S7 Ep17 ZAHRA BIABANI: founder of In the Loop and author of Climate Optimism - on using artificial intelligence to help resellers generate accurate and detailed listings more quickly.

Pre-Loved Podcast with Emily Stochl

Pre-Loved Podcast is a weekly vintage fashion interview show, with guests you’ll want to go thrifting with! For more Pre-Loved Podcast, subscribe to our Patreon!

Today’s episode is with Zahra Biabani, a youth climate activist, entrepreneur, author, and TED speaker. We chat about her recently published book “Climate Optimism: Climate Wins and Creating Systemic Change Around the World” which explores data driven reasons for environmental hope. And we discuss her newest venture, where Zahra is the founder and CEO of a start-up in the secondhand fashion space called In the Loop. In the Loop’s mission to make selling used apparel online easier for secondhand store owners. They provide a software that allows sellers to generate accurate and detailed listing with just a picture of the garment.

We learn all about it on today’s show – so let’s just dive right in!

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*This episode is sponsored by Most Wanted Luxury Resale

A big thank you to Most Wanted for supporting Pre-Loved Podcast! Visit https://mostwantedresale.com/ and use the promo code PRELOVEDPOD for 20% off your purchase of $100 or more.

DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE:

• [3:20] Zahra explains how she became concerned with the intersections of human rights and climate in high school.
• [8:14] Zahra found climate win stories about structural change resonated with people most of all.
• [10:34] How the opportunity to turn these stories into her book, Climate Optimism, came about.
• [14:31] The origins of Rent in the Loop, the first iteration of Zahra’s start-up endeavors.
• [17:14] The secondhand industry pain points that Zahra identified, and is trying to solve for with In the Loop.
• [22:22] Zahra identified that professional resellers spend around 5 minutes per garment.
• [22:43] How In the Loop uses AI to get that listing time down.
• [31:32] Working with high volume clients (1,000 single-SKU items/month) to hone in the AI’s capabilities.
• [35:23] Zahra’s best thrifting stories, including her love for the Goodwill Bins.

EPISODE MENTIONS:

• Zahra’s Instagram
• @intheloopai
• Climate Optimism book
• Kathryn Kellogg - @going.zero.waste
• Megan McSherry - @acteevism
• Detoure
• Stephanie Benedetto from Queen of Raw
• Fomeno - app

LET’S CONNECT:

• 📸Instagram: @emilymstochl
• 🐦Twitter: @emilymstochl
• 🎥TikTok: @emilymstochl
• 📧 Substack: https://prelovedpod.substack.com/
• 🎧Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/prelovedpod

SPECIAL THANKS:

A special thanks goes out to my Patron Insiders – your support makes Pre-Loved Podcast possible!

• Patty Weber
• Beverley Docherty of Wolfe Pack Vintage
• Danny of Galaxy Live
• Kathy Brand
• Lucero Buendia
• Tricia Zelazny
• Leslie V.
• Lisa of Queenie & Pearl
• Lucille of Galipette Vintage