Founding a Tech Empire While Breaking Expectations & Overcoming Self-Doubt with Rana el Kaliouby, Founder of Affectiva

Rana el Kaliouby is an Egyptian-American scientist, innovator, author and CEO. She co-founded the artificial intelligence company, Affectiva, and has pioneered a digital software that can read & analyze human emotion in real time. Rana has raised over $50 million in venture funding and was recognized on Fortune’s 40 Under 40 List & as one of Forbes Top 50 Women in Tech. 

Rana grew up in Cairo where she was raised, as she says, to be a “nice Egyptian girl.” She defied cultural expectations in both the tech world and in her native Middle Eastern heritage. She earned her Ph.D. at Cambridge, postdoc at MIT and is working in a field of technology that is still overwhelmingly white and male. 

However, before she broke ground as a scientist and founded her company, she broke the rules of what it meant to be an obedient daughter and, later, an obedient wife to pursue her own daring dream. Rana’s personal journey overcoming self-doubt and embracing her ambition is an inspiration to all women to feel empowered & be the leader of their own life. 

In this episode, we’ll talk to Rana about: 

* Rana’s childhood growing up in Egypt & how her family’s conservative yet forward-thinking views impacted her [2:24]  

* How she decided to go against the expectations of her culture & pursue her own daring dreams [4:52]

* Rana discusses the early days of her company and its impact to her marriage [7:47]

* Rana opens up about the immense fear she had moving to the US while leaving her family behind [10:44] 

* Rana shares life after her divorce as a financially independent woman [12:36]

* What it’s like to raise money from top-tier investors as a scientist & first time entrepreneur [15:22]

* Why Rana thinks the idea of “balance” is a misnomer when it comes to family and work  [21:49]

* Rana shares her journey to CEO & how she overcame her own self doubt and self-imposed barriers [26:07]

* The importance of women self-advocating for themselves and asking for what they deserve [30:15]

* The power of empathetic leadership when managing your team’s culture and productivity during the pandemic [32:50]

* Rana’s personal journey in embracing her emotions & overcoming her own fears and insecurities [38:10] 

Follow Rana:

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ranaelkaliouby/

* Website: https://www.affectiva.com/

* Rana’s book - Girl Decoded: https://ranaelkaliouby.com/girldecoded/

References:

* All Raise: https://www.allraise.org/

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* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/

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