As part of the Morning Lazziness series highlighting empowering women who are making a remarkable impact with their ideas, I had the pleasure of interviewing Isabella Ghassemi-Smith.
Isabella Ghassemi-Smith is a champion of women rewriting the future of tech and business. As Head of the Aurora Tech Award, she leads a global movement that goes beyond recognition—backing bold female founders with capital, networks, and visibility to help them scale faster and further.
Passionate about storytelling, Isabella is also the creator and host of “The Day I…”, a platform where women share the pivotal moments that changed everything—from leaving corporate jobs to negotiating their worth. Through these stories, she shines a light on the power of everyday decisions to spark extraordinary change.
Her philosophy is simple but powerful: if the table isn’t built for you, build a new one. Guided by this belief, Isabella continues to amplify the voices of women who are redefining leadership, innovation, and impact around the world.
In this interview, she opens up about the strategies, challenges, and key turning points that have fueled her decade-long career in the digital business space.
What’s the origin story behind the Aurora Tech Award, and how does it reflect who you are beyond your title?
Aurora started from a frustration: women in emerging markets are building world-class technology, but the rooms that decide who gets capital and visibility weren’t built for them. I’ve always believed in creating new tables instead of waiting for a seat at the old ones. Aurora reflects that instinct: it’s not about fitting women into outdated models, it’s about reshaping what support looks like on their terms. With inDrive already deeply involved in challenging injustice of all kinds, we were able to make this a reality.
Your work blends purpose with business — what’s the “why” that still gets you out of bed on tough days?
Because numbers like “2.3% of VC funding goes to women-founded companies” aren’t just statistics, they represent billions in untapped potential. And because beyond the numbers, founders tell me about burnout, isolation, and closed doors. The “why” is clear: if we get Aurora right, we don’t just fund companies: we change what’s possible for entire markets. I believe wholeheartedly in building this “new table”, because when these exceptional women come to sit at it, immeasurable opportunities open.
Others offer similar awards, but few capture hearts — what’s your secret to building deep emotional resonance with your audience?
We don’t patronize, and we don’t do fluff. We don’t “empower” women, we back women who are already building category-defining companies. That subtle but radical shift means founders see Aurora as a stamp of credibility and a real opportunity, not a pat on the head. The emotional resonance comes from building a brand, and that feels as ambitious as the women it’s made for.
What’s been your most effective marketing strategy, and can you walk us through the creative thinking or risk-taking behind it?
At Aurora, our most effective strategy has been going social-first and building the brand more like a global consumer business than a traditional institution. Yes, we’re an award, yes, Aurora and inDrive provide capital, connection, and community, but what makes us different is how we do it. We’ve leaned into bold visuals, elevated language, and a social-native approach that grows organically and resonates with women building today, as well as those who will build tomorrow. The risk was stepping away from the familiar playbook of our sector. The reward is that Aurora now feels like the award ambitious founders want to be seen with, not just another initiative they apply to.
How do you listen to your community — not just in surveys or analytics — but in ways that help you anticipate their unspoken needs?
I talk to founders directly, in their contexts, whether it’s a late-night WhatsApp, a small pitch stage in Colombia, or a coffee chat in Cairo. Founders are often more honest in those spaces than on official applications. That’s where you hear the loneliness, the bottlenecks, the “if only…” that helps us build support that actually matters.
Which campaign, collaboration, or strategic shift felt like a true turning point in your brand’s public image?
A real turning point was when we began talking about Aurora not just as a prize or a program, but as a new table, a place where capital, connection, and community converge. That language resonated far beyond the founders; it positioned Aurora as something bigger than an award, as a movement.
At the same time, we realized that being a global award also means we can’t be everywhere at once. A strategic shift for us has been partnering with trusted local brands and entities to stay deeply connected to ecosystems on the ground. For example, collaborating with Entreprenelle in Egypt for their SHE CAN event, or most recently partnering with Colombia Tech Week for our first Colombian pitch event, allows us to remain global while building authentic connections locally. It means Aurora doesn’t just drop in; we integrate with the players already shaping those markets.
