In this weeks episode, I am joined by Jessica Warch, Co-founder and CEO of Kimaï, a startup creating lab-grown diamonds. Kimaï was founded in 2018 by Jessica and her long-term friend now co-founder Sidney Neuhaus when they were both 24. The co-founders grew up in Antwerp the centre of the diamond trade with their family who are also diamond and jewellery traders. They both met at a girls scout club in Belgium and went on to be great friends. Years later, Jessica studied Business & Finance at Cass Business School, Sidney studied gemmology and later reconnected after working a few years at startups and in the jewellery industry.

To get Kimaï off the ground they used their personal savings of £7,300 and kept the business lean by creating only a few pieces of jewellery they would use for samples and to help launch their website.

Historically, diamonds have been mined from the ground where they were created over centuries. But recent advances in technology mean the same effects can now be created in the lab which results in creating better conditions for the earth and giving consumers an affordable equivalent with the same quality.

At the heart of Kimaï is female empowerment. In less modern times, women would usually receive jewellery as a gift from men but today women are independent, working women and can afford their own pieces. But the industry is still promoting diamonds and luxury jewellery as something that’s gifted by a man to a woman. Kimaï infuses empowerment into their collections as they want women to feel good and confident when wearing their pieces, which is something they struggled to see on the market themselves.

In this episode, Jessica shared with me how Megan Markle became the first celebrity to wear their jewellery and how this impacted their business, the joys of having a co-founder and the importance of keeping the business lean in the early days.

You can find Kimaï on social here and visit their website Kimaï.com

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My new book, Side Hustle in Progress: A Practical Guide to Kickstarting Your Business is published by HarperCollins and available to buy online and in all book shops.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Side-Hustle-Progress-Practical-Kickstarting/dp/0008455007

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