Turning an idea into a concrete project is often a challenge. For Rune Pollet, a student at KU Leuven Kulak, this journey began at a young age. What started as a personal interest in technology and the ambition to continuously learn has grown into projects like GoalPilot, an app designed to help others pursue their dreams and goals.
In an interview, Pollet discusses his path from idea to project, the philosophy behind GoalPilot, the significance of dreams and freedom of choice, and the crucial role of a strong network in achieving ambitions.
Pollet, currently studying Business Engineering at KU Leuven Kulak and transitioning to Civil Engineering next academic year, shares how his entrepreneurial story began from psychological reasons. As a child, he struggled with letting go of things mentally, leading to a feeling of resistance towards growing older. A new insight at fourteen, sparked by a friend's passion for cars, changed his perspective. He realized that since he would grow older anyway, he might as well look forward to a future he was excited about.
This realization led to the philosophy: 'I won't let life happen to me; I will grab it and chase my dreams.' He began programming, training, and reading about investing and entrepreneurship, driven by the feeling of getting closer to his dreams.
In his fifth year of secondary school, he decided to apply his acquired knowledge by participating in Apple's Swift Student Challenge. He developed the app GoalPilot, which originally stemmed from the desire to give back the knowledge he had gained to the world, serving as a guide for others on their success journey. This app earned him a 'Distinguished Winner' title, including an invitation to Apple's headquarters in San Francisco and various awards.
The interest in dreams and ambitions, central to GoalPilot, originates from Pollet's personal life philosophy. He emphasizes that everyone can be the 'captain of their own life,' by determining their own direction and goals, as long as it is meaningful to them.
With GoalPilot, he hopes to instill in others the sense of freedom and enthusiasm to make and pursue their own choices. He aims to build confidence that they will find enough energy to achieve their dreams and foster positivity to view challenges as solutions.
While developing his ideas, Pollet continuously encountered problems, but he viewed them as progress rather than obstacles. His determination never to give up always led to solutions.
The recognition he has received for his projects is primarily motivating for him and a confirmation of his life philosophy. However, he stresses the importance of staying grounded and setting ambitious goals.
The guidance from entrepreneur coach Natalie Voet and Start@K was valuable, mainly through the sharing of a network. This connected him with like-minded individuals, offering opportunities for experience and support in realizing his dreams.
Pollet strongly recommends that students with entrepreneurial ideas utilize this support, particularly for expanding their network and launching forward-thinking projects.
His message to students with social or creative ideas is to simply start taking action, regardless of the title 'entrepreneur.' He encourages reflecting on the reason behind the dream and viewing entrepreneurship as a means, not an end in itself, always staying grounded. He advises that if the dream is truly the life one wants to lead, that memory can help make the right choice.
