Styled by Science CEOs Styled by Science CEOs

Ever wondered what goes into the shoe design process today? The answer might just surprise you. Maeve Wang, co-founder of IAMBIC, joins Ayo & Megan to talk about her journey to founding an on demand manufacturing focused footwear company that integrates AI into the fit experience to provide ultimate comfort and longevity. In this episode you will learn about the reality of the footwear industry, how AI is changing the landscape, and how on demand manufacturing is the answer.



About Maeve Wang

After returning 300 pairs of shoes in 3 years due to poor shoe fit, Maeve Wang became the unlikely fashion founder of IAMBIC. With her background, Maeve brings a nuanced and individualized approach to an industry that has long been plagued by uniformity. Maeve began her career as a Bain consultant where she worked with Fortune 500 executive teams on their most critical innovation and retail initiatives. Maeve then served as VP of Delos Ventures, where she led product development and investments in wearables, digital health, and digital content. Maeve graduated from Harvard with a degree in Government and Economics. Learn more at linktr.ee/maevewang.



LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maevetwang / linkedin.com/company/weareiambic

Instagram: @maevewang / @weareiambic

Facebook: @maevewang / @iambic.co

Twitter: @maeve_wang / @weareiambic

TikTok: @weareiambic

About the episode:

"If I knew about entrepreneurship or business at an earlier age, where would I actually be now?" On this episode we sit down with Jasmine LeFlore, a visionary leader and advocate for diversity in STEM and business. She is also the amazing woman who asked this powerful question in this episode. 

From her early fascination with planes to her current role as the Co-founder and Executive Director of Greater Than Tech, Jasmine shares her inspiring journey of breaking her own barriers and empowering the next generation of STEM, business, and interdisciplinary leaders. We talk about how Jasmine first learned about engineering through planes, her innovation process, challenges of being a woman and woman of color in the STEM field (i.e. the game of Double Jeopardy), and the life-changing impact she is creating with her non-profit Greater Than Tech. We even talk about professional clapbacks!



If you are interested in how pure curiosity can lead you down awesome adventures, overcoming challenges with confidence and grace, and how representation can change the directory of someone's life, then dive into thought-provoking and inspiring conversation with Jasmine. 



Timestamps:


01:30: How seeing planes as a young kid got Jasmine started on her path to being an aerospace engineer 
08:36: Jasmine's problem-solving process and the importance of understanding root causes while taking into account diverse voices
15:40: Overcoming obstacles as a woman and w woman of color in the field - Double Jeopardy
29:00: Greater Than Tech's mission and impact on empowering students in STEM and business education
35:01: Addressing the gender gap in STEM and the true importance of representation
41:01: We ask Jasmine what is one problem in her industry and what is her hope for change 
44:14: Our key takeaways from our conversation with Jasmine 



About Jasmine LeFlore:

Recognized as one of the top 50 Women of Influence in Technology by San Diego Business journal, Jasmine LeFlore is the Co-founder and Executive Director of Greater Than Tech, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating the next generation of innovative technology leaders by introducing girls and underserved students to immersive educational programs at the intersection of STEM and business. She also works as the Advanced Technology Solutions Lead for Collins Aerospace improving the way the Applied Research and Technology organization approaches investing in emerging technologies. LeFlore grew up in Flint, MI and watched planes take off and land every day from a nearby airport, sparking her initial interest in aerospace studies. She later earned a BSE in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan, an MSE in Interdisciplinary Engineering (with a Systems Engineering Concentration) from Purdue University, and an MBA from Indiana University.



Learn more about and support Greater Than Tech: ⁠⁠https://greaterthantech.org/⁠⁠



Challenge:


Share this episode with a friend who is passionate about diversity in STEM and/or business fields!



