Social Impact Tech: Kathryn Kosmides of Garbo On How Their Technology Will Make An Important Positive Impact
An Interview With Jilea Hemmings
I hope to empower individuals to make more informed personal safety decisions while holding serial abusers accountable for their actions.
In recent years, Big Tech has gotten a bad rep. But of course many tech companies are doing important work making monumental positive changes to society, health, and the environment. To highlight these, we started a new interview series about “Technology Making An Important Positive Social Impact”. We are interviewing leaders of tech companies who are creating or have created a tech product that is helping to make a positive change in people’s lives or the environment. As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kathryn Kosmides.
Kathryn Kosmides is a long-time entrepreneur and activist who has worked with dozens of venture-backed startups to launch and scale their marketing. She is a multi-time survivor of gender-based violence and created Garbo after her own experiences.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory and how you grew up?
I was born in the sensational Las Vegas, Nevada — where I spent a majority of my childhood, besides a short stint in a small town in Pennsylvania. I’m the byproduct of a single mother raising two daughters in the digital age.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Oh wow, where to begin? Interesting is an interesting word here.
I’m probably under NDA for the real interesting ones.
But, we’ll go with the most embarrassing one which is when I had a horrible allergic reaction the morning of a big pitch competition here in the city. I was given a ton of prescription drugs and rather than cancelling, I proceeded on with the competition. When it was my turn to go up, all of a sudden my body started shaking uncontrollably (my degree is originally in theatre; I very rarely get nervous) and I had the microphone in my hand and it was just waving all over the place. I stupidly didn’t say anything and continued with the pitch like everything was normal.
Let’s just say I didn’t win that one.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Hmm… I’d like to plead the fifth on this one. There are too many to name and I’m sure I’ll offend someone.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Ordinary people do extraordinary things every day.”
I’m not an extraordinary person. I’m an ordinary person who chooses to do extraordinary (the dictionary definition of extraordinary is “very unusual or remarkable”) things every day — with an emphasis on the unusual rather than the remarkable.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Resilient — The world has taken a few swings at me. I always punch back.
Restless — I never, ever stay still. I’m always thinking about what’s next.
Radical — I’ve been called this a few times. I guess I’m just not afraid to push the boundaries. There was this line, which I honestly can’t remember where I heard it originally but I remember it being associated with something not so great, but it’s a good quote. “You’re never going to make change unless you put your toes on the line and lean forward.” I’m always leaning forward.
Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion about the tech tools that you are helping to create that can make a positive social impact on our society. To begin, what problems are you aiming to solve?
Gender-based violence in the digital age.
How do you think your technology can address this?
90% of gender-based violence offenders are serial abusers…and can have up to 380 victims over their lifetime.
If you knew someone was a serial offender, you can make a choice to associate with them or not.
The problem today is that we don’t know who is an offender — unless we’re a part of a small whisper network or until it’s too late and something happens to us or our communities. This is especially true in the digital age, where we’re connecting with strangers regularly from online dating to ridesharing.
By providing easy access to records and reports of violence, we’re empowering individuals to make more informed safety decisions while holding individuals accountable for their actions.
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
It’s really a culmination of compounding trauma.
The tipping point was escaping an abusive relationship to then have him start a campaign of stalking and harassment against me.
Which forced me into the justice systems — where I soon realized that if the systems were this difficult for me — a white, educated, privileged young woman with access to capital — what the *BLEEP* were they like for the average person?
Women often say that the reason they chose to report was not only to protect themselves, but to prevent the next victim. The system does not protect the next victim.
Whether it’s the rape kit backlog or the fact that less than 1% of police reports end in convictions, the system, as is, currently enables perpetrators of violence.
So, I decided to do something about it.
How do you think this might change the world?
I hope to empower individuals to make more informed personal safety decisions while holding serial abusers accountable for their actions.
Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?
Recently, someone said to me that if you want to work in safety, you are never going to be able to choose the best path — only the better one.
Many folks, myself included, have issues with the fact that, today, Garbo is reliant on the criminal justice system — which we know is extremely *BLEEPED*.
It’s why we filter out certain non-violent offenses from the platform and formed our Advocacy Council to ensure we’re always thinking about the potential pitfalls of the platform.
It’s not perfect, but it’s better.
Here is the main question for our discussion. Based on your experience and success, can you please share “Five things you need to know to successfully create technology that can make a positive social impact”? (Please share a story or an example, for each.)
- You are (likely) not the expert — A lot of people think they’re the expert because they experienced something or had a new insight into an age-old problem. This doesn’t make you an expert. Go talk with folks about your idea who have been doing this work for years — they’re the experts.
- Build a community — Not just of potential users, but of people who are on your team. Whether it’s forming a Board of Directors or a team of volunteers, getting people bought into your mission and vision is critical. You can’t do this alone.
- Drink your own champagne — I hate the saying “eat your own dog food” because dog food is awful and not made for humans. You should, however, definitely utilize the practice of using your own products or services. You are your first user; be a critic. Drinking champagne means that you’re putting your best into it and trying to grow a product that is delicious and delightful.
- Barter and Bargain — I’ve traded my marketing prowess to lawyers, accountants, and dozens of other folks I needed advice and work from. Be giving with your time and others will be giving with theirs.
- Stay Radical — Most people don’t give a sh!t about other people (you hate to hear it). There is a reason you chose to build technology that’s attempting to make an impact. Always keep yourself grounded to that mission and don’t listen to the naysayers.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
Just do it.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
*They might just see this… (we don’t use gendered language around here).
And there are plenty of people — most of whom I probably don’t even know yet.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
You can find me on LinkedIn or visit Garbo’s website.
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational, and we wish you continued success in your important work.
About the Interviewer: Jilea Hemmings is a staunch believer in the power of entrepreneurship. A successful career revamping Fortune 500 companies was not enough for her entrepreneurial spirit, so Jilea began focusing her passion in startups. She has successfully built 6 startups to date. Her passion for entrepreneurship continues to flourish with the development of Stretchy Hair Care, focusing on relieving the pain associated with detangling and styling natural black hair. For far too long, people with tender heads have suffered in pain. Until now.
Social Impact Tech: Kathryn Kosmides of Garbo On How Their Technology Will Make An Important… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.