# ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Malala Fund and Our Place: Shiza Shahid

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2023-01-12
- Length: 46m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-01-12-icymi-hibt-lab-malala-fund-and-our-place-shiza-shahid

## Summary

Shiza Shahid, co-founder of the Malala Fund and the cookware company Our Place, recounts her journey from a Stanford student organizing a summer camp for Malala Yousafzai to leading a global nonprofit, and finally to building a profitable for-profit business. She details the design philosophy behind Our Place's 'Always Pan,' which combines multiple cooking functions into one lightweight cast aluminum vessel with a ceramic nonstick coating. Shahid explains how she leveraged her background in storytelling and representation to overcome industry exclusivity and raise capital, achieving profitability in the first year despite facing significant rejection from investors.

## Chapters

- [0:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-01-12-icymi-hibt-lab-malala-fund-and-our-place-shiza-shahid#t=21) Introduction: Shiza Shahid and the Malala Fund
- [2:45](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-01-12-icymi-hibt-lab-malala-fund-and-our-place-shiza-shahid#t=165) Early Activism and the 2005 Earthquake
- [8:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-01-12-icymi-hibt-lab-malala-fund-and-our-place-shiza-shahid#t=514) Stanford, Malala, and the Summer Camp
- [17:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-01-12-icymi-hibt-lab-malala-fund-and-our-place-shiza-shahid#t=1041) Founding the Malala Fund After the Shooting
- [30:20](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-01-12-icymi-hibt-lab-malala-fund-and-our-place-shiza-shahid#t=1820) Pivoting to For-Profit and Angel Investing
- [35:35](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-01-12-icymi-hibt-lab-malala-fund-and-our-place-shiza-shahid#t=2135) Designing the Always Pan and Manufacturing
- [39:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-01-12-icymi-hibt-lab-malala-fund-and-our-place-shiza-shahid#t=2356) Brand Strategy, Profitability, and Impact

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)

## Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Malala Fund (company)
- Our Place (company)
- Always Pan (product)
- McKinsey (company)
- Now Ventures (company)
- U.S. Bank (company)
- Malala Yousafzai (other)
- Ziedan Yousafzai (other)
- Amir Shahid (other)
- Zach (other)

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- [Afterschool Podcast, Episode 20 - Ti Chang, 'Women in Industrial Design' Show Organizer (06/12)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast/2014-06-12-afterschool-podcast-episode-20-ti-chang-women-in-industrial-design-show-organize) (Core77 Podcast)
- [Afterschool Podcast, Episode 19 - Craighton Berman, Founder of Manual (04/16)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast/2014-04-16-afterschool-podcast-episode-19-craighton-berman-founder-of-manual-04-16) (Core77 Podcast)
- [Dip Into Paradise with Founder Emily Edwards](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2021-03-01-dip-into-paradise-with-founder-emily-edwards) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Founder Feature: Jesrina Arshad of PurelyB](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-08-08-founder-feature-jesrina-arshad-of-purelyb) (The Startup CPG Podcast)

## Citing this page

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