Ashley McGovern is 2017 alumni of the Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation who graduated with a degree in Public Relations and Strategic Communications. Now she works for the company Realync, founded by another ENTR alum, Matt Weirich, class of 2011, and Co-Founded by Ani Rangarajan. Ashley was interested in the tech ecosystem in Indianapolis, which led her to Techpoint’s job board, which led her to Realync. During her interview, Ashley and Matt immediately found common ground given their connection to Purdue and the Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program.

As the Content Specialist for Realync, Ashley manages and executes all public relations strategies, marketing, communication, and social media. Realync is a virtual real estate leasing and resident engagement platform enabling live video tours, live virtual open houses, and DIY pre-recorded videos of multifamily properties. Fortunately for Ashley, Realync’s core mission is centered around being real with ourselves, colleagues, and clients. With that, Realync has created the entrepreneurial environment she was seeking and she is able to have full creative freedom on the marketing team. Ashley enjoys being around like-minded colleagues, many of whom have businesses on the side or lucrative hobbies. Given that she is part of a technology business with significant growth prospects, she is taking the opportunity to grow and learn from her colleagues and others in the fast-paced ecosystem. Ashley reflected and shared, “If you start looking at your inbox with dread, instead of curiosity, it may be a sign you should be somewhere else.”

Realync’s platform flourished prior to the COVID-19 pandemic but is now in demand more than ever. In-person touring of real estate was shut down during the pandemic and Realync filled this need with technology that offers a virtual touring solution and a way for leasing teams to keep a human connection with leasing prospects in different states or even countries. 

While at Purdue, Ashley chose to pursue the entrepreneurship certificate because she wanted the experience of creating, growing, and managing a company that aligned with her passion while meeting and learning from people along the way. Ashley holds onto the principles taught in the course. She felt the instructors pushed students to be the best that they could be and “the guest speakers helped to shine a light on what it was like in an entrepreneurial life,” Ashley shared.

One of the most memorable projects in an ENTR course was the One Hundred Ideas Project. Ashley said, “Initially, it felt like such a tough task to complete, and the more I worked with my instructors they helped me to not just see things as they are but also what they could be. I realized that not every idea had to come from scratch and that great ideas came from modifications.”

Today, Ashley finds herself using these entrepreneurial experiences at Realync, and as part of her side-gig as a barre instructor, where she finds herself using innovative measures as she makes real-time decisions while teaching the class. Ashley’s major takeaway from her entrepreneurship education is that “it helped me grow to become more curious and I want to remain curious.” Ashley believes this is what drives passion and innovation.