- Jul 4, 2018
Updated: Feb 15, 2021
The Tory Burch Foundation team interviewed our founder Karoline Gross about how technology is changing consumer shopping habits.
" Why Tech is Changing What Your Customer Wants. Imagine watching a video on your social feed and as it’s playing, you can start shopping for the products you see and love – cue Smartzer. Since its official launch in 2014, Smartzer has been built into an award-winning startup with clients including Sephora, Galeries Lafayette, and Valentino. The brilliant mind behind the company? Karoline Gross. Naturally, we were eager to learn more from this tech entrepreneur."
The interview was conducted as part of the #EmbraceAmbition campaign. The interview goes into detail about the story behind Smartzer and how the company evolved into a leading shoppable and interactive video technology platform.
You can read the full interview here: http://www.toryburchfoundation.org/resources/technology/why-tech-is-changing-what-your-customer-wants/
- May 1, 2018
Updated: Feb 18, 2021
The Tory Burch Foundation, founded by fashion and lifestyle entrepreneur Tory Burch hosted its first Embrace Ambition Summit in New York. The aim of the summit is to confront stereotypes and create new norms. Smartzer founder, Karoline Gross, was happy to support the cause which invited strong women and men from across industries.
The summit is part of Burch’s “Embrace Ambition” initiative, which she launched in 2017 to erase the negative connotations associated with “ambition” a term often used to categorize people—mostly women—as difficult or demanding.
Presented by Bank of America, the summit featured conversations with leaders, artists and politicians as well as storytelling and performances. Tory Burch moderated the conversations with an impressive list of participants from different industries and generations.
One of the most interesting discussions was with Yara Shahidi, the 18-year-old actress and model who founded eighteenx18, a creative platform to engage the young generation to speak their truth, get active and vote as well. Their conversation was an eye-opening discussion on “Embracing Ambition” and touched on the challenges and rewards associated with the idea.
Author, Laurie Fabiano, discussed bias and how we can fight it personally, while Dr. Valerie Purdie Greenway, touched on the science behind stereotypes and bias. Both conversations were very helpful in learning how to combat prejudice organizationally and personally.
Founder Karoline Gross gained valuable insight into how to be ambitious in a smart way as well as combat stereotypes and bias. The Tory Burch Foundation has already garnered a strong response and it was so nice to be included in the first summit and we as a company plan to #embraceambition.
Read more about The Embrace Ambition Summit: