Laila Chima

Mad respect for Laila Chima, this girl is straight-up the real deal. She’s a techie, a fashionista, and a personal growth junkie all rolled into one. Started out crushing it as an engineer at Stripe and even went deep into Stanford’s Symbolic Systems (which is basically brainy AI and cognitive science stuff). But that’s just the beginning.

Then she jumped into the startup world, co-founding Winter in W22 through YC. This wasn’t some small side project, Winter was trying to fix the NFT checkout mess, making it easier for people to buy NFTs with a credit card. Think about that, crypto’s a mess, and she’s out here building the infrastructure to make it smoother for everyone. And guess what? They crushed it enough to get acquired. That’s not easy, man. That’s serious impact.

But Laila isn’t just about tech. She’s super creative too. She started The Glow Up Squad, basically her way of blending fashion, style, and personal development. She’s a stylist and a certified life coach, all while still being deeply rooted in tech. She describes herself as an “engineer, stylist, eat pray love for tech”, and honestly, that sums her up. She’s about mixing the hard skills with the soft stuff, making tech more human, more relatable.

Based in SF, she’s super active on socials, sharing her process, lessons, and insights about entrepreneurship and growth. She’s one of those people who’s not afraid to jump into new shit, keep changing, and bring others along. Her story screams that starting something isn’t about having all the answers, it’s about jumping in, making your mark, and never settling.

Bottom line? Laila’s the kind of founder who’s blending the technical and the personal in ways that actually matter. She’s building infrastructure that pushes industries forward, all while staying true to her creative side. No Cap, she’s a total inspiration for anyone looking to break the mold and do shit differently.