Student Spotlight: Akshat, Rushi, and Sadat, the three Master in Management students and founders of BikeHive

Can you tell us a bit about yourselves and your backgrounds?
This is Akshat, I grew up between the United States and India. I’ve come from finishing a Marketing undergrad, and working for about a year in sales and brand marketing for sustainability products, as a way to try improve client engagement and learn core business! In my free time you’ll probably see me hitting the gym or watching the NBA/NFL to have some semblance of a routine throughout a busy year here during our Masters.

I’m Rushi. I spent four years earning a Bachelor of Pharmacy only to realize my passion for management through my first startup an agri service centre! When I’m not covered in bike chain oil or staring at spreadsheets, you can find me ruthlessly losing at chess or aggressively crying over a fiction book.

My name is Sadat and I’m the CTO at BikeHive. My technical foundation started at the University of Twente, where I completed my Bachelor’s in Technical Computer Science. And, with some years gaining exposure to product-development in the Dutch tech-ecosystem behind me, I’m proud to orchestrate the technical foundations for BikeHive. As for my hobbies, I enjoy playing strategy-based board games, nerding out on history and watching football.

In December 2025 you launched your new business, BikeHive. Can you tell us a bit more about the venture?
The idea came from our own annoyance of having to push a flat-tired bike across Maastricht’s cobblestones, so we thought, why not capitalize on that suffering? BikeHive tackles that problem by being an on-demand repair platform. Instead of making you walk, we send a student "MechStar" to fix your bike right where it broke. Using old bike parts for repairs, we’re trying to mainly increase circularity in the bike economy here in NL, while making repairs more convenient and affordable!

What inspired you to start this particular business? 
Akshat’s bike needed repairs, and Rushi ended up fixing it after the repair kept getting stalled for about a month, which made us realize the need for this service. Making an appointment for a simple flat tire fix at many traditional bike shops feels like it needs weeks to schedule. We figured if we could find a way to make bike repairs cheaper and hassle-free, it’d help promote circularity in the bike economy here in Maastricht.

You are all Master in Management students; Why did you decide to follow a Maser in Management, and particularly at MSM? Were you already envisioning starting your own business when choosing a Masters programme?
Akshat: I initially went for it as a continuation of my BBA Marketing undergrad, and to access the platform that MSM provides to market and improve yourself, is something that I value highly. And no, I hadn’t even considered the idea of my own business until Rushi and Sadat pitched the idea to me, and I felt I could help it grow!

Rushi: I realized knowing the medical advantage of Ibuprofen wasn't going to help me pitch a startup to investors. I needed to learn how to back up my ideas with real business management theory, and MSM seemed like the perfect place to do this. And yes, I came here specifically to launch something; the Maastricht bike chaos was the perfect situation!

Sadat: Coming from a purely technical background, I wanted to understand the decisions and strategy behind the implementation of technical features. MSM’s Master in Management programme was particularly attractive because of its short course duration of 1 year and industry tie-ups. I never envisioned starting my own business during the programme, but I was definitely excited to learn about the startup challenges that MSM offers.

How are you experiencing the MSM Master in Management so far?
It’s been a blur to be honest. We’ve all enjoyed the numerable groupwork and pitching opportunities (not just for our ideas but other subject-related ideas as well). The learning environment is highly collaborative, acting as a simulation for the real world, and we think that’s a USP of this program as well! The networking opportunities have been plenty as well, thankfully, and we value MSM’s help in marketing not only our brands, but ourselves! For anyone looking for such an opportunity here in NL, this is a good place to be.

Are there any particular courses or CPDT events so far that you benefitted the most from? 
The SDG Challenges were a particular highlight! Weir Minerals taught us how to take corporate waste streams and turn them into functional business models, which prepared us to apply this to our own business via reusing scrap bike parts. BeyondMeat taught us how companies would like their products to be marketed, and how we can incorporate sustainability into said marketing! Courses such as Corporate Finance also absolutely helped. Nothing more thrilling than calculating your own Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) in your own business. 

Can you share how you balance the Master in Management studies with your entrepreneurial venture and possible other responsibilities? 
By trying to stay on top of things, most of the time we’ve been successful. We’ve learned how to be better as time has gone on, the key is of course to, at the very minimum, start early. Just sit down and work for 5 minutes, you’ll get in the flow in no time. Personally (Akshat), I’ve really learned to find order in the chaos of deadlines, projects, thesis, and social  life, and figure out how much time to dedicate to each. Sometimes BikeHive sits together to do each of their own work. All of it helps.

Can you tell us about the experience of participating in the Maastricht Brightlands Startup Challenge?
It was a fruitful experience to be honest! The days we spent preparing for the Brightlands events were the ones we got the most work done for our startup, and even for ourselves. They gave us a valuable platform to market our service on, and acted as a catalyst in the  sense that it forced us to stop daydreaming and work upon expanding and tailoring our business model for a pitch.

What would be your hope for the future from a career perspective or a personal perspective?
In the future, we want BikeHive to become a household name in all things bike-related, handling everything from bike repairs to general biking info here in NL. 

What would you like to say to future students?
Akshat: I’d say be confident in yourself, and try and adopt a positive mindset towards everything in life. It has a way of changing outcomes. And do it while placing yourselves in situations you’re not comfortable being in, that’s where you really grow the most.

Rushi: Start a business. Although it’s a fast way to age quite a lot in a semester, you’ll  learn more than you ever thought possible. Use the university as your laboratory to fail fast. And if you have a broken bike, hit us up! 

Where can the community find you, and how can they reach you?
You can visit BikeHive and check out their business yourself via their website here. Also make sure to follow their social channels, their Instagram and their LinkedIn. 

Click here for the BikeHive Poster

Do you also want to join the Master in Management and develop your management skills in a diverse, international and multicultural environment? 
Click here for more information about the programme, the curriculum, the available scholarships and the admission requirements. You can also chat with Master in Management alumni and get first-hand insights in how they have experienced the programme. The next intake will start in September 2026. Or get in touch with Gianluca Martinelli at gianluca.martinelli@maastrichtuniversity.nl if you have any further questions.