“There was just no way I could say no”. That was how Sonali Zaveri felt about working with Ideas42 Ventures, after learning about the first cohort of entrepreneurs she would advise. Ideas42 Ventures is a venture studio that aims to solve massive social problems by helping founders with lived experience launch companies that address issues like poverty and inequality. The founders are selected based on their potential, their passion, and their lived experience – and unlike other venture studios they don’t necessarily need a tech background, nor even a product idea on day one.

On this episode of Crafted, Design and Operations Lead Sonali Zaveri shares how she coaches these founders, as well as why entrepreneurship is such a “privileged sport” — and what she’s doing about that. We also discuss how Ideas42 Ventures uses behavioral science to design products that make lasting impact and why founders should be embarrassed by their first product.

This is Crafted from Artium: a show about great products, and the people who make them. At Artium, we help startups and enterprises build incredible products, recruit high-performing teams, and achieve the culture of craft they need to build great software long after we’re gone. Check us out at thisisartium.com