PCDN is excited to announce our upcoming Social Change Career Podcast Livestream, "Lessons from Pivoting from Human Rights to Building Social Impact Startups” featuring innovator Vladimira Briestenska. She is a highly  accomplished  professional with more than a decade of experience in human rights and building innovative startups focused on social impact.

Transitioning from a career in Human Rights to spearheading startups that concentrate on financial wellness, Vladimira has amassed a wealth of experiences and insights that she will share with us. With a strong focus on the role of technology in creating social change and improving financial resilience, she offers a unique perspective that combines her background in human rights with her passion for technological innovation in Pakistan and beyond. 

In this upcoming episode, Vladimira will delve into the following key topics:

• Transitioning careers for greater impact: How she made a pivot from a human rights career to launching startups focused on financial resilience and wellness, and lessons for those considering similar career shifts.
• Technology and Financial Wellness: An exploration of how technology can play a role in enhancing financial resilience and create greater economic opportunity in Pakistan and beyond. 

• Challenges and Triumphs of Social Tech Startups: She will share her firsthand experience and insights into the hurdles she faced when setting up social tech startups and strategies she used for overcoming them to drive meaningful change.

• Networking and Collaboration: Understanding the importance of forging meaningful connections, partnerships, and ecosystems to enhance the impact and foster growth in the tech for social impact sector.

Join us as Vladimira provides valuable advice and insights for students and professionals alike who aspire to effect positive change through their careers. She'll guide us through her journey, shedding light on the intersection of technology, financial wellness, and social impact, helping us navigate this exciting and evolving field.

How do I attend: The Social Change Career Podcast livestream can be watched on LinkedIn & YouTube. The recording will also be uploaded to our YouTube Channel and converted to an episode of the Social Change Career Podcast.

When: The session will be streamed on June 5 at 8 am EST.

Why is PCDN doing this? We are committed to helping social impact professionals and students around the world find their path to impact careers. Our goal is to help as many people as possible put impact and changemaking at the heart of their work across diverse sectors.

For those who want much greater support, access to the world’s best experts, more interactive sessions, networking events & workshops over 350 opportunities per month (fellowships, jobs, funding, socent + startup, training, and more) + tons of members-only benefits, please visit the PCDN Career Campus.

Format: The podcast features interviews led by the PCDN leadership team with our guests, and there is usually time for questions from the audience. We look forward to seeing you there!

Bio: Vladimira is a co-founder of Neem, an embedded finance platform building Financial Wellness products for underbanked communities including women, starting in Pakistan. Vladimira is a recognized voice and truly a global citizen, currently living between Karachi, London and Bratislava. She builds and invests into businesses with a strong purpose that challenge stigma and stereotypes. She advocates for equality and justice through entrepreneurship, especially for financial enablement of women across emerging markets. She is also a founder of a global organisation The Future Farm, bringing more mental health into the world of entrepreneurs.

Vladimira believes that the way to bring dignity to people is through providing work, enablement, and developing their capabilities rather than giving handouts. Her experience includes also working with pioneering fintech VC Anthemis in London, co-founding the first fintech startup accelerator in Slovakia, as well as spending three years in the diplomacy and global public policy space. She is an angel investor and sits on Advisory Boards of numerous impact businesses including NuR, mindfulness solution tailored for the Arab world.