Einat Steklov

President and In-House Legal Counsel (Co-Founder), Coral Capital Solutions, (Kashable)

Biography:

Einat is president and in-house counsel of Coral Capital. She leads Coral Capital’s strategic direction, business development and structuring of financing solutions. Her unique combination of business acumen with legal proficiency enables Coral Capital to offer its clients creative financing solutions in complex and special situations.

Prior to joining Coral Capital, Einat was the president of a factoring company where she was responsible for business development, sales and branding; prior to that, Einat was a senior executive at a venture-capital-backed e-commerce company that she co-founded. Einat is a lawyer by training and had practiced law both in New York and in Israel. She holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and an LL.B. from Tel Aviv University School of Law. She served as a Lieutenant in the Israeli Defense Forces. Einat is a board member of the New York Contemporary Credit Club, and served for two years on the advisory board of the International Factoring Association.

Einat is also co-founder of Kashable, a revolutionary financial wellness company that offers working Americans affordable credit via a voluntary employer benefit program. A game-changer in the employee benefits industry, Kashable, launched by Einat, is a one-of-a-kind approach to online consumer lending that provides employees with access to socially responsible credit. 

What advice would you offer to women just starting out in the industry?

In asset-based lending, just like in the broader financial services industry, it is important to find a mentor who will help you navigate the organization, direct you and be your champion. Much like with apprenticeships, having an experienced individual provide you with guidance means you will be able to benefit from a wealth of knowledge, and establish an invaluable relationship with senior management early on in your career.  You should also join an industry professional association and take an active part either as a participant or by being on committees. Go to events, be seen and heard. It is important to build your visibility in the industry.

What do you know now that you wish you knew in the beginning of your career?

Building a career is a marathon and not a sprint. It really helps to make long-term plans about where you want to be in the future, but it is just as important to be flexible enough to seize new opportunities as they come along. The challenge of balancing career and family invariably has its peak at the worst possible time, when you’re still a young professional.  But “all or nothing” is not the right answer. Being there for your family, while keeping your career going, means finding the right organization -- one that supports a family-work life balance and it also means establishing a good support system at home that lets you advance your career.

What kind of role has mentoring and/or sponsorship played in your career?

Mentoring is something that I firmly believe in, and I often speak with and offer advice to young aspiring entrepreneurs from Columbia Business School, my old alma mater, or from the industry, and through different industry associations. It is important to me to help young people, especially young women, maximize their own potential and to inspire them to build on their ideas and passions so that they can have a rewarding career and fulfill their aspirations.  Through our professional exchanges, my mentees have “forced” me to have a fresh, new perspective on issues and problems.  Mentoring is both a challenging and worthwhile investment that yields positive results and connection with future leaders in the industry.

What do you think the industry could do to attract and retain the best and the brightest today?

Our industry is still heavily male-dominated, and it is time to get more women into leadership positions.  Women enjoy working with other women, and we need to encourage more women to mentor young female entrepreneurs. We also have to be open to the technological changes and fresh ideas that new entrants bring to the industry. Even if not all of them are successful, they require all of us to review or revisit our current approaches and, if need be, make necessary adjustments. Helping young professionals advance in their careers, attain a work-life balance and enforcing equal pay for equal work must become the standard if our industry is to attract and retain the best and the brightest.