Booth created two prize-winning startups to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in the healthcare industry and the legal industry, while studying for two Masters in Law, in Internet, Intellectual Property and ICT law, with a focus on artificial intelligence, and International Technology Law.
Femalid is a female medical hardware startup to promote gender equality in healthcare through equitable medical design. CaseCanvas, Booth’s LegalTech startup, is an AI-based storytelling solution to empower female victims of domestic and sexual abuse, in addition to other crimes that mostly women experience.
Earlier this year, Femalid was named the winner of the Amsterdam Startup Launch at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, which was organized by the international management consultancy Roland Berger and the law firm VanDoorne, and CaseCanvas was unanimously awarded the 1st Prize at the University of Amsterdam’s Legal Startup Pitch Competition by three independent judges. CaseCanvas also recently won the Ideation Award at the University of Amsterdam's Economics and Business School’s Startup Pitch Challenge, which was a unanimous decision of four independent judges based on their perspective of CaseCanvas having the most societal impact of all competing startups. The UvA Startup Challenge provided a platform for students to showcase and develop their innovative ideas, related to societal and entrepreneurial issues.
Active in humanitarian work since childhood
Throwing herself into finding solutions to societal problems is nothing new for Booth. A Fellow of the UK’s Royal Society of Arts, she has been active in charity work since her childhood, including organising a highly successful music festival in the Netherlands that raised sufficient funds to build multiple playgrounds and sport fields for schools struck by the devastating tsunami in Aceh, Indonesia. She subsequently established her own youth foundation and became the first and youngest Humanitarian Youth Ambassador for a Dutch municipality and Peace Ambassador of the Ministry of Peace in the Netherlands.
Alongside her humanitarian and charity work – for which she has received multiple national and international awards such as the International Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Award – Booth has been active in the film industry since a young age through acting, screenwriting and filmmaking. While studying law at university, Booth also became active in journalism and writing. She started with editorial work for various legal publications and subsequently became a writer and editor covering Entertainment, Tech and Science, in addition to becoming the first ever Chief Editor Social Good, for the international digital publication Mashable, where she has highlighted gender equality and women’s empowerment in various industries. She has also interviewed many world-renowned public figures – such as Angelina Jolie, Martin Luther King III, Richard Branson, Fran Drescher, Jon Bon Jovi, NASA astronaut Cady Coleman, Pierce Brosnan, the former Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning Schmidt who is now Co-Chair of the Meta Oversight Board - and even Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov of Ukraine on the day that the strategic port city of Kherson was liberated from Russia in the Russo-Ukrainian war – and is always determined to question high-profile individuals on topics concerning women’s rights and empowerment.
“Nine famous female fellows inspiring inclusion”
Since 2021, Booth has been a UN Women delegate of the United Kingdom for the Commission on the Status of Women promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. Booth was selected for the world-renowned “Forbes 30 under 30” list in the Media & Marketing (Europe) category of 2023 for her journalism work. In honour of International Women’s Day 2024, the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) named Booth as the youngest woman on their list of “nine famous female fellows inspiring inclusion” alongside former President of Ireland Mary Robinson, electrical engineer Dame Caroline Haslett and 18th century painter Mary Moser. She was also one of the youngest Fellows of the RSA to be listed on the RSA’s list of “50 Famous Fellows” alongside Nelson Mandela, Thomas Edison, Theodore Roosevelt, David Attenborough, Vivienne Westwood, Judi Dench, Charles Dickens, Michael Faraday, Tim Berners-Lee and many other inspiring Fellows who have made a lasting impact as changemakers and social innovators.
We asked Booth about her early inspiration, role-models and what she envisages for her future.
What was the impulse that has led you to be the kind of person who embodies Dianne’s saying – “you can lead from wherever you are”?
I was born in London and lived there until I was around five years old when we moved to the Netherlands, and from a really young age, I was exposed to an environment of charity and giving to other people. This was foundational for me. Dianne’s message of leading from where you are resonates deeply with me because I believe that leadership isn't about formal titles, but about action and purpose. The impulse to lead stems from a sense of responsibility and so, if I see a problem, my instinct is to ask what I can do about it. The music festival that I organised when I was 10 years old was my first big encounter with this feeling.
