Today we’d like to introduce you to Sari Azout.
Sari, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born in Barranquilla, Colombia to a family of entrepreneurs.
I moved to the U.S. when I was 18 to attend Brown University, where I studied sociology and economics. When I graduated, I took on a job in consumer/retail investment banking in NYC.
After three years, I left the corporate world to launch Bib + Tuck, an online marketplace to buy and sell clothes. I sold that business in 2015, and since then, have been spending my time investing and building consumer startups.
My mission is to bring more humanity and creativity to technology and business – building businesses rooted in empathy and human-centered design. There is too much technology for the sake of technology – I’m interested in building companies rooted in empathy for humans, not for technology.
I’ve invested in over 20 companies rethinking outdated industries in design-forward ways and I’m just getting started.
You can see my portfolio here: https://www.levelvc.com
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Building a business is never easy – you’re fighting to survive and for people to care about your company. I hit every challenge imaginable for a startup –difficulty fundraising, struggling to make payroll, difficulty finding a tech lead as a non-technical founder, credit card fraud that almost destroyed the business.
And to make matters worse, everyone around you building companies seems to be doing great while you constantly feel like you’re running off a cliff.
I certainly struggled with this initially. Now that I’m almost a decade into the startup world, I’ve learned to recognize the normalcy of these emotions.
And now, as an investor and advisor on the other side of the table, a lot of my work is focused on coaching founders through the emotional side of entrepreneurship. How much healthier would everyone be if we realized that the rollercoaster – the highs and the lows — are completely normal.
Please tell us about Level Ventures.
Currently, I am the Head of Strategy for a startup studio in Miami called Rokk3r Labs and I am also a partner at Level Ventures, where I invest in consumer startups reimagining everyday living.
In layman’s terms, that means I spend my days thinking about industries that need to be reinvented – childcare, healthcare, education, student loans, retail – and thinking about unique insights that unlock opportunities for entrepreneurs.
When I find a special entrepreneur, I support them and roll up my sleeves to help with storytelling, digital product design, brand positioning, and organizational strategy.
Venture Capital is a male-dominated industry, so being a female in and of itself is unique – it allows me to empathize with problems and businesses that the average white male investor may not see.
I also have a strong combination of right brain, left brain – I combine an understanding of consumer behavior, psychology, design, and empathy with an understanding of business and technology.
Some examples of companies I’ve invested in include:
Brella (www.hellobrella.com) – reimagining childcare
Chillhouse (www.chillhouse.com) – reimagining self-care
For Days (www.fordays.com) – reimagining consumption and fashion
June (www.junehomes.com) – reimagining the home rental experience
Hippo (www.myhippo.com) – reimagining insurance
These are all companies that value design, exceptional product experiences, and solving a real problem using design and technology.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Growing up, my dad would ask us every night at the dinner table – “what did you do today to change the world?” I was raised to believe that going out, building something and disrupting the status quo is totally possible. My parents set a really strong example of living a passionate life, making a mark, and loving what you do.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sariazout.com
- Email: sari@level.vc
- Instagram: sariazoutbaka
- Twitter: sariazout
- Other: www.level.vc
Image Credit:
Photography by Emma del Rey and Jessica Kassin
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