Reem Baiazid is a mother, co-founder and CEO of Leedus. She holds a masters in Software Engineering and has 7 years of experience working as a consultant at a large consulting firm serving Fortune 500 clients to drive digital transformations. She is a mission-driven entrepreneur with a goal to skill and develop the future workforce using technology.
YES: When did you start your entrepreneurial/job search/artistic journey and what were some of your goals when you started?
Reem Baiazid: The idea started when I read a book that mentioned that by 2025 85 million jobs will be replaced due to automation while creating 97 million new jobs that require new skills. And that experts predict that if we don’t do anything we will end up with a massive number of unemployed individuals while having a large number of jobs left unfilled due to skill shortages. We founded Leedus early this year to address the struggles I faced during my upskilling journey. Since then our main focus has been first, validating our hypothesis by speaking to clients. second, finding our product market fit, the profile of clients that Leedus best suit their needs and solve their problem.
What stage are you at now? What have been your greatest achievements?
Reem Baiazid: Leedus is a social EdTech and will be sold as a SaaS subscription-based model, we are currently piloting our solution and will be onboarding additional clients in the next couple of weeks.
Our greatest accomplishment I would say is the spark I see in our clients eyes when we demo the product and explain our mission. I have had one client tell me that she got the chills when I gave her a demo and she saw how it can help her employees share knowledge and learning recommendations. Another achievement I would say is having a group of brilliant advisors that are generous with their time and advice which is helping us set objectives and prioritize efficiently.
What were/are your biggest struggles?
Reem Baiazid: Our struggle is prioritizing what is essential and focusing on strategic next steps. There is so much to learn and do so you need to stay focused and prioritize strategically I would also add that I think there are probably a lot of assumptions that, because I’m a female and I’m not the loudest person or guy in the room, I don’t know what I’m doing. But I’m competent, I’m determined; I’m not afraid to try new things for the sake of learning.
What was the problem you were experiencing before you came into YES?
Reem Baiazid: YES has helped me understand the startup ecosystem and what are the available resources to help me succeed. The weekly coaching sessions are of great help to me, it is a safe space where I discuss the challenges we are facing and develop a strategy to solve them.
How do you feel about the service you have received from YES?
Reem Baiazid: As a female entrepreneur, I found YES to be the best support network for me. YES offers resources, tools & workshops to advance and empower women through their entrepreneurship journey.
Do you have any other thoughts you would like to share?
Reem Baiazid: To all females who aspire to start their own business, I say just start. You’ll doubt yourself but never quit. It will not be easy, but when you finally discover how to make money doing something you love, you’ll be so proud of yourself. Focus on your “Why”, for me it’s helping people stay relevant with competitive skills. Run small experiments to test your assumptions and don’t be afraid to pivot.