“My BFA was fantastic. It shaped me because it was completely conceptual. There were new challenges each day, but it was kind of an early preparation to start a company.”
The co-founder of Breather — an app that lets you rent modern, fully equipped office spaces for a day, week or month at a time — is already onto her next big venture.
Caterina Rizzi is working on a new peer to peer initiative for female entrepreneurs that provides them with answers and resources to help navigate entrepreneur life. The start-up process, she says, reminds her of old times: “The second time around is more relaxed. I know what the ingredients are to build this now. Certain things aren’t the same, of course, but the process of setting up and scaling a business is very similar.”
The adrenaline of exponential growth
“Every day is a challenge. They say scaling a business is like jumping off a cliff and learning how to build the parachute on the way down. So, the whole experience is a whirlwind. It’s a daily rollercoaster, but I love that it is.”
Best advice
“A business is like a kid. If you want your child to do well, you’ve got to bring in people who know more than you and can help them develop in ways that you can’t.”
Most inspiring professor
“Rhona Richman Kenneally, a professor in the Department of Design and Computation Arts. She was a great role model. She embodied how I wanted to be and act when I got older. She is articulate and compassionate.”
The Concordia advantage
“My BFA was fantastic. It shaped me because it was completely conceptual. It taught me how to think outside the box and address any kind of obstacles and ideas that might come along. There were new challenges each day, but it was kind of an early preparation to start a company.”