How I Built This with Guy Raz How I Built Resilience: Shan-Lyn Ma of Zola
Mar 11, 2021
Shan-Lyn Ma, co-founder and CEO of Zola, shares her inspiring journey of transforming the wedding planning industry. She discusses how Zola pivoted during the pandemic to include livestreaming weddings and an e-commerce marketplace for home goods. Shan-Lyn emphasizes the significance of resilience and innovation while forecasting a resurgence in weddings. She also highlights the importance of empowering young girls to pursue entrepreneurship, sharing insights on representation and creativity in the business world.
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Zola's Origin
- Shan-Lyn Ma, Zola's co-founder, was inspired to create Zola after experiencing frustrating wedding registries.
- She and Nobu, her co-founder, believed they could build a better platform.
Overcoming Investor Doubt
- Investors initially doubted Zola's potential due to perceived market saturation and fragmentation.
- Shan-Lyn Ma recognized the significant spending and underserved needs within the wedding industry.
Securing Seed Funding
- Zola secured initial funding from Kevin Ryan, Gilt Groupe's founder, who knew Shan-Lyn Ma and Nobu from their previous work.
- Their four years of hard work at Gilt convinced Ryan to invest in their vision.