Nemes Ventures helps women understand Artificial Intelligence
Please introduce yourself and your startup NEMES VENTURES to our readers!
Ms. AI, a Berlin founded startup and a brand of Nemes Ventures, helps women understand, use and work with Artificial Intelligence through Education, Community and Talent platforms. It promotes innovative entrepreneurship and diverse, inclusive networks to leverage this technology to improve the quality of life for everyone.
How did you get the idea to NEMES VENTURES?
It was a bit of a longer thinking and forming process but in the end, the idea of Ms. AI just jumped out of my head in a quite unexpected way. I was working for over 20 years with Artificial Intelligence in the high tech industry, at Microsoft and Google, and I knew how important it is for European women to be able to enter and be successful in the high-tech space. We also all know how important it is for Europe to be competitive in the AI space, how much more important is “doing” vs. “debating and talking”.
Speaking with many friends and colleagues, who provided invaluable input – from helping to form the business model to helping to find the right name for it, I suddenly realized Ms. AI is the right model and the right name for this new venture.
How difficult was the start and what challenges you had to overcome?
So far, the start was super easy and the feedback I’ve received is absolutely overwhelming, very positive! People see the need for such an initiative and many companies, individuals, media and the Public Sector are interested in collaborating. Lots of friends and colleagues, especially women, started to help make connections within their networks, which is so helpful! We can’t achieve anything without partnering with the amazing people around us!
Who is your target audience?
European women and girls and everyone else interested in using technology for the greater societal good.
To make our lives easier and more productive, while having fun!
What is the USP of your startup?
Focus on Artificial Intelligence for and with women, and providing a thriving pan-European ecosystem that connects private and public sectors, media, and think tanks.
We want to bring Europe forward and to spur innovation to enable a strong competitive position vs leaders like USA and China.
Can you describe a typical workday of you?
Wake up at 7 AM and start the day with the obligatory latte (with lots of foam!) made to perfection by my husband, Valentin. 30 Minutes of briefing with my husband, then taking the younger dog out for a walk and giving the older dog his heart pills. During the walk, I check emails on my smartphone and revise how the day will go. Then emails, calls, meeting new people, talking to 20-30 people every day. Now I also attend a lot more events, conferences, get-togethers – during the week and the weekends.
Work is about 14 hours a day, including weekends. I don’t feel I need vacation or much relaxation yet, it is too early and the work is so much fun, it doesn’t really feel like work. This phase is all about building up the business model, forging strategic partnerships, coming up with the marketing plan and initiating ideas for how we will make the business profitable. I often find myself needing to focus and prioritize a lot more and having to put aside things I’d love to do right away but is impossible to cover. Focus is truly the holy grail for a startup. Around 7 PM diner with my husband, debriefing on what we achieved and then more work until about 10 AM.
Read a book and fall asleep very quickly
Where do you see yourself and your startup NEMES VENTURES in five years?
By 2023, we want to enable 10 Million European women to understand, use and thrive with Artificial Intelligence. Be it from a technical, business, humanities, or personal point of view. We want Nemes Ventures to become a thriving company with 2 complementary brands (the second brand is in works and will be unveiled in 2019). We need strong collaboration from all our partners to achieve such an ambitious goal.
Hiring smart and very driven people and having fun in our community.
What 3 tips would you give other Start-up founders on the way?
Invest in yourself, focus and believe in what you do. Your hard work will definitely pay off. But you need to put in the hours and use support from all those around you that believe in you. And don’t listen to the nay-sayers!
More information you will find here
Thank you Nancy Nemes for the Interview
Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.
