Monica Ruffo // X1 Accelerator
Huge shout-out to serial entrepreneur Monica Ruffo for sharing with our McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship's X-1 Accelerator cohort!
CoLab Education had the privilege of learning from Monica's invaluable presentation. We learned lots and reflected on how her insights align perfectly with our vision:
✏️ Embrace learning and mistakes. As we develop CoLab, we're committed to iterating based on real teacher feedback...that we don't shy away from asking for!
✏️ Cash is oxygen. We're bootstrapping carefully, negotiating smartly, and strategically allocating resources to fuel our journey.
✏️ Flexibility is crucial. We're ready to pivot and seize new opportunities in the ever-evolving edtech landscape.
✏️ Financial mastery is non-negotiable. We're building robust, dynamic financial models to guide our decisions.
✏️ Choose investors wisely. As we explore funding options, we're seeking partners who align with our mission to empower educators.
✏️ Branding is everything. We're crafting a brand that resonates with teachers and reflects our commitment to collaboration. What do you think of our new Instagram presence? 👀 https://lnkd.in/gPxwAddP 👀
Monica's wisdom strengthens CoLab's approach to building a lean, adaptable startup that truly meets educators' needs.
Thank you McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship X-1 Accelerator for connecting CoLab Education with amazing mentors!
#EntreprenurshipLessons #EdTech #StartupLife #TeacherCollaboration
All About Monica Ruffo
Monica is a serial entrepreneur known for her ability to lead, grow and inspire exceptionally innovative purpose-driven companies.
Monica began her career in advertising during which time she was repeatedly on the “Top 30 under 30 in advertising” list and she co-founded and built Amuse, an agency that was acquired three years later by Interpublic Group. During this time, her highly design-centric and strategic approach to brands won her hundreds of international awards including much several coveted Cannes Lions and a podium win for Agency of Year in 2012. Her agency also earned the 2014 distinction of ranking as one of the 25 smartest creative agencies in the world according to WARC.
And then, at the height of her career, her life took an unexpected turn when she was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of breast cancer. Throughout her 15 months of cancer treatment, she put her passion for health and wellness to work on herself, researching every aspect of her lifestyle and treatment options. As a result, she fared extremely well and uncovered what she felt was a huge gap in the market. The more digging she did, the more she realized that most “natural” health products are not natural at all; they are riddled with synthetics, fillers and isolates, and most consumers have no idea what they are putting into their bodies or even why.
As she continued her quest, she successfully completed a Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell University and decided to found Well Told Health, an apothecary that crafts highly efficacious, completely clean supplements from organic plants and nothing else. No synthetics, no fillers, no isolates, no gluten.
Monica’s unique entrepreneurial background, combined with her knowledge of natural health and nutrition and her experience working with global brands perfectly position her to be a unique leader for a highly disruptive company.
