Shan-Lyn Ma, co-founder and co-CEO of Zola, joins host Jeff Berman to share how intrapreneurship prepared her to build a business that’s transformed the wedding industry with online tools. From weathering the Covid pandemic to scaling a better experience for millions of couples, including a focus on underserved markets, Shan’s resilience and leadership have fueled Zola’s remarkable growth to a $600 million valuation, with more plans ahead.
Chapters:
00:00 The wedding that inspired Zola
02:06 What drove Shan-Lyn Ma to entrepreneurship
04:13 The entrepreneur who motivated Shan
07:13 Lessons from Gilt
08:49 The moment of frustration that led to Zola
11:11 What Zola got right — and wrong — early on
12:30 When to expand to other product lines
13:25 Inside Shan-Lyn Ma’s fundraising journey
17:18 Inclusivity around same sex marriages
21:19 How a near-death experience fueled Shan
23:32 How Zola survived the pandemic
28:37 Zola’s growth strategy
29:54 The wedding gift that every couple wants
30:56 How Zola is leveraging AI
32:34 Shan-Lyn Ma’s favorite part of her job