Connect with Us:


Email: ⁠styledbyscienceceos@gmail.com⁠
Instagram: @styledbyscienceceos
Subscribe to our podcast on your preferred platform!
Cloeco - https://cloeco.com/
Hangio - https://shophangio.com/



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Want to understand the legal aspects of Fashion? The outspoken Anuj Gupta joins Ayo & Megan on this episode to bring a legal voice to the Fashion Industry. In this episode, you will learn about what inspired Anuj to start First Gen Law, why law is important in the fashion world, and how bringing in legal counsel early on can make or break your business.



Link to Full Horizon: https://www.firstgenlaw.co/



Have any questions or feedback, email us at styledbyscienceceos@gmail.com

Want to feel empowered? A true ray of sunshine, Madison, joins Ayo & Megan on this episode to talk about her passion for inclusion, how to feel confident starting a business, and so much more. In this episode, you will learn about what inspired Madison to start her inclusion and empowerment focused earrings business, Full Horizon, and how to gain the confidence to discover and follow your passions.



Link to Full Horizon: https://fullherizon.com/



Episode Time Stamps:

1:00 - Intro to Madison

4:00 - Madison's Founder Story

8:00 - The ups & downs of building a business in college

15:00 - How to scale

16:00 - Advice on running your own business

28:00 - Importance of building diverse teams

29:00 - How to marketing and inclusion work together

35:00 - Advice for other businesses - "Just start"



Have any questions or feedback, email us at styledbyscienceceos@gmail.com

About the Episode:

On today’s episode we speak to Ryan Lewis, founder and CEO of EarthHero,  a curated online marketplace and corporate gifting platform, that uses a 5-pillar sourcing methodology to ensure only the most sustainable products are selected. We were so excited to bring on Ryan because marketplaces have become an increasingly important sales channel for brands to sell products and for customers to discover new brands and purchase from them. 

We dove into marketplaces in the early days, the eco-gender gap, setting rigorous product standards, conscious consumerism, and more. We loved Ryan’s candor in this episode. A big takeaway we received from this episode is that the work of making the industry sustainable is complicated and continues to be in progress. Tune in to hear the full rich discussion.

“Every time you buy, just think about, do I need this? Do I want this? Is this a sustainable purchase?”  - Ryan Lewis

“To put a bow around that plastic conversation is that it just needs to be thoughtful. you got to take into account the entire lifespan of the product and all the stops along the way and make sure there’s not unintended consequences happening.” - Ryan Lewis



Timestamps:

4:09 The pain point that inspired EarthHero 

7:33 Challenges of business growth 

19:30 Sustainability in materials, micro plastics, recycled fibers, all natural materials, etc. 

30:00 The eco-gender gap; The skew of marketing of sustainability to woman and how this is changing 

35:00 Growing profits vs not promoting over-consumption; conscious consumerism 

43:50 Ryan’s thoughts on what should be talked about more in the fashion industry  



About Ryan:

A dad, husband, entrepreneur, and avid adventurer with a deep passion for the natural world and over two decades of ecommerce experience, Ryan founded EarthHero with the mission to help make it easier for people to shop and consume more sustainably.

In his own quest to live a more environmentally-conscious lifestyle, he couldn't help but wonder how many people would live more sustainably if it were easier to do so and didn't require compromise. He wanted to find a way to give people the tools to make educated, thoughtful decisions about what they buy and use – while being convenient and simple. He's a firm believer that sustainability involves choices that make us feel good about selecting products that put our health and our planet’s health first. 



Challenge:

- Share this episode via a text with one friend! 



Connect with us:

- Email: ⁠styledbyscienceceos@gmail.com

- IG: @styledbyscienceceos

- Subscribe to our podcast on this platform that you are listening to this episode on!

- Cloeco: http://cloeco.com 

- Hangio: ⁠http://shophangio.com⁠



Loved this episode? Text it to a friend 🙂

Karishma is a 25 year old social media creator and educator in the climate space. She brings a sustainability angle to conversations in fashion, agriculture, pop culture, and politics. She also celebrates her heritage as an Indian woman and introduces Eastern wisdom to the climate conversation.