A quick search for “jewelry hacks” on YouTube returns tens of thousands of videos showing women using paper clips, tape, and even forks to put on a simple necklace. Why? For decades, one of our most common accessories has been designed with frustrating flaws. On the latest How She Got Here podcast, we meet Alicia Valko, the founder of Claspe, who decided to fix it for good.
In season 2’s episode 9, our host, Cass Cross, gets candid with Alicia, one of the sharpest women entrepreneurs we’ve met. She built a jewelry brand that solves a problem we all thought we just had to live with.
In this blog, we give you an exclusive preview of the Alicia Valko interview. Let’s dive in.
Meet Alicia Valko – From Corporate to Founder of Claspe
Before becoming a successful businesswoman, Alicia Valko worked as a strategist within major companies. Growing up in a rural part of New Jersey surrounded by farmland, she always had her sights set on building a prolific career in the city.
Her drive led her through experiential marketing and brand strategy, where she learned what makes iconic brands connect with people on a human level.
Like many female founders, she had an entrepreneurial fire, and her corporate career turned out to be the perfect training ground for starting her own company.
The Jewelry Problem That Sparked an Idea
Before her wedding, Alicia Valko was getting ready when a tiny “lobster clasp” broke her nail. Most people get annoyed (and rightfully so) by impossible-to-use clasps, sigh, and move on with their day. However, entrepreneurs channel the same annoyance and look for solutions. And that’s how a moment of pure frustration turned out to be a lightbulb moment for Alicia.
She asked a simple question: Why is putting on jewelry still so hard? She went down a rabbit hole of research and jewelry innovation. That broken nail was the beginning of her journey as the Claspe jewelry founder.
Alicia created a patent-pending, easy-to-use clasp—a real piece of innovation jewelry you can put on one-handed in 5 seconds or less.
Career Lessons from Lyft, Casper, and The Knot
Alicia’s time at brands like Lyft, Casper, and The Knot taught her everything about product marketing strategy.
At The Knot, she learned about marketplace businesses and serving two different customers at once: the couples looking for the perfect, personalized vendor for free, and the vendors paying for visibility.
At Lyft, she was a part of building Lyft Delivery, a startup within the giant tech company. There, she had to answer the most fundamental questions any founder faces:
- Who is this product for?
- How are we different?
- And what is our “reason to exist”?
She also shared insights into Lyft’s research culture, where marketers were encouraged to become Lyft drivers themselves to build true empathy for their users—a lesson she took to heart. This background in understanding the consumer was essential for her own venture and is a key lesson for women in product marketing.
Building Claspe without a Jewelry Background
Alicia Valko started Claspe without any background in jewelry design. Her expertise lay in strategy and in seeing a problem from the consumer’s perspective. Her jewelry startup story shows you don’t need to be a traditional expert to innovate. Instead, you just need to be an expert at solving the problem.
Alicia began researching suppliers, sketching designs, creating prototypes, and navigating the patent process herself before bringing in legal help.
It’s one of the best lessons for female startups out there.
Your unique background is your advantage, not your limitation. You’ve probably been told you strictly need years of industry experience to start a successful company. Alicia Valko is proof that’s not always true.
The Role of Female Friendships and Networks
Entrepreneurship can sometimes be a lonely path. During the conversation, both Alicia and Cass agree on the importance of a strong support system.
Cass shares her own realization that for years, she thought success was just about outworking everyone. But the real breakthrough in her career came when she started investing in her relationships.
Alicia echoes this, sharing her thoughts on networking and female friendships, providing the resilience and stamina needed to build a business. It’s the friends and mentors who cheer you on, give honest advice, and sometimes convince you to go after something you’re afraid of. It’s a key insight for all women-led brands.
Entrepreneurship Advice from Alicia to Her Younger Self
Alicia’s core advice to her younger self is uncomplicated: “Never be the one to tell yourself no.” She lives by this philosophy, and her career is full of examples.
For instance, she recounts the story of being a student and cold emailing the CEO, President, and COO of a massive global agency to request 15 minutes of their time. With a ‘nothing to lose’ attitude, she actually got the meetings.
Alicia also speaks on the modern job market, advising job seekers to bypass the AI resume scanners that discard perfect resumes. Her message to aspiring women founders is to be bold and create your own opportunities.
Where to Find Claspe Jewelry Today
Experience the jewelry innovation Claspe is known for. Check out Alicia’s beautifully designed, easy-to-wear necklaces and bracelets at claspe.co.
To hear the complete conversation, tune into the full episode of the How She Got Here podcast | Season 2 on Spotify and YouTube.
Parting Thoughts
At the end of the day, Alicia’s journey teaches us that being an entrepreneur means having the courage and curiosity to look at a problem differently. While everyone else tolerates it, you become the one person who refuses to accept it as “just the way things are.”
As the sponsor of HSGH | Season 2, Cronix believes the stories of such women entrepreneurs matter, and we hope this one sparked a new question or idea for you.
Beyond sharing inspiring stories, our mission is to help entrepreneurs build thriving, profitable businesses in the jewelry industry. As a full-service eCommerce agency, we’re here to help businesses like yours turn vision into measurable success.
Keen to know more? Let’s connect.
For more honest conversations with the femme-identifying trailblazers shaping our world, we’d love for you to join our community over at TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Spotify. Your support fuels our inspiration and helps us continue celebrating the many unsung women leaders making waves in eCommerce and tech.