Her Story
About Violeta
Violet Shkreli is the founder of Talent Ponds, a startup in the HR tech industry dedicated to removing implicit bias from the sourcing and screening stages of recruitment. With with experience in sales, tech, marketing, and workforce solutions, she recently launched her startup after personal encounters with bias in hiring. As a solo female founder who bootstrapped the venture using her own savings, Shkreli aims to level the playing field so that candidates are evaluated solely on their skills and qualifications. She holds a bachelor's degree, making her the first in her immediate family of immigrants to achieve this milestone, and attributes her success to her family, upbringing, and community values of hard work and perseverance. In addition to her professional work, Shkreli is an author who became the first Albanian-American science fiction writer upon the 2019 publication of her book, in addition she volunteers with non-profit organizations in her spare time.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Violeta
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say my family and my upbringing, my community, which I was taught from an early age, if you believe in something, and you work hard towards it, whether you succeed or fail, there's still a positive outcome to be had, to be learned. My family came here with nothing, not knowing the language, and navigated their way through country and culture and society that they were unfamiliar with. They were a big inspiration to me.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Build your network and be kind, you never know who will give you the next opportunity or be your next manager.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is being a female bootstrapped entrepreneur in tech because I am a minority in the field, and the biggest opportunity is creating systemic change in recruitment that's been beneficial for everyone.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I have a strong sense of justice. Being a kind person is my number one moral or value, treating others as you would like to be treated. I'm very big on integrity, keeping your word, and with integrity comes honesty and respect.
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