Celebrating International Women’s Day: 6 Women to Watch

In my last post titled, “Celebrating International Women’s Day: 5 Inspirational Women Paving the Way for Tomorrow’s Female Leaders” I discussed examples of women who have broken ground in one way or another – either by beating the odds, listening to their inner voice or following their truth and never giving up. In this post, I’d like to switch gears and recognize women who aren’t as established but hold just as much potential to inspire next-gen female leaders.

Fitness, fashion and cars are topics I’m passionate about in and out of the tech space and these fearless women are changing the game within these sectors.  Take a look and see why they motivate me and I hope you’ll get inspired as well.

1.      Katrina Lake, Founder & CEO of Stitch Fix

Stitch Fix is a one-stop-shop box of clothes sent right to your door. For working moms or any professional girl on the go, this is a dream-come-true, time-saving solution. The business is now valued at a whopping $2 billion with more than 5,500 employees. Katrina Lake had an uphill battle on the road to her success. Trying to get a room full of male VCs to invest money in dresses and skirts isn’t the ideal scenario. But, despite their doubts, she had a solid idea to combine the ease of online shopping with the fit and style that women are consistently and endlessly searching for. With some excellent hiring decisions and a gutless undertone, Lake was able to transform “just an idea” into a reality. Now can I just ask that they expand to the UK?

Inspirational Sound Byte: “I should be able to occupy a space of success regardless of my gender.”

2.      Payal Kadakia Pujji, Founder & CEO of ClassPass

ClassPass is successful fitness booking company for which registrants can pay on a credit scale price system and receive the benefits of attending classes at multiple studios around their city. ClassPass can now be found in 39 cities around the world and has gone from a small startup to a $470 million business in record time. Although Kadakia recently stepped down from CEO just last year in March, her story is one worth talking about. Her keys to success were not handed to her on a silver platter by any means. In fact, her first version, called “Classtivity,” was a bust. Soon after, she launched something similar called “Passport,” which was more catered to fitness scheduling needs. When Passport didn’t work she learned from her mistakes and the needs of her customers and launched what is now ClassPass. Her drive and passion is inspiring and impressive. She didn’t give up after two failed startups and was able to pivot her strategy, learning from her previous attempts and overall experiences.

 Inspirational Sound Byte: "I never feel bad. You can't feel bad—you have to just make the best decision you can at the time you're in, and be like, that's the decision I believe in."

 3.      Jennifer Hyman, CEO and Co-Founder of Rent the Runway

Rent the Runway is an online service that allows users to rent designer dresses and accessories for a fraction of their runway price. Just like Stitch Fix’s CEO Lake, Hyman didn’t have an easy road due to male-dominated VC boards. In fact, Hyman expressed in a Huffington Post article that, “Being a woman trying to start a business is a ‘tale of a million paper cuts.’” It’s one of the hardest obstacles for women entrepreneurs to overcome. The situation between women entrepreneurs and VC funding has only gotten worse – as of 2017, women founders received a mere 2% of VC funding dollars, according to FORTUNE. This stat alone proves that Hyman had to overcome substantial obstacles. However, with a combination of her perseverance and the smart to capitalize on the sharing economy at its peak, Hyman had a recipe for success and she has created and maintained a majority-female staff. 

 Inspirational Sound Byte: “If you’re passionate about something, go for it, because people are great at what they love and when they’re the happiest.”

 4.      Jean Liu, President of DiDi

DiDi is the major Chinese ride-sharing service, meeting the transportation needs for more than 450 million users across 400 cities in China. After the acquisition of Uber China, Liu put DiDi on the map, turning the platform into the most valuable startup in the world (today it’s valued at $56 billion). Liu believes that to grow quickly and successfully, you not only need a great product, but you also need great people behind that product. As such, she places a large focus on recruiting and retaining top industry talent. Liu is challenged frequently with keeping Uber at bay while also delivering an efficient service and complying with China’s rigorous transportation regulations. Liu’s mission for the company is to help people live better quality lives and to help combat China’s current state of pollution due to high traffic volumes. What’s next for DiDi and Liu? She’s currently working on building an electric vehicle charging network that will help support the one million EVs DiDi plans to have in its network by 2020. Liu is the definition of a “powerhouse.” Not only did she defeat Goliath, Uber, but she also continued to build her empire while being treated for breast cancer. Some truly admirable feats.

Inspirational Sound Byte: “I think the key is: be humble. And be open minded. And not to think you know everything.”

5.      Bozoma Saint John, Chief Brand Officer, Uber

Saint John is one of the very few black female C-suite executives in Silicon Valley. Her mission is to “humanize” Uber and turn the tide for the company’s recent brand issues – not any easy task by any means. Uber has been under fire for its management practices and company culture for many months now. Saint John only recently came to Uber after leaving iTunes and Apple Music. She’s deemed as being charismatic and confident in her abilities. It’s no wonder that Uber chose her as the one to make the switch for the brand’s image and reputation. Her mission is to assess the brand for what it stands for today and then figure out how to connect what is emotional and human about the brand to its customers.

 Inspirational Sound Byte: “Be your whole self. If there’s an opportunity to share an idea or, hell, even to dress up for the office, be your whole self. That’s the example I’m living for my daughter and other women. Being everything I am—that’s magical, and I want everyone to see it.”

 6.      Whitney Wolfe Herd, Founder and CEO of Bumble

Bumble is notably America’s fastest growing dating-app company, with 22 million registered users and growing. After leaving Tinder, Herd decided to compete against the company with a dating app structured for women to make the first move instead of men. What I find inspirational about Herd is that she saw a gap in the market and she wholeheartedly embraced that gap. Not only is the majority of her company comprised of women, but she encourages women in her company to achieve their highest potential. The line "Be the CEO Your Parents Always Wanted You to Marry” was recently featured in their advertising campaign and I loved it! She makes women feel empowered and that’s something I can get behind 110% of the way.

Inspirational Sound Byte: “Have a dream, chase it down, jump over every single hurdle, and run through fire and ice to get there.”

 International Women’s Day isn’t just about ONE day. It’s about making a difference EVERY day. Looking to women for inspiration, looking to our neighbors for mentorship and finding those resources that work for you. One common thread I’ve noticed between the next-gen go-getters and the veteran women leaders of our time, is that they don’t give up. They don’t back down. And, they certainly never settle for anything less then what they believe they can achieve – greatness.