Turība University graduate Inta Buša began her professional journey boldly and with enthusiasm - from a CEO to start-up founder and from a stable work environment to risk and uncertainty at every turn. Inta is able to inspire not only aspiring entrepreneurs, but also anyone who is looking for a balance between stability and fulfilling their dreams.

Inta Buša graduated from Turība University with a master’s degree in Business Administration. When choosing a university and study program, her main goal was to gain practically applicable knowledge that would be useful not only in an academic but also in a professional environment. Running a marketing agency and already in a managerial position, it was important for her to check whether practice was consistent with theory. “I wanted knowledge that could be compared to real life. I was not interested in learning only theory, but rather in gaining something that I could immediately apply,” emphasizes Inta. Turība stood out in her eyes with its flexible study model - the opportunity to combine full-time work with lectures, while maintaining in-person studies and socializing.

From development director to courageous entrepreneur

After completing her master's degree, Inta was promoted to executive director at the age of twenty-four in a company where she had previously held the position of development director. This stage of her career is characterized by managing almost 30 employees, cooperation with the world's largest brands such as Coca-Cola, LEGO, Barbie, Samsung and others, rapid growth and development of the company not only in terms of turnover and profit growth, but also in strengthening the internal employee culture with educational and productivity development initiatives such as six-hour working hours and development days. As Inta says, it is important to know when the next stage of growth is needed, and so three years later Inta started working on her start-up company. “At that moment, I gave up all guarantees and chose insecurity, leaving a stable job on December 31st to throw myself into a new challenge on January 1st,” she recalls.

Birth of the idea and first steps in entrepreneurship

The start-up idea arose out of practical needs. While working in the marketing industry, Inta faced the regular need to evaluate various business ideas and investment projects. She wondered - why hasn’t a tool been created that would do this automatically?

This idea became the basis for her company Dealita.ai, the development of which Inta initially had just an idea. Inta invited artificial intelligence specialist Ēvalds Urtāns and his team to collaborate: “He asked me countless questions in a few minutes to understand who I really am and how my professional career has developed so far - is it hard work or luck,” Inta recalls of her first meeting with the leading artificial intelligence expert in Latvia. Soon, this collaboration with Ēvalds Urtāns and his team became a stepping stone, and Inta found herself in the world of technology innovation, which was significantly different from the usual marketing environment and required acquiring new skills and knowledge.

Life outside the comfort zone

“The visible part of the iceberg is that I travel a lot, spend time meeting different people from all over the world, but often what many do not see is countless hours of work, constant self-growth and a great fighting spirit. The beach scenery is certainly fabulous, but it is often overshadowed by the computer screen,” admits Inta.

One of the most striking and challenging stages in Inta’s experience was participating in an international start-up program in Austria. Only six companies were selected from around the world, and Inta’s Dealita.ai was one of those that represented Europe alongside start-ups from Denmark and France. The three-month program was intense - every day was filled with lectures, mentoring and work on the development of the company. The living conditions were far from the usual comfort zone. “I set myself up as if I were in a survival camp,” laughs Inta.

From idea to first product version

It took almost a year to develop the first product version. The first product version was designed by already strong Latvian designers and UX specialists, especially considering how the client would use the Dealita system. With a main audience of venture capital (VC) firms and business angels, Dealita.ai is an investment intelligence system that automates deal processing processes. More than ten specialists have already been involved in the project, and Inta admits that team building should have been thought about very early in the idea phase. “It is very important to work with the right people. I will never be an expert in all areas. In addition, there are quite a few tasks that I would rather avoid, while someone else will do them with the greatest satisfaction and expertise. Therefore, with better quality”.

Currently, Inta works with a co-owner from Ukraine, travels, meets with investors and tries to find the best strategy for developing her company. “One is to build a company, the other is to build a start-up,” she says. Dealita has already received several international ratings as a TOP6 start-up according to Raiffeisen Landesbank in 2024, and Inta Buša and her company Dealita were rated as a TOP30 female-led startup in the technology industry globally by the Aurora Tech Awards.

Productivity – between overwork and discipline

Speaking of the daily rhythm, Inta admits that it is not easy to maintain a work-rest balance in the start-up world. “It is very easy to seamlessly switch to 12-hour workdays,” she says. It is important to be self-disciplined when it comes to rest and holidays, as this time also needs to be planned, as well as conscientious about your habits. One of the habits that helps Inta stay focused is Fridays without meetings. “Every Friday, I do strategic tasks, finish the work that I missed during the week, summarize the week, and plan the next one. I’ve been sticking to Fridays as “no-meeting days” for several years now, and this system works brilliantly. It’s important to step away from operational processes and running around to look at the “big picture” and organize the dynamic chaos of the rest of the day into a clear system,” says Inta.

Inta’s story of courageous entrepreneurship in realizing her ideas and dreams is proof that the ability to take risks and continuous learning can bring results – even when the path is difficult, full of unknowns and twists and turns.