Women's Foundation of Boston 2020 Annual Report

RANA EL KALIOUBY Rana el Kaliouby is a member of WFBoston’s Advisory Council. Rana is the Co-founder and CEO of Affectiva, a software company that creates AI which understands emotions. Holding a PhD from Cambridge University and a Post Doctorate from MIT, Rana has already been recognized on Fortune’s 40 Under 40 and Forbes America’s Top 50 Women in Tech. Rana is the author of Girl Decoded, a book that describes her journey as a scientist, business woman and founder of Affectiva. What drew you to work with WFBoston? I got involved with the Foundation because I was inspired by the mission. I was shocked at how little philanthropy goes to women and wanted to play a role in addressing it. What has been your favorite experience with the Foundation? The WFBoston Women’s Empowerment Webinar sponsored by Akamai was my favorite. It was a conversation about my journey, obstacles and advice I would give to my younger self. It was a raw and honest conversation. Another highlight was working with the Science Club for Girls where I spoke about inner doubt openly and felt a real connection with those young girls and women. What sparked your passion for helping women and the non-profit space? I began my professional journey as a computer scientist and then went on to start a tech startup. My co-founder was also a woman and when we originally began looking for funding and pitching our company, we found that we were mostly pitching to men. I would like to support female founders and get more women in the room when decisions are being made. I would like to increase and promote accessibility to these different careers. What advice would you give to your younger self or young women? Trust yourself and have more confidence. The importance of networking. Women tend to not grow their network and it is a really powerful thing to have. You can have a support system and always invest in it. Find something you’re really passionate about and work hard at it. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Sometimes you just have to go for it and the worst thing that happens is that they say no. Mentors are important; there are a lot of people in this world that say, “no you can’t do that,” but you only need one or two people to push you and you can achieve everything. What are you looking forward to at WFBoston? WFBoston is very data driven which is not common for non-profits. WFBoston measures impact rigorously. I believe WFBoston will continue to enhance the lives of women in Boston. I am looking forward to watching the foundation continue to scale and blossom. Investing in the Power of Women & Girls 21