# How I Built Resilience: Shan-Lyn Ma of Zola

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2021-03-11
- Length: 27m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-03-11-how-i-built-resilience-shan-lyn-ma-of-zola

## Summary

Shan-Lyn Ma, co-founder and CEO of Zola, explains how the company pivoted from a wedding planning platform to an e-commerce marketplace for home goods during the pandemic. She details the initial struggle to raise capital from skeptical investors who doubted the wedding industry's scalability and how prior experience at Gilt helped secure early funding. Ma discusses the rapid development of virtual wedding streaming capabilities and the Zola Home store, which emerged from user demand rather than initial strategic planning.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-03-11-how-i-built-resilience-shan-lyn-ma-of-zola#t=0) Introduction and Zola's Origin Story
- [5:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-03-11-how-i-built-resilience-shan-lyn-ma-of-zola#t=346) Overcoming Investor Skepticism and Early Funding
- [10:49](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-03-11-how-i-built-resilience-shan-lyn-ma-of-zola#t=649) Pivoting the Business Model During the Pandemic
- [15:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-03-11-how-i-built-resilience-shan-lyn-ma-of-zola#t=950) Launching Zola Home and Virtual Weddings
- [23:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-03-11-how-i-built-resilience-shan-lyn-ma-of-zola#t=1380) The Future of Weddings and Encouraging Female Entrepreneurs

## Topics

- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Growth, exits & acquisitions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/growth-exits-and-acquisitions)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Zola (company)
- Gilt (company)
- Yahoo (company)
- Stitch Fix (company)
- U.S. Bank (company)
- Zoom (product)

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- [Oddball's Path From Idea to Funding a Nationwide Target Launch](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-07-11-oddballs-path-from-idea-to-funding-a-nationwide-target-launch) (The Startup CPG Podcast)

## Citing this page

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