Meet Megan Capriccio, FemTech Collective Ambassador in Sydney
Interested in joining or supporting our new Sydney Chapter? Connect with Megan on our dedicated Slack Channel.
Megan is an entrepreneur, product manager, consultant and women’s rights activist. She graduated from the University of Sydney with a Master’s Degree in International Relations with her research focusing on Feminist Theory. There she was able to reinforce her passion and enthusiasm for creating platforms and spaces that enhance the representation of women in a variety of industries.
Megan is a Co-Founder of Vikera Tequila, a premium tequila brand in which proceeds fund career and education opportunities for women in the wine and spirits industry.
Megan realized early on in her career that her best work was produced when she was contributing to big picture, positive change. She used her research background to consult on numerous projects in international development, international aid, diversity and inclusion, and gender equality and equity. Realizing the great value in it, she has focused her sights on FemTech and widening its presence and community throughout Australia.
What is the idea behind your project / product and how did you come up with it?
Vikera Tequila is a ultra-premium tequila that supports, empowers and celebrates women in the wine and spirits industry. My family has been working in the industry for over 50 years and we wanted to create a new brand that celebrated our partnership with our distiller, Melly Barajas. Her distillery is 100% owned and operated by women. Everything from the harvesting of the pina to the heavy lifting is done by female workers who have been affectionately named Las Vikeras for their great strength and persistence. With Vikera Tequila, we are able to broadcast the hard work these women do and take the baton from Melly to carry on her mission. A portion of proceeds from Vikera Tequila are contributed to our philanthropy projects that create education and career opportunities for women and other marginalized groups in the industry.
When did it all start and do you have other members on your team?
The idea for Vikera Tequila originated in 2014, but my family’s history and values within the industry made this brand inevitable.
Our Executive team consists of myself, my brother Nick and my father Phil. We have 4 sales staff across the US focusing on various markets, and 3 administrative staff who help us with brand development, finance and marketing. We’re a small but scrappy team.
But our broader team includes the 15–20 women of the distillery in Jalisco, Mexico. Without their dedication, our product and impact would be impossible.
How long did it take you to be where you are now?
Everyday leading up to today. Passionately putting in the work each day has greatly contributed to where I am now and will continue to build where I could end up in the future. Persistence and small incremental developments is really where I thrive.
What was the biggest obstacle?
Fear. Fear of failure, fear of inadequacy, fear of being enough to be able to conquer the goals I set for myself. This is still an obstacle, however, now it is also a motivator to keep moving forward. A failure can provide a new opportunity, feeling inadequate fuels me to broaden my skill set, and fear of being enough, well that just increases my determination while forcing me to practice a little bit more self care.
What are your biggest achievements to date?
My biggest achievement is starting the philanthropy projects associated with our brand. Our vow is to set aside 15% of proceeds from each bottle sold and contribute those funds toward providing career, education, and empowerment opportunities for women in the wine and spirits industry. After assessing the highest priority, we established ongoing language classes for the women who are working in our distillery and have several other initiatives in progress.
Assessing the highest priority was important to us to ensure we weren’t forcing a career path on any individual. I do regular monitoring and evaluation of our projects to ensure the priority is still high and to determine if needs in the industry and our participants have shifted. Ultimately, our goal is to lend a helping hand without being heavy handed.
We are always open to recommendations and partnerships on future philanthropy projects and initiatives. In fact, we are launching a crowdfunding campaign later this year so we can grow our team to further our philanthropy efforts. Those who are interested can sign up to our monthly newsletter to hear about our latest philanthropy initiatives and stay connected to our brand.
What are the challenges of being an entrepreneur in the niche you are in? How about being a female founder?
The biggest obstacle in the wine and spirits industry is that everyone is an entrepreneur, everyone believes they have the next make-it-big brand and it can be difficult to stand out. Fortunately, our mission, values, and quality product set us apart. We’re trying to do much more than just appeal to the consumer, we want disruption of the status quo and lasting change.
As for female founders and entrepreneurs, I believe these challenges can be cross-disciplinary. The lack of substantial representation forces us to be the examples for ourselves and future women coming after us. We have to show up as who we would have liked to see as role models and this is an incredible pressure, from not only stakeholders and affiliates who may not fully understand our reality, but also from ourselves. Female representation in companies, female entrepreneurs, and products that solve complex female related issues are growing but there is still much to be done and we have to keep pushing. This is why finding a community like the FemTech Collective is so important; we have to share strategy, we have to keep encouraging one another, and most of all we have to collaborate towards the change we want to see.
Is the #WomenInTech movement important to you and if yes, why?
The #WomenInTech movement has been incredibly important to me because it continues one of my main goals to increase female representation. I have worked in several sectors (non-profit, academia, wine and spirits, humanitarian and aid, and tech) striving for gender equality and equity along with overall diversity. It is clear to me that tech should be a priority because the degree to which women become involved in tech is going to determine our futures. The future of technology is going to be determined by those who make it. We cannot allow technology to fail to fully serve women; we have to fight for a seat at the table to help shape what the future of tech can look like. And it is important that we highlight those women already in the industry in order to continue to encourage others that it is possible.
What is the most important piece of advice you can give to all female founders and female entrepreneurs out there?
They’re going to try to find any reason why it’s not worth investing in you, whether it’s time or money. Know your brand, trust your brand. Know yourself, trust yourself. If your confidence in your brand and your ability isn’t enough for them, on to the next one.
What will be the key trends in the health tech industry in the next 5 years and where do you see it heading?
Consumers of health tech are going to want more precise and personal data while they simultaneously become smarter as to how they handle and use that data. Precise data will allow for a better understanding of personal health and provide encouragement to take action. However, there will need to be clear restrictions on how the data is shared and safer ways to protect the privacy of the data.
The reliability and trust of health tech will increase and therefore, users will view the industry as a smart investment in their health. Our health is all we have and the ability to track an individual’s health with substantial data will be a desirable tool. Utilizing access to health tech products could become a part of regular health routine just as utilizing gym memberships, eating healthy, or scheduling the regular medical exam.
Who are your 3 inspirational women in health tech?
Tess Cosad: Hers by Design
Marija Butkovic: Women of Wearables
Cadran Cowansage: Elpha
And so many more!
Twitter: @tequilavikera
Facebook: @vikeratequila
Instagram: @vikeratequila
Website: www.vikeratequila.com