In your own words, how do you measure success beyond profit, in terms of legacy, influence, or cultural impact?
Legacy is when “Aurora finalist” becomes a marker of credibility, the same way “Y Combinator alum” is. Influence is when governments, VCs, and corporates start asking how they can plug into our network. Cultural impact is when women in emerging markets stop asking if there’s a place for them and start saying: I’m building at Aurora’s table. We know it’s working when the word “Aurora” opens doors for these founders.
Can you recall a moment when a failure became a story worth telling for others to learn from?
In the early days, we underestimated how different markets required different ways of showing up. One-size global messaging didn’t land, what sounded aspirational in one place felt out of touch in another. That taught us: if you want to build for emerging markets, you can’t copy-paste. You need nuance, patience, and listening: the same approach that helped inDrive grow and expand, which is culture and location-conscious.
What’s a daily or weekly ritual that keeps you grounded and in touch with your brand’s mission, even when the work days get chaotic?
Every week, I make time to read founder stories from our applicants. Even if I only get through a handful, it resets my perspective: these women are building technology to solve real problems. It’s impossible to read their journeys and not feel re-energized. It reminds us why we do what we do. Recently being in Colombia, meeting these exceptional women, it truly makes you realise, “wow, we’re building something that’s really moving the needle”.
How do you approach innovation in a way that makes your brand both trend-aware and timeless?
We borrow the sharpness of today’s cultural language, visuals, tone, storytelling, but the foundation is timeless: credibility, capital, and community. Trends keep us relevant; principles keep us enduring.
If you could pass down only one piece of wisdom to the next generation of entrepreneurs, what would it be and why?
If the table isn’t built for you, or the seat you have is uncomfortable: Build your own table, your own room, your own rules. That’s where the change comes from.
Winning recognition in the tech industry is no small feat — what is the secret sauce for women entrepreneurs who achieve it?
The founders who stand out are the ones building businesses they believe should exist, not ones the market tells them to build. They focus on real traction, product-market fit, user engagement, revenue signals, even when others dismiss their space as niche. Those niches often become new categories. They communicate their vision clearly and uncompromisingly, without diluting it for investors or audiences. The clarity and conviction make them magnetic, and the results speak for themselves. I also believe building in public when you’re at the beginning of your journey is a really essential tour for creating your own recognition, your own visibility and understanding your audience.
How have public recognition, awards, or media features shifted opportunities for the winners of the Aurora Tech Award in unexpected ways?
Recognition through Aurora has opened doors in ways that go beyond capital or partnerships. Winners suddenly start receiving investor calls they hadn’t before, secure government collaborations, or gain access to global accelerators. One founder told us the award gave her the credibility she needed to close her seed round. Beyond these tangible outcomes, there’s a deeper impact: women in emerging markets who may not have visible role models begin seeing founders from their own countries on global stages. That visibility inspires others, signals what’s possible, and creates a ripple effect across ecosystems that we hadn’t fully anticipated.
If someone hears your name or sees your work just once, what’s the one message or feeling you hope they leave with?
That Aurora is where the boldest female founders in emerging markets go to be seen, backed, and taken seriously.
I want Aurora to be a word that opens doors. When people hear it, they immediately understand the standard it represents: founders who are bold, building meaningful businesses. It’s not just about recognition, it’s aspirational. We want founders to look at Aurora and think, That’s where I want to be, and we want the market to recognize it as a signal of serious, high-caliber businesses being built in emerging markets. It’s a brand that inspires, elevates, and sets the bar for what’s possible.
Where’s the best place for our audience to follow your journey and explore your work?
The best way to experience Aurora is where our community is most alive: Instagram @auroratechaward.
That’s where we share founder stories that inspire, actionable tips for winning the award, insights from local events, and a window into the journeys of women building game-changing businesses, as well as some entertaining behind-the-scenes.
It’s a space for founders to learn, connect, and see what’s possible, and for anyone in the ecosystem, it’s a front-row seat to the next wave of female-led innovation. Of course, our website is where you can dive deeper and explore how to join the table.
