Prishita Agarwal, Co-Founder of Mosa Glassware
BY YASMIN KAHKESH
Mosa’s Bombay Sapphire Glasses. Mosa
In April, I had the privilege of sitting down with Pritisha Agarwal, the co-founder and CEO of Mosa. Our conversation delved into Agarwal’s remarkable journey of co-founding a company dedicated to repurposing glass waste into sustainable decor.
It all began with a simple DIY project where Agarwal and her co-founder, Abhiudai Mishra, transformed glass bottles into candles to give to friends. Inspiration ignited when clubs started requesting their products, revealing the latent potential for monetization. Through their shared commitment to sustainability, Prishita and Mishra, initially faced with challenges in cutting and shaping glass, leaned on their network and community for support. As the company burgeoned, forging partnerships with bars and restaurants for bottle collection and investing in advanced production equipment became pivotal milestones. Their efforts culminated in recognition in BCBusiness's prestigious 30 under 30 list in 2024.
Co-founders of Mosa, Abhiudai Mishra (left) and Prishita Agarwal (right). BCBusiness
During our conversation, Agarwal underscored the pivotal role of entrepreneurship in catalyzing positive change. She urged individuals, especially students, to pursue their passions ardently, resisting the gravitational pull of conventional corporate trajectories. Drawing from her own experiences balancing entrepreneurship with academia, Prishita extolled the wealth of resources and support systems available within university settings and the broader community. She encouraged aspiring entrepreneurs to leverage these resources early on, advocating for the cultivation of ideas and skills while still in the educational sphere to sidestep the immediate need for income. I resonated deeply with Prishita's insights, seeking her counsel on how to navigate external pressures compelling student entrepreneurs to conform to conventional career paths.
The two co-founders initially crossed paths at the University of British Columbia, where they shared a passion for business studies with a focus on sustainability. Their synchronous interests in tackling climate change and promoting upcycled products naturally brought them together, laying the foundation for Mosa. Enjoyed throughout the UBC campus, Mosa is positioned for international expansion in the near future.
Looking ahead, Agarwal and I delved into the prospective growth trajectory of Mosa over the next half-decade. She outlined the ambitious target of upcycling 500,000 glass bottles by 2026 and emphasized the company's overarching vision of expanding into the repurposing of diverse materials to craft consumer goods, thereby fostering sustainability awareness. Emphasizing the imperative of waste rescue and the curtailment of recycling efforts in favor of upcycling, Prishita stressed Mosa's commitment to pioneering environmentally-conscious practices beyond glass bottle transformation.
