Women's Equality Day: Maya Dadoo, Worky

In celebration of Women's Equality Day, QED is shining a light on the female founders and CEOs of companies in which it invests.

Maya Dadoo is the co-founder and CEO of Worky, an all-in-one HR software and payroll platform for Mexican SMBs. Through Worky, a company can automate employee files, PTO management, recruiting, evaluations, payroll, employee benefits, and more.

Learn more about Worky here. Follow Worky on LinkedIn here and connect with Maya here.

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As a female founder in what has historically been a male-dominated financial technology industry, what hurdles have you had to overcome in your professional journey?

While financial technology has been largely dominated by men (as has the software industry), curiously, HR Tech has been dominated by female founders. In this aspect, I have not had to overcome hurdles and feel an incredible sense of companionship and openness in the industry. I, however, realize that I have had incredible privileges in having similar education quality, jobs and a training that has enabled me to reach parity allowing me to feel comfortable with my peers in the fintech world.

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How is Worky making a difference in people’s lives today?

Worky is making a difference by allowing employees to feel part of the company they work for: starting with an amazing recruiting experience, onboarding, goal setting, continuous management and benefits. In three months, we're able to reduce a company's rotation levels by 30 percent. Moreover, the tools that we provide to HR departments have allowed companies to close the gender gap - both in terms of compensation and diversity within an organization. There is nothing like going to work happy and feeling empowered; we want to be the rails that allow this.

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Maya's superpower is finding ways to align people on a common vision and build long-lasting, powerful partnerships both within and outside of Worky. She is a master at seeing and utilizing the best in people.
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- Lauren Morton, QED investors

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What are the next steps to ensuring female entrepreneurs are supported and funded in the same way that male founders are?

What I've realized is that by nature we sell differently. Men sell the vision, Women sell the concept. Women candidly communicate the challenges and roadblocks, while men often ignore that in the pitch. I think this is inherently a different way to sell, not better, not worse. I think a combination of both is what we should expect. In this sense, I think VCs should have a balanced investment committee. In parallel, a VC's responsibility is to bring diversity into the founding team. I am a firm believer that diversity attracts diversity. Look at Worky - three of four board seats are held by women. My team is 70 percent women, not because I chose to hire women over men, but I think women feel more comfortable and they are much more prepared.

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What resources do you turn to when you’re seeking support and guidance?

In terms of resources, I think you should always have boards. Boards for people you trust to take advice in your personal life, those that are part of your professional life, etc. For resources, my co-founders are my first sounding board, I also rely on our board (3/4 women) and other fellow entrepreneurs. Interestingly, I see that when a woman asks for help, men are a lot more receptive to provide it candidly, tangibly, honestly and they can be more vulnerable. I'm also starting to work for a coach to help me become a better CEO.

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What can individuals – both male and female – be doing better to elevate female viewpoints?

To elevate female viewpoints, we should first approach it by creating an environment that is conducive to meritocracy and open-ness. A place that welcomes diversity, recognizes merits and makes sure all points are heard. It's the responsibility of those of us that are at the top, to be able to cater and promote their viewpoints.

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What is one piece of hard-won advice that you would recommend to any young female entrepreneur?

Hard-won advice to recommend to young female entrepreneurs - ask for help when you need it. Don't try to prove to others that you can do it all; be conscious and calibrate yourself internally. You're doing yourself a favor when you ask for help and advice.

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