Episode 21: CEO of madeBOS
Martha Hernández is the founder and CEO of madeBOS, Inc., a tech-enabled solution that simplifies HR infrastructure, with a people-first approach. Above all, madeBOS helps employers bet on employee development and achieve a culture of growth.
Welcome, Martha to the Pandocap show.
Q: Martha, can you please share your background with our audience and your journey to your current role?
A: I saw that there wasn’t a lot of opportunity for people in the low wage arena for career growth guidance. There seemed to be a disconnect from the employer to the employee. This hit home because of my family and community. I wanted to find a solution to better position, those who wanted to advance but didn’t know how or had the social capital.
Q: Leading a startup as a female Latina, how has it been to do capital raising?
A: It’s been really difficult. I was getting a lot of attention for being a Latina, tech founder, and from Silicon Valley but I was not getting the right support. I was telling the story over and over on panels but not getting the investment so I felt used. The entire VC model wasn’t of service to me and I started focusing on building my customers. We are now celebrating that we are revenue positive. I may look for investment in the future but I no longer feel like I need that to validate my success or what I can bring to the table.
Q: Companies are trying to address diversity and inclusion. What would you say to our audience for those trying to address this?
A: We don’t mention diversity and inclusion when we approach a customer. We focus on having the right people in the right role, identify talent and grow the individual, and have a fair compensation model. We look at the infrastructure of the organization and the pillars that are key to the advancement of people.
Q: Finally, what do you have planned to balance life both personally and professionally for the rest of the year?
A: I made significant changes this year not necessarily because of the pandemic but because if there was something that was taking my focus and wasn’t serving me I deleted that. In terms of madeBOS, I am focused on building out the company, identifying growth opportunities, providing our solutions globally which may require raising capital, and supporting our customers.