Goxip Co-Founder and CEO Juliette Gimenez with Investor Chryseis Tan
The word “tech” and the idea of starting a business often conjures up images of alien stereotypes, usually male, but today we witness the dawn of the new entrepreneur. Goxip, the mobile-first shopping and discovery app, has announced an impressive figure, earning its title as one of the largest seed rounds in Southeast Asia. BAZAAR speaks to Juliette Gimenez, the original founder of Goxip on her insights and foresights of Asia’s tech landscape.
#1. How do you foresee the future of female talent across S.E.A in the fashion x tech crossover field?
At the minute I still see there is a dominance of male workforce in this field with the number of female talent slowly increasing to reach a better balance. I know there is a lot of smart, intelligent and enthusiastic women in the region but sometimes they just haven’t been given the opportunity to demonstrate what they can do. The sexist concept of men are better at tech and women having lower status is still strong in SEA but the environment is definitely improving. Countries being more opened and developed which women are having a better chance to be educated. I see women can definitely play a big role in the future as we are naturally born to be more detail and better at putting themselves in the consumer’s’ shoes which are essential skills to put technology into good use. To success in this field, it takes a combination of various skills instead of just being good at tech on its own. Therefore I have high hope for the future of the female talent and believe we will see more women leaders stepping up in the upcoming years.
#2. What has been the biggest challenge thus far in your career and as a businesswoman?
In my career, I would say probably the need to pick up multiple skills and knowledge fast to make the company survive when it was small. In order to grow a company from zero to one, it takes numerous skills to succeed which the environment will force you to learn a lot in a short period of time. Although it was very challenging since it was like being trapped in a high pressure cooking pot, but I did learnt a lot from the experience and it helped me get to where I am today. As a businesswoman, I would say the challenging part would be fighting for the respect from my other male colleagues when I was working in S.EA. Since the cultures of the countries where I worked in were still mostly male dominant, it was hard for them to accept or listen to me as a female leader which they were not quite used to. Learning how to get to people and work with people is an essential skill in the management level of a company.
#3. Words of advice to aspiring female entrepreneurs on how you overcame these roadblocks?
Be proactive and never accept things easily as they are. Never get affected by how others see you by keeping your confidence and composure even when male is the dominant gender across countries in SEA. Be a role model and demonstrate as an example because passion is contagious. By seeing how you work, participate and behave, people will follow who you are as a person.
IOS version of Goxip
#4. With Goxip and other emerging apps and new technology, how do you personally shop?
100% online now and even having to think about going down to a flagship stores makes me feel tired. There is just a lot more options that I can choose from in online stores compared to having to physically walk through numerous stores for me to find what I like. Online shopping can create such conveniency that I can browse through so much more products with less time and energy.
IOS version of Goxip
#5. What is the ultimate mission statement for Goxip upon its introduction in Malaysia?
Goxip is here to bring a new and innovative way of how shopping can be done by merging social and e-commerce elements together on one platform. We bring convenience to consumers by allowing them to snap and search their desire fashion pieces with photos by using our powerful image recognition technology. We are a community for fashionistas to share their styling tips as well as follow others for inspiration. Soon in the coming future, we will open up our marketplace where merchants and individuals can open online stores on Goxip with logistic and payment support. Everyone can join the community by being a fashionista as well as a retailer. We create a better ecosystem for people to discover fashion. We are the Shoppable Instagram.
For more on Goxip, visit Goxip Official Website
