She-inspires“The main issue is not succeeding or failing, it is feeling that you did something you are proud of”
She-inspires
“The main issue is not succeeding or failing, it is feeling that you did something you are proud of”
Danielle Dafni, CEO & Co-founder of Peech.ai, shares her vision for video and her tips for success
“As a woman I feel like the doors opened for me. Everyone wanted to meet me, give me feedback and assist in my journey,” recalls Danielle Dafni, CEO and Co-founder of Peech.ai. “Even so, I still feel like I need to prove it was the right decision to open the doors.”
“Over time I noticed that there was a specific video genre that I made a lot of easy money creating. These were videos where the content was the main issue and it was usually a speaker providing info in front of the camera. There was a very simple pattern to these videos and I didnt feel like I needed any talent or experience to create them. It was basic work and I realized that professional video editors should be concentrating on videos where they can really use their talent so I decided to build Peech. At first, it was for SMB’s and freelancers, I wanted to be ‘the Robinhood’ for people that dont have money. However, after AWS, Dropbox and other large corporations joined our waitlist I realized we have huge potential.”
Peech.ai was founded in 2020 by Dafni and Johnathan Amit-Kanarek, who connected with her idea and tenacity. “Before I met Jonathan, I didn't come from the industry, I didn't have friends from Unit 8200, no one really noticed me. Eight months ago I began looking for a CTO and Amit-Kanarek, who was considered a big talent who everyone wanted to work with, decided to work with me because he saw I have what it takes to be successful.”
CTech's She-inspires series follows the stories of various female leaders in Israel. The interviewees hail from various sectors: some work at high level positions in large organizations, some are founders, and some are key players in industries aimed at changing the world for the better. The goal is to learn where they came from, where they are going and how they are bringing inspiration to an entire sector making its way towards a glass ceiling just waiting to burst.
Peech.ai, which raised an $8.3 million Seed round in August, offers automatic video editing tools for content marketing teams. “We want teams to upload their own materials and within seconds have the video edited by adding an intro, music, outro, watermark logo, icons etc. There are no templates or presets, you just upload your logo and guidelines and the tools fit your content. Our goal is to help content marketing teams become unstoppable creators,” Danfi explained with enthusiasm. “As long as they use the tool it becomes more precise and more personalized. Basically, Peech becomes an expert and it gets to know you better over time.”
Do you feel you had a hard time raising capital as a woman?
“Touch wood, I never had a hard time. So far we have raised $8.3 million. I am a female first-timer and I had my first check within eight months.”
Why is that?
“I think it was a combination of the fit between my co-founder and I, our story and great validation. Peech will replace the skills of video editors and so we took my brain and replaced me.” Dafni made sure to add that the tool is not replacing video editors themselves, rather freeing them up to work on more complex projects.
“Another issue was my confidence. I really believe in what we are doing and I have no doubt I should be leading this company. I made investors feel that if they don't invest in us they are missing out. I received more and more offers, I didn't even ask for the money. It's really a very extraordinary story.”
Why do you think there are so few women in leading positions?
“I think perhaps women are frightened. We hear many stories about how few women there are and how they can't raise capital. I think we are afraid more than it is actually scary.
“I work hard and I have confidence. That is why I decided to share my world as much as possible on my IG account. I think if we normalized female entrepreneurship it would make it easier for women to try. However, the main issue is not succeeding or failing, it is to feel we did something we are proud of.”
What would be your tip for other women starting out?
“Everyone starts out not knowing what to do so we need to find the right people to be around. People can empower you and give you motivation. For example, my people remind me how amazing I am even if I am having a very bad day,” Dafni noted.
“Also, find the right role model for you. I met this woman a month ago that said she saw me on a panel I did for Monday and I spoke about my venture with a passion. She said she wanted to be like me and when she spoke in the same passionate way I did she received two investment offers. When she told me the story I had goosebumps. We all need other people to open our minds. Of course, we also need to work hard.”
First published: 15:04, 14.10.22
