Joan Dao - CEO, Founder

Joan Dao is the founder and CEO of Ilesovi Inc. As the company’s visionary, she leads the team to developing a cutting edge solution at the forefront of fashion and tech industries to securing personal valuables. Her main focus is coordinating disparate industries, developing partnerships with manufacturers, collaborators, engineers and designers together to create a fashionable and secure smart purse. She is resourceful and strategic while being charismatic, creating opportunities for innovation.

Always the entrepreneurial thinker since she was a child, Joan learned business though her mother’s nail shop. It was there where she grew her strong work ethic, community and artistic creativity. Being in a rich environment surrounded by different walks of life, Joan learned to harness the power of people and community. Her personal business philosophy puts people first.  Through building relationships and understanding, Joan has an uncanny talent of bringing out the best talents in everyone she engages. She knows a good opportunity when it occurs and doesn’t leave it to waste.

Joan has a reputation of seeking ways to answer real world problems with creative, multimodal solutions. Strategic and resourceful, she is most known for her dedication and her ability to “get the work” done. Joan is grounded in providing resources and opportunities to underserved communities in meaningful ways. She is passionate about supporting young women of color in STEM fields an devotes her time to volunteering at events for girls in tech events as well as mentor for young entrepreneurs during startup weekend. Joan furthers her foundation for female empowerment as a 3rd degree black belt with her own self defense seminars on the University of Minnesota Campus.

Joan received her Bachelor’s Degree in Neuroscience in May 2018 from University of Minnesota Twin Cities, where she researches Deep Brain Stimulation therapies for Motor Disorders. In her limited free time, she is traveling the world as a self proclaimed “experience junkie” exploring new foods, books, and art museums.