Rejection, Sexism, and 100 Investor No’s: How She Still Raised $500K and Changed an Industry

In this episode of Founder2Founder, Aaron Spivak sits down with Rajia Abdelaziz, Founder & CEO of invisaWear—a groundbreaking company creating discreet safety tech inside stylish jewelry. A Forbes 30 Under 30 cover honoree and a standout in the personal safety space, Rajia has built an eight-figure brand, raised over $3 million, and secured major partnerships with ADT and TELUS.

Rajia shares how she turned down a job at Google to pursue a college project that would go on to save lives. She opens up about facing rejection, fundraising setbacks, and personal sacrifice, all while building a mission-driven brand from the ground up. From a 3D-printed prototype built by her 14-year-old brother to a product that’s now sold nationwide, this episode is a powerful look at purpose, perseverance, and building with impact. Subscribe, share with a fellow founder, and leave a review if this episode resonated with you!

Chapters:
02:11 – Rajia’s first taste of entrepreneurship at 8 years old.
04:26 – Childhood hustle and early business ideas.
06:18 – Dreaming of an ice cream empire at 16.
07:57 – Growing up in a one-bedroom apartment and chasing the American Dream.
09:58 – The pressure to be perfect and the cost of high expectations.
11:32 – Choosing engineering and learning to build apps.
13:25 – The incident that sparked the idea for invisaWear.
16:02 – Launching invisaWear as a college project.
19:29 – Turning down Google and betting on a mission.
22:12 – Convincing her family to support her startup journey.
25:05 – Building with her co-founder Ray.
27:14 – A woman at demo day validates the mission.
28:56 – Handwritten thank-you notes from survivors.
30:42 – Sacrificing her 20s to build a mission-driven brand.
34:08 – Facing sexism and ageism in early fundraising.
35:30 – 14-year-old brother’s 3D print closes their first round.
39:45 – National news story puts invisaWear on the map.
43:00 – A health scare forces a mindset reset.
48:10 – 10 years of co-founder chemistry with Ray.
59:41 – What Rajia wants to be remembered for.
1:02:37 – Advice to her 21-year-old self.
1:04:52 – Rajia’s 5-year and 10-year vision.

Guest Links:
Website: https://invisawear.com/
Instagram: @invisaWear
@RajiaXoXo

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