Soulaima Gourani
Soulaima Gourani
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Soulaima Gourani: There Is No Place Like CA – It Is a Great Place To Build and Scale a Company […] We Love It Here

Soulaima Gourani of Happioh Inc. .

Tell us about yourself?

Tech founder from Denmark in Palo Alto, former street and fostercare child. Now one of the few WOC founders VC supported female led start ups.

What do you think is the single biggest misconception people have when it comes to startups?

That women cant build succesfull tech companies and that you have to be a YC startup to do very well.

What lessons has being an entrepreneur taught you?

That it is a lot about your mindset, energy and level of passion for the problem you are solving. Money is NOT always problem #1- your mindset is

If you could go back in time to when you first started your business, what piece of advice would you give yourself?

That the CTO should be coding him/herself ( I can talk long about our mistakes here) and that only ” startup” folks should join the early team. We had too many joining that were stars but not start up folks.

A lot of entrepreneurs find it difficult to balance their work and personal lives. How have you found that?

No, I have not. Its a 24/7 job to be honest. As a mon/ women its hard but also very exciting to learn this much. My advise is to FOCUS on getting the job done. And relax later.

Give us a bit of an insight into the influences behind the company?

Not sure what this means at this point. If you can explain this in another way? I have never gotten this question before.

What do you think is your magic sauce? What sets you apart from the competitors?

We are cyber security first and with a deep understanding of how to optimize processes. We are build as a platform agnostic tool. The only one in the world.

How have you found sales so far? Do you have any lessons you could pass on to other founders in the same market as you just starting out?

Yes, we are still pre-revenue but we can share how we got 300 big companies on the wait list with no or zero marketing costs.

What do you consider are the main strengths of operating your business in California over other states in the US?

Access to talent for sure. There is no place like CA – it is a GREAT place to build and scale a company. WE love it here.

What (if any) are the weaknesses of operating your business within California?

Timezones to Europe 😉

We are currently suffering through a cost of living crisis. With California already being one of the most expensive states to live in, how has this impacted your business?

We work from home all of us and we try to do or best to pay fairly. We know that this might become an issue years ahead. We are watching the affordable house situation very closely.

It is no secret that California is the birthplace of innovation. But that also makes it incredibly competitive. How have you found the competitive environment of California?

Inspirational indeed. By being among the best in the world in only makes us better at what we do for sure.

Have you considered moving your company to another state? If so, which state and why?

no we have not considered moving.

Where do you see your business in the next 5 years?

Global, IPO and in USA still serving the most fantastic customers worldwide. SaaS software companies often grow fast hence that is a realistic scenario for the next 5 years.

And finally, if people want to get involved and learn more about your business, how should they do that?

They can go to www.happioh.com- its our homepage to sign up the wait list for trying Happioh as a VIP user.

Follow Happioh Inc. on Twitter or Linkedin.

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