Tech entrepreneur Amelia Miller and her sister Lydia are on a personal mission to fix a broken system. Together, they’re redesigning recruitment to make it work for women returning to work, without the pay cuts, demotions, or bias that too often stand in the way. Their platform, ivee, is an all-in-one solution helping women find roles that truly reflect their skills, potential, and worth.
When women return to work after a career gap, they often have to settle for less. In fact, stats show mothers who leave employment completely are three times more likely to return to a lower-paid or lower-responsibility role.
“We’re redesigning a system that has ignored a $65 billion opportunity,” says Amelia Miller.
Amelia Miller shares the lessons, challenges, and rituals that keep her focused—and her vision for a workforce that finally sees women’s potential.
Q&A With Amelia Miller
What inspired you to start ivee?
ivee was born from something deeply personal. My sister Lydia and I watched our mum – an experienced Director – take a massive pay cut when she returned to work after a career break. It wasn’t because she lacked talent. It was because the system couldn’t see it.
That experience made us realise how broken the hiring system is – especially for women returners. Most recruitment today is volume-driven. AI makes it easy for thousands of (often irrelevant) candidates to apply in seconds, overwhelming hiring teams. The result? Brilliant people – especially those with unconventional or non-linear paths – get lost in the noise. Companies are desperate for qualified, experienced talent, but they don’t have the tools to identify it.
We built ivee to fix that. Our platform uses AI to smartly match returners with roles that fit their skills, potential, and preferences. We combine tech with behavioural nudges and upskilling to ensure women are seen – and supported – as they re-enter the workforce.
We’re redesigning a system that has ignored a $65 billion opportunity.
What is the bravest thing you’ve done while on your journey?
Leaving behind a stable career to build ivee was definitely the boldest move I’ve made – but it didn’t feel brave at the time. It felt necessary. I left a clear career path in finance and chose the uncertain world of startups to try and fix a system that was failing millions of women.
The bravest moments, though, have come after that decision. Pitching this problem to rooms where it isn’t always recognised. Hearing “no” and still showing up. Leading a mission-driven company when the stakes are personal.
Building ivee has tested every part of me. But I’d do it all over again.
What is a non-negotiable in your routine that keeps you focused?
Exercise! Every single day, no matter what. It’s my therapy.
Running outside on a sunny morning clears my head and gets the ideas flowing. It’s where I solve problems, think through strategy, or just get a moment to myself.
I always say: founders who claim they don’t have time to exercise are thinking about it the wrong way. It’s as essential as sleep. If your mind and body aren’t sharp, how can your decisions be?
At team ivee, we’re also big fans of walking meetings. Some of our best ideas have come while moving. It’s a great habit that I would recommend to all teams.
What has been your biggest challenge while on this journey?
Going from 0 to 1. That early stage – when you have a big vision but no product yet – is incredibly hard. We were building a platform for returners, but we had to start by building trust. And that meant building community from scratch (which is famously hard…)
We started with a simple WhatsApp group. No app, no AI, just real conversations with women who were trying to find their way back to work. From there, we listened, learned, and slowly built ivee into what it is today.
I’ll always be grateful for our early champions – the women who believed in us before there was a platform to show them. They’re the heart of ivee, and they reminded us that even when the tech isn’t ready, the mission always is.
What advice would you give to other female entrepreneurs?
Learn the game (and don’t be afraid to play it). Investors are still used to seeing one type of founder, with one type of mission. It’s frustrating, and yes, it’s ridiculous. But until the system changes, we have to know how to navigate it.
That means: think like a man, pitch like a man. Be unapologetically confident. Lead with scale. Show ambition from slide one. Don’t downplay the mission just because it’s impact-driven – double down on the market opportunity.
You have to genuinely back yourself in a room that might not be ready for you.
How do you define success?
For me, success starts with clear KPIs. At ivee, we have a north star metric that keeps us focused – and we measure everything against it. I’m a big believer in growth. Growth at all costs might sound extreme, but when you’re building something that’s never existed before, you need relentless momentum.
Beyond the numbers, success is also about enjoying the process. If you don’t find joy in the chaos – in the late nights, the pivots, the moments where everything’s going wrong – you’re in trouble. I genuinely love the day-to-day of building ivee.
What is the next project or goal you would like to work on?
Right now, it’s all about ivee. We’re laser-focused on scaling the platform, reaching more returners, and proving that hiring can be done differently – and done better.
That said, I’ve got a notebook full of future ideas (what founder doesn’t?!)
What is your favorite book or podcast?
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy is my favourite fiction novel. It’s beautifully written and completely transportive. On the work side, I LOVE Blitzscaling by Reid Hoffman. Anyone building in HRTech should read it. It breaks down how LinkedIn scaled at speed and the mindset shift required to build something big, fast, and bold.
Podcast-wise, I’m a huge fan of the SaaStr Podcast. It’s super tactical and no fluff.
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