Talks Launching Startup And Breast Cancer Awareness

Posted by Bengtsson on October 7th, 2015

On Oct. 1, in honor of Women's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the fashion search app Donde Fashion launched a month-long campaign in observance of breast cancer awareness. The campaign will be donating 100 percent of all of its profits from the sales of all pink-colored products sold through the app to Stand Up To Cancer.

Donde Fashion, which first launched in August of 2015, has rapidly gained traction in the shoppable app and e-commerce spaces. The CEO and founder of Donde Fashion is Liat Zakay, an entrepreneur who boasts an extensive background in tech. Zakay earned her bachelors of science in computer science and economics before going on to work in Israeli Intelligence. The CEO now juggles her time between San Francisco and Tel Aviv to run Donde.

The breast cancer awareness campaign is a cause that is particularly close to Zakay's heart and is one that illustrates Donde's aim to cultivate a community for women.

For those who are unaware, Donde Fashion is a fashion search engine that provides a one-stop destination for shoppers. Donde is the first app of its kind to streamline the online shopping experience, relying solely on visual prompts to help users purchase apparel and accessories specific to their needs.

The Donde app specializes in condensing information for shoppers as opposed to overwhelming them with unneccessary product options. Shoppers can use the app to determine an item type in a certain cut, style and color before being connected to thousands of products from brands like Barney's, Zara and J. Crew. The app also features a social component that allows users to follow brands and share wishlist items with other connections.

We recently caught up with Zakay to discuss Donde, the trials of operating an international fashion tech startup and the importance of community.

AS: What is the Donde Fashion app?

LZ: Donde Fashion is the first search tool that allows you to find any fashion item you may have in mind, all using visuals rather than text. The basic idea behind it is that when we think of the perfect dress or the perfect outfit, we think about them visually and how they look, not by the words we would use to describe them.

This is how Donde Fashion works: We use artificial intelligence and technology to analyze more than 6,000 brands and stores and millions of items to match the exact vision you have in mind. For example, you can search an item by the neckline, the shape, the color, the length and the cut without using any text at all.

AS: What led you to launch an app like Donde?

LZ: I coded Donde because of my own frustration with shopping. Growing up, I always admired my big sister's sense of style. I would always search for outfits that were similar to hers, and I wanted to find the things that fit my body type and my own style preferences as well. It was so frustrating, and it took so much time and effort. I realized that there needed to be a solution, so I started coding Donde. I actually solved my own problem.

AS: I'm really interested in hearing more about your background prior to launching Donde. What was your previous experience in and how has that informed Donde Fashion?

LZ: I have a technical background and was an officer in the Israeli Intelligence. I earned my bachelors of science in computer science and economics. After years of analyzing big data and solving algorithms, I decided that I really wanted to build a product like [Donde].

My background played a very important part in it. I met my co founder through the army in the intelligence unit we both served in and we founded the company with friends and people we knew from the same unit. I really feel that it's important to support women who code and who have a background in tech.

AS: What was a moment of adversity or a particular challenge that you've had to overcome when creating this business and launching the app?

LZ: The biggest challenge was to find a way to talk to the U.S. consumer. As an Israeli, to come to the U.S. and to get to know our market while managing a team of people in Israel where there's a time difference is very ... different. One of the biggest challenges is running a company that is in two different countries and making sure that everyone is in sync.

AS: How do you think Donde Fashion will change women's attitudes towards shopping online?

LZ: I hope that women will just get their time back. Instead of spending a lot of time on researching, women can spend a few seconds on it, move on to the next activity and spend more of their time on the things that they love.

AS: There is also a social element to the app that allows users to directly connect to brands and influencers. How important is it to build a community within these apps and technological environments?

LZ: Yes, we have a social element in the app that allows you to follow certain brands and bloggers. You can comment and share things easily through your phone if you need a second opinion too. We made all of the social elements very easy and convenient for the user.

I feel that community is really key. Shopping is a social experience, especially when you're thinking of buying something and you need a little bit help or inspiration. Everyone is on their mobile and they're used to getting texts and notifications, so we made it very easy to loop someone into the app. You can invite a friend and send her something or follow a brand or a blogger you like. I think that is crucial for mobile apps in our space.

AS: Can you tell me about your breast cancer awareness campaign?

LZ: We're actually very excited to share that we're going to donate 100 percent of our profits from the sales of any pink item from any retailer through the app. We really believe in this cause and with being a community of women, breast cancer is one of the greatest enemies worldwide. We chose to support and promote this cause. We really believe that it is important.

Personally, I was touched by cancer this year, so I really can say that I understand how important it is to get checked and to not neglect the importance of your health.

This will be going on for the whole month of October. We are going to have our social media show inspiration for different pink items to encourage every woman in our community to participate in the cause and also to make sure that they understand the importance of getting checked.

AS: What is the legacy you wish to leave behind?

LZ: We want to be a way for people to search and save time so that they can find what they're looking for and can move on to the next activity in life. We want to be sure that they're spending time on the things that they really want to spend time on while still looking amazing and great.

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