ABOUT siduri
Biography
Siduri Poli is a Swedish entrepreneur, investor, board member and author with a background in digital innovation. She has become known as one of Sweden's leading voices in the tech sector, especially when it comes to promoting gender equality and diversity within the industry.
Poli has been involved in a number of initiatives and projects with the aim of increasing the representation of women and minorities in the field of technology. She is the founder of Changers Hub, a platform that offers young people from underrepresented backgrounds the opportunity to engage in tech and innovation.
Her work has earned her recognition both within Sweden and internationally, most recent in the White House, and she has often been quoted in the media regarding issues of gender equality, technology and entrepreneurship.
Poli is the author of the book “Hur du lyckas i en vit värld” (“How to make it in a white world”). A guide on how to make it as an underdog and a minority based on Siduri’s own experiences. The book is released with Sweden’s biggest book publisher Bonnier.
She is investing in early-stage startups thru her own investment company Mother Ventures (Northe, Melon, AVA Stories, Petli, Freshsound, etc) and in late-stage companies thru Society Uncapped, her own angel network (X Shore, Estrid etc). She is also a board member of the swedish state's investment company Saminvest AB managing six billion sek.
Siduri is an international Keynote speaker who has delivered two TEDx-talks.
Siduri has been awarded to Future's Most Powerful by TCO, Digital Inspirer of The Year by IDG and CIO Sweden, Super Talent of the Year by Veckans Affärer, Future Promise of The Year by Marknadsföreningen, Super Communicator of The Year by Resumé, among others.
Early life
Siduri Poli was born on March 15th, 1988, in Botkyrka, Stockholm. Her parents, who are Assyrians and originally from Turkey, had to flee their home country due to their identity. This experience has shaped Siduri's work, as she identifies as both Swedish and Assyrian. In her TEDx Talk titled "A Changers Story" from 2018, she talks about her relationship with her father and how it has influenced her path. The talk was recognized within the TED community and led her back to the TED stage just three months later. Her second talk, "Why it has never been harder to be human" from 2018, is described by TED.com as "an eye-opening, emotional, and poetic talk" where she discusses what it's like to be caught between two eras - the digital and the offline one.
As a 17-year-old she wrote a full-page article in Expressen, the second biggest newspaper in Sweden, named “Rånarna gör oss stolta och trygga”. The article is an example of the effects of segregation from her point of view as a 17-year-old female from Botkyrka, explaining how criminals are the superheroes of her neighborhood. An article she today does not stand behind, but yet sees as important since it was her perspective then - and a perspective many young people today still have. Enabling and making positive role models visible was one of the reasons she later started Changers Hub with her partners.
start-up career
Siduri's passion for the tech industry was sparked by countless dinner table discussions in her family home. Her father's interest in the future of human rights and her older brother Ninos Poli's expertise as a developer were the driving forces behind many of her ideas on how to use technology to create a better world.
Siduri graduated from Berghs School of Communication at the age of 24. She pursued her studies in "Interactive Communication", a field that focuses on new technologies and entrepreneurship. During her studies, she interned at AMV BBDO in London, where she worked closely with the Head of IP & New Ventures. At Berghs, Siduri met her partners and together they created an innovation agency named IKI IKE. At IKI IKE, they developed new digital business models and innovations for some of the biggest brands in Sweden, both as consultants and as joint ventures. Their ultimate goal was to create technology that was beneficial for their clients, consumers, and the world. Later on, IKI IKE created its own platform named Co-Atelier, a service that made drop-shipping easier for e-commerce. The platform automated and supported emerging fashion designers to sell on new markets without having to handle sales and marketing, while enabling digital platforms to become retailers without having to handle logistics.
During these years she also started investing, advising and taking a role in the boards of other start-ups, such as the innovation conference Gather. She also continued her work as a media profile as the tech expert in the biggest entertainment magazine in Sweden, Nöjesguiden, and having her own show, ‘App-date’, in the biggest morning show in Sweden; ‘Godmorgon Sverige’ (Good morning Sweden).
In 2020 Siduri debuted with her first book “Hur du lyckas i en vit värld “ (“How to make it in a white world”) at Sweden’s biggest publishing company Bonnier Forum. Explore book here!
In 2022 Siduri started her own investment company Mother Ventures that is investing in early stage tech companies.
Changers hub
At the age of 25 she joined a mentorship programme where she was a coach to a young girl from her old neighbourhood. In that programme she met three people who later became her co-founders for what first was a democratising project, but today is a big national movement with multiple concepts; Changers Hub.
Changers Hub democratizes success for youth in marginalized areas. The goal is to create an equal society where everyone has the same chance to succeed with their start-up ideas and dream careers.
Siduri Poli, co-founder and former Head of Business Development & Brand, announced in 2023 that she will step down from her position and instead continue working with Changers Hub from the board.
awards
CONTACT
CONTACT AND BOOK siduri poli
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