In episode 52 of the Electric Runway podcast, fashion tech journalist Amanda Cosco speaks with Marija Butkovic and Michelle Hua, two England-based fashion tech entrepreneurs and the co-founders of WOW—that’s Women of Wearables. WOW is a network for inspiring, connecting, and supporting women in wearable tech, fashion tech, IoT, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality.
Their conversation touches on the challenges and opportunities facing women in STEM today, as well as their personal entrepreneurial journeys transitioning from working in the legal field towards founding their own fashion tech startups.
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In addition to running WOW, Marija Butkovic is the co-founder of Kisha Smart Umbrella, the bluetooth-enabled umbrella that you’ll never lose. This stylish brolli pairs with your smartphone to send you notifications if you’ve left your umbrella behind or if you leave home without it when it’s supposed to rain (can you tell this is a London startup ☂)
As PR strategist and journalist Marija has worked with some of the world’s leading tech and business magazines and portals (Wired UK, Financial Times, Forbes, London Evening Standard, Sunday Times, Urban Wearables, EnGadget, Gizmag, Stylist Magazine, etc.). Prior to working in the tech industry, Marija was a corporate lawyer and consultant for legal trade journals. She holds a Master of Laws degree and was also awarded a diploma from the Startup Institute in London.
Michelle Hua is a public speaker, writer, Founder & CEO of Made With Glove, a UK wearable tech start-up designing fashionable heated gloves for women based in Manchester. In 2014 Michelle led Made with Glove to being in the Top 150 Most Influential Brands in Wearable Tech and in 2015, received the highly commended blogger award at the UK Blog Awards in London for her Wearable Tech Fashion blog series. In 2016 Michelle was the recipient of the UK TechNation Exceptional Talent Visa for her significant entrepreneurial contributions in the digital technology sector and her work in promoting, mentoring and supporting Women in Tech.
Michelle worked as a commercial solicitor in private practice, in- house and the Western Australian Government in Australia and New Zealand for 8 years prior to starting her wearable technology company. Michelle holds Bachelor degrees in Commerce (Curtin University) and Laws (Murdoch University) from Perth, Western Australia.
Do you know a fashion tech maker or shaker who would be a great fit for the Electric Runway podcast? Get in touch!
