Our passion is connecting women who share a love of fashion, and the bonds of friendship; maybe that’s why we hit it off with Olivia June Poole, Founder of VINA—the new app that lets women (and women only) connect.

Olivia is wearing Kamila Dmowska 3 Piece Flower Dress, AllSaints leather jacket and Rebecca Minkoff bag.

What is VINA…

VINA is a mobile app that helps women tap into their extended network to meet new platonic female friends. Kind of like Tinder or Hinge but for new girlfriends!

What made you start VINA…

I started VINA because I moved to San Francisco 6 years ago knowing absolutely know one, and I found it pretty challenging to meet new girlfriends… you know the ones that are “your people.” I reached out to friends who went to college in the area, did volunteer work, did a Team in Training race, messaged the girls okCupid said were like me, chatted up girls next to me in cafes, and went to networking events… and eventually I found my people. But this was a lot of work! So, eventually I started a women’s only networking group, and found it a lot easier to meet new friends in a women only setting. Knowing I’m not the only person who’s run into this problem before, I wanted to scale our group with an app!

The biggest challenges of working on an app…

The biggest challenge for me is having a huge vision for my company, but knowing that I have to stay really focused on the most important few steps immediately in front of me.

Are they any women entrepreneurs you look up to…

I’ve always steered away from idolizing people, but in general, I really admire women who are starting families and starting businesses. I also really admire my friend Falon Fatemi, the founder and CEO of Node.io.

What you hope VINA will become in the next 3 years…

I hope millions of women will be using VINA around the world to feel safer when they travel, more at home when they move, and more empowered personally, professionally, and socially every day.