Can you recall how you turned that feeling into action?
Back then, there was no social media to quickly mobilise others to help or activists promoting various social causes like Malala Yousafzai or Greta Thunberg who are currently leading the way in galvanizing substantial global communities around important issues. I knew, however, that I had to mobilise the community I could reach on a local scale, at a time when social media barely existed, through writing to the local newspapers, handing out flyers in person and putting up posters. The success of that fundraising initiative showed me that it is possible to achieve great results, no matter what your age or position. And that impulse to make an impact has really guided me throughout my life and career and it's why I continue to want to focus on things like innovation, and a drive for social change.
You and your sister were made the first youth humanitarian ambassadors for the municipality after the festival. What did that feel like?
We had moved to the Netherlands so my mom could help my grandmother who was dealing with health issues at the time and it was interesting for me to see that charity work and activism was not something that was as encouraged or visible as it had been in the UK. However, it felt rewarding to bring change – and actually impact youth policy in the Netherlands, such as when I was named as the first ever appointed Humanitarian Youth Ambassador of the municipality where I was living, when I founded an Embassy of Peace in Leiden as a Peace Ambassador for IKV Pax Christi or when I took the initiative to establish my own youth foundation to encourage volunteer work to other children and young adults (for which I had to ask special permission from a district court judge as I was still a minor who was not legally able to establish a legal entity without permission from a judge).
Did you have any role-models at the time?
A huge icon at the time, especially in the 90s in the UK, was Princess Diana – a beautiful icon known for bringing a huge amount of attention to humanitarian work and charity work and making a big difference and impact on society. Being exposed to her at a young age really inspired me as a child. Then, as someone who has been a huge lover of films since a young age, I would probably single out Audrey Hepburn as well. I was definitely inspired by the humanitarian work she did for children and charities worldwide, including UNICEF.
It must have felt deeply satisfying to have been recognised with the International Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Award?
It did feel full circle and it is funny how the universe kind of brings things together. Being recognised is humbling and motivating and really validated what I was doing. It reinforced the idea that youth activism matters. Those experiences told me that no matter what your age is, it's not a barrier. It also made me realise that with recognition comes responsibility - and the platforms I was given really encouraged me to keep pushing boundaries and to keep advocating for causes that really matter.
You grew up in the UK and the Netherlands and also had the opportunity to travel to America when you were awarded a Fulbright Scholarship. Can you share some insights into what these experiences gave you?
I think I gained a lot by learning to navigate two very diverse societies, in the UK and the Netherlands. What really stands out to me from the experience of going to the United States as a Fulbright scholar is that it was a beautiful opportunity to experience education in America. More importantly, it enabled me to experience a completely different society and exposed me to diverse and passionate individuals.
You have finished one Masters of Law and are busy with your second one, along with your two start-ups. This is a lot to take on. What is currently keeping you motivated?
Like Dianne, I have a core belief and that is to keep striving for women's empowerment through media, gender equality and advancement of entrepreneurial and technological innovation. I am really committed to finding ways to leverage technology, especially AI, to create scalable solutions that can positively impact women’s empowerment.
Tell us a little more about your start-up?
The challenge it addresses is the difficulty victims and legal clients face in effectively communicating their stories to law enforcement or lawyers, particularly in cases involving sensitive topics like gender based violence, often resulting in crucial details being overlooked or miscommunicated. Victims often need to tell their stories again due to inefficiency in reporting. This can be harmful, unpleasant and detrimental for them. It is also inefficient for police officers and lawyers and there needs to be an innovation to improve this process for both sides. CaseCanvas streamlines reporting for victims and legal clients, facilitating clear communication of pertinent details, especially in cases of sexual violence or language barriers. With translation and jurisdiction recognition, it saves time for both parties and law enforcement.
What is your next challenge?
It is no secret that very little venture capital funding goes to women, so my next challenge is to find investment to develop my start-ups further.
Why do you think it is important for young women like yourself to actively be seeking solutions that can affect systemic change - or at least help change for the greater good?
It is important because, in most industries in the world, like STEM and finance, women are still a minority. I do believe that you can’t be what you can't see, so it’s vital for women to be advocates and drive social change and be visible in this to show other young women and girls that it is possible. It also brings energy and innovation to the table.
