important to take part in social activities. Sometimes someone's smile is more precious than money.

I have also learned that small initiatives can result in big change. Small steps are what matter. We can create a big impact with the small actions we take. The only thing we need is commitment to our dreams and our job. When we get committed with the motive to improve someone's life along with our own, nothing can stop us.

Our age does not determine what we can do and what we cannot, but our wish and environment does. I am impressed with her daughter, who is just 10 years old.  She knows how to code, invest, and create revenue. Imagine a small girl doing things that confuse adults. It was her determination and the chances Karvika had given. She gave her daughter freedom to make mistakes and correct them on her own.

From a small age, she showed her capability to accept the problems and make the best out of them. Instead of being overprotective, she gave freedom. And I think that’s what a parent should teach their children to take responsibility for mistakes instead of saying no to everything they try.

Lighting the Path Ahead: Nurture Talent and Transform Education

Karvika has a plan to run both of her companies in the best way possible. Create new opportunities to people in Nepal. To create a chance for new entrepreneurs and to provide experiences to youngsters. To give effective education with real-life experiences to students. And to promote the tech sector everywhere, as it is a major part of every sector.

She was always sensitive toward society. She searched for different ways to help people. The CDs were one means of support. In her early life, she used to go to orphanages and old-age homes to help them. During an interview, she said that she would have been more excited and responsive for this interview if I was the one to call her and request rather than my dad. This shows her inspiring nature and compassion for people around her, regardless of differences. She had supported many entrepreneurs, helped many youngsters to gain experience, boosted the tech sector in Nepal, and empowered women.

For Karvika, women's empowerment is not just a slogan—it is a lived reality. Through her companies, she proved that IT could be a sector where women, even mothers, could thrive. The flexibility of IT work allowed women to balance family responsibilities while pursuing professional careers. Her own example of building Kimbu Tech while raising her daughters inspired many women to believe that motherhood was not the end of ambition.

Karvika proves that true success is not just what we achieve for ourselves, but what we empower others to become.