Femme Lead S02 E01 Venture Capital: The future of mobility, careers in VC and the mindset for success with Sohaila Ouffata, BMW i Ventures.
Mobility | Impact of technology on the mobility space| Gender & VC | The role of diversity in building companies | The success of an idea and what impacts it|
In this new season, we deep dive into new fields of work and we focus on career paths we haven't mentioned before, as well as some topics we were encouraged by the listeners to add.
In this episode, we discuss the world of venture capital, how to get started, what is to know about the mobility space with Sohaila Ouffata, my next guest, and a great overview of how does one sees their career development through different phases in life. We touch on diversity and the workplace, building successful companies, female-led businesses, and black female-led organizations and their success, and advice from challenging situations.
Sohaila Ouffata is the Managing Director of BMW i Ventures in Europe. In addition to this role, she also serves in the global team as the Director of Platform with a focus on developing and implementing strategic growth initiatives for BMW i Ventures’ portfolio companies. Leveraging the unique strengths of the BMW ecosystem the goal of these efforts is to establish transformative partnerships and help the portfolio companies succeed and scale, Before joining BMW i Ventures Sohaila worked as a Senior Innovation and New Business Manager within the Telecommunications and Media industry as well as a Management Consultant. Sohaila is a mission-driven leader and a strong advocate of sustainable and responsible Venture Capital investing.
Episode Timeline:
02:16 Introduction of Sohaila Ouffata, Director of Platform at BMW I Ventures
04:20 Sohaila Ouffata: background and upbringing
08:00 What is your stance on the VC world? How will the future look like?
11:30 What does the role of director of platform entail? How do you promote diversity in this role?
14:22 Mobility and the future of the space
18:10 Women-led businesses & the VC world
22:40 Navigating different cultural settings: the importance of diversity in the VC world
24:40 What are the most important factors to consider when entering the VC world?
30:30 What lessons can you share from challenging situations?
36:06 What was the biggest surprise of your career?
38:00 Is there any advice for those who want to follow your path?
41:10 What do you wish you knew at the beginning of your career?
You can follow Sohaila on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sohailaouffata/