<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We just launched in January, so it\u2019s still early days but we have had over 7,000 parents engage with the site in that time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Parenting advice always seems like a moving target, with things changing from generation to generation.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nExactly. When my mum was pregnant with me, she was allowed to eat mayonnaise. By the time I had my children, it was an absolute no-no. Today, many people are choosing to raise their children as vegans, so it’s always evolving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I love how Kami is so tied to your personal experience as a working mother. It must be gratifying to put something out in the world that is making a difference in people\u2019s lives.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nYes, it feels good to help because I\u2019ve been in their shoes. Last week, we had a mum onboarding the platform who shared that her baby was feverish and not sleeping through the night. Taking into account the child\u2019s age, the guidance was that the baby was teething and suggested that she try an over-the-counter teething powder. A few days later she wrote back thanking us, saying the treatment resulted in the first good night\u2019s sleep in almost a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What advice do you have for other founders out there, particularly founders of color?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nI\u2019m not your archetypal Silicon Valley or Shoreditch founder. I understand that is something that I have to work through. So I embody that in my attitude. If they\u2019re not going to let me in the door, then I\u2019m coming in through the window, because I\u2019m not going home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In terms of advice, I urge founders to ask better questions. Avoid framing questions in the negative. Instead of asking, why isn\u2019t this working out for me? Ask, how can I make this work? Then find people who can help you with specific challenges. You would be surprised how many people say yes when you just ask the question. Get on LinkedIn and reach out. The problem is, is that people don’t ask, or if they do ask and face rejection, they give up. My advice is to ask, ask and ask again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What do you do when people say \u201cno\u201d?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nI\u2019m very, very used to hearing \u201cNo.\u201d I\u2019m a black woman founder from a working-class background and people say, \u201cNo,\u201d to me all the time. I collect them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How do you mean?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nWhen I hear, \u201cno,\u201d I remind myself that the law of probability says that every time I hear a \u201cno\u201d then I’m that much closer to getting a \u201cyes.\u201d It hurts a little bit less if you think of it that way. As people of color, we have been told for generations that we have to be 10 times as good, to get half as much. I would love to live in a world where it wasn’t true anymore, but that\u2019s not the world we live in. So collect \u201cnos\u201d until you start collecting \u201cyeses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What has it been like working with Microsoft so far?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nA couple of things have stood out about working with Microsoft. The first is that we\u2019re selling to corporations to provide Kami to their employees with children. Having access to Azure has taken the pain out of thinking about compliance, certification and, above all, security which has been immensely helpful to us as we get off the ground. The second thing is the technical support we receive through Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub has allowed us troubleshoot problems incredibly quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To find out more about Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub, visit us here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mother-of-five Erika Brodnock is a TV pundit and PhD candidate. She is also the founder and CEO of Kami, an app that marries cutting-edge AI with human expertise to provide intelligent support to working parents.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":773,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ms_queue_id":[],"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"_classifai_error":"","_classifai_text_to_speech_error":"","_alt_title":"","ms-ems-related-posts":[],"footnotes":""},"post_tag":[],"content-type":[],"job-role":[],"topic":[72],"coauthors":[637,638,639,640,500,641,509],"class_list":["post-240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","topic-venture-capitalism-and-fundraising"],"yoast_head":"\n
Erika Brodnock, CEO of Kami on the art of collecting \u201cNos\u201d<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n