We usually hire via LinkedIn, really scanning through profiles, but paying attention to different things. Normally people will choose someone who just physically conforms to what they want, or who is working at companies whose names they know. For instance, often the fact that someone has worked at the biggest names definitely does not mean they have the best skills. Or, if someone went to a public university, it does not mean they are not good at what they do. We want to hire the best person and make sure that none of the biases influences us in any way.

So, I think it's super important to scratch the notion of just using as much data as possible. Our AI also makes hiring more efficient. Soon, we will publish data on how we are eliminating bias. AI is not just a black box; AI is something that can be measured. Yes, we are planning to change the world. Right now, there are a lot of AI applications that risk creating more inequality in the world. We, as humanity, have to understand and fight that.

Honestly, I think the best answer to this is that I grew up in a super small town in Germany. Growing up, I felt very frustrated with the environment I was in. I felt really disconnected and unsupported. During my master's at LSE, I finally connected with professors and peers who wanted to achieve great things.

There was a really low moment when we had just started Intrare and the pandemic hit. We were going through a really hard time and nearly had to stop because we lacked funding. Coming out of that, I was very lucky to get into a great accelerator here in Mexico, with New Ventures.  [Note: This initiative has no connection to inDrive’s New Ventures program]. After the pandemic, I finally met other entrepreneurs, people who were nerdy about the same things I cared about. Now I feel like I'm really experiencing peer support and mentorship from people who can guide me.

Oh, I would definitely say never listen to the doubters. There will always be hundreds of people who don't understand what you want to do. And really believe in yourself.

There is a lot of sexism in business here, still. It's two-sided: I think sexism comes first from men who are perpetuating this, but also from women. What I've seen a lot, and my Mexican friends too, is that sexism is very ingrained from kindergarten and school onward. For men, this also applies pressure, making it hard for women to break out of that scheme. Because when you suddenly want to do something different, like starting a business, you can be treated as an outsider to that society.

When I was starting Intrare, it happened quite a lot that I would go into meetings with government officials and big organizations in inclusion and migration. In these meetings, the mainly 40- and 50-year-old businessmen would see me, in my 20s, and just not take me seriously. The issue was a mix between me being a woman and also me being quite young.

The steps are: equal interviewing and information gathering; interviewing panels that evaluate potential bias, and more diverse teams. This would truly change how things work. You need to have a discussion about potential bias, actively analyzing: is there anything that could be biasing us for or against that person? It's very common for someone to say something like, “Oh, it's possible that I'm being biased in favor of this person because they went to the same university as me.”

Often I go to conferences where I meet all the investors together with friends of mine who are entrepreneurs and are men. I tell them guys, we know that it's easier for you to be listened to. You can pitch us to them and in this way uplift us, or show how much you believe in us and give that extra punch. For anyone who's a guy and an entrepreneur or investor: take some time to reflect on how you can do that for the women in your life.

Yeah, definitely, 100%. I love what's happening recently with communities for women to participate in. One that was founded here in Mexico, but is becoming global, is Amela Tech Club for women in tech. This is a community of women who all have tech companies and often feel pretty alone because they don't know any other women in this space. And I think the best thing that has happened to me is building friendships with people who are also entrepreneurs.

Most of this is going into continuing to improve our AI.