Founder & CEO of Squad; Competitive Skydiver
Isa Watson: Biography at a Glance
- Isa Watson is a chemist-turned-social scientist who founded Squad, a popular app among gen-z that aims to address the loneliness epidemic through social connectivity.
- She is one of the highest fundraising Black women tech founders in Silicon Valley and was named Inc Magazine Top 100 Female Founders and Top 100 MIT Alumni in Technology.
- Isa is the author of the bestselling book, Life Beyond Likes, which provides a guide to achieving balance between the curated online world and the enriching, emotionally nourishing world right in front of us.
- She fell in love with STEM disciplines at a young age, teaching herself organic chemistry at 14 years old and becoming the youngest known published chemist in the world at age 20.
- She has previously worked as a metabolic diseases chemist and neuropathic pain data scientist at Pfizer and as a Strategy Executive at JPMorgan Chase.
- Isa has given keynotes at various organizations including Disney, LVMH, American Express, Wells Fargo, and Coca-Cola.
- Isa is currently training to compete in the 2024 US Nationals for Skydiving and is a classical pianist of 25 years - two important sources of her joy.
Media
- Official Site
- App: Squad
- Book: Life Beyond Likes
- Fast Company: It’s time to spring clean your calendar—and your work-life boundar...
- Learn How to Cultivate Joy ‘Beyond Likes’ With Author and Entrepreneur Isa Watso...
- The Bakari Sellers Podcast: Life Beyond Likes
- Well + Good: ‘Digital Wellness’ Is Here To Save Your Mental Health
Videos
Biography
Isa Watson is the founder & CEO of Squad, a new social frontier and an app that is emerging in popularity among gen-z. Addressing the loneliness epidemic through genuine social connectivity, Isa built Squad to make it easy and fun for everyone to communicate and stay in touch with their friends without the endless newsfeed and incessant flex culture we all get from social media. She has become one of the highest fundraising Black women tech founders in Silicon Valley.
She is also the author of the bestselling book, Life Beyond Likes: Logging Off Your Screen and Into Your Life, and one of the very few Black female competitive skydivers in the U.S. Isa is best known as the pro-therapy, piano playing, crepe-obsessed child of immigrants who is building a new playbook on how we live with intentionality in this intense digital age. Isa has been featured in Marie Claire, Fast Company, Forbes, CNBC, Sports Illustrated, and Inc Magazine to name a few..
Coming from a family of engineers, Isa fell in love with STEM disciplines at a very young age and taught herself organic chemistry at 14 years old at her first job as a lab researcher at UNC-Chapel Hill under a chemistry faculty member. She studied Chemistry & Mathematics at Hampton University, and at age 20 became the youngest, known published chemist in the world for her work on glucokinase activators. She later earned a MS in Pharmacology from Cornell University, and worked at Pfizer both as a metabolic diseases chemist and neuropathic pain data scientist.
Eager to expand her knowledge and experience (and not be put in a box), Isa decided to do a 180 in her career track and earned an MBA with an Economics focus from MIT during which she was recruited to join the JPMorgan Chase and quickly rose to Vice President of Strategy & Execution, directly reporting to their C-suite executives. By 27, Isa had led the development of products that resulted in over $5bn in incremental business to the firm. But soon a personal tragedy forced Isa to reconsider her career choices again and she decided to become a tech entrepreneur to make an impact on a social issue important to her: digital wellness and friendships. Isa made a move most people didn’t understand, but it was one rooted in intentionality and purpose.
Isa has given keynotes at a variety of organizations including, but not limited to, the following: Disney, LVMH, American Express, Wells Fargo, Spotify, Snap, Twitch, Coca-Cola, Dallas Mavericks, KKR, United, Northwestern & Cornell. She has been named Inc Magazine Top 100 Female Founders and Top 100 MIT Alumni in Technology. She is currently training to compete in the 2024 US Nationals for Skydiving, and is a classical pianist of 25 years. To learn more about Isa, visit isawatson.com.
Topics
The Power of Intentionality
In this era where we’re overstimulated by our technology, forced to consume the curated positioning of everyone’s lives, and pushed to do more with less, intentionality has never been more important. It is the way that we tap into joy, purpose, and meaning.
In this talk, Isa explores how the potential of our minds and the power of our actions can set us up to live a life more rooted in joy. Through stories, data, and even humor, Isa helps attendees unlock the tools needed to live life with more intentionality, and thereby have a stronger joy journey. And spoiler alert: the journey isn’t always pretty. On the contrary, it can be filled with ups, downs, and everything in between. It requires discipline, introspection, and vulnerability. But the true north star–and the thing that makes it all worth it– is reaching the point on the journey where joy becomes your lifestyle. Attendees will leave feeling inspired, empowered, and equipped to spruce up their journeys with intentionality–and step into a lifestyle of joy.
Great for: anyone looking to elevate their personal or professional lives; employees at all levels
Life Beyond Likes
Navigating Change with Confidence, Courage, and Clarity
In a world where hardly anything feels like a constant anymore, we are frequently up against some type of change. Whether it's a personal change that has dropped us to our knees in life, or it’s navigating professional change during uncertain times, it’s something that all of us will undoubtedly experience–over and over again.
Isa’s framework for tackling change is rooted in her experience of navigating heart-wrenching personal tragedies, to starting her career as a decorated chemist, followed by a successful career on Wall Street, and a successful career as a tech entrepreneur. Change is inevitable, but doesn’t always have to be the struggle we make it out to be. In this talk, Isa provides a framework for (1) digesting change that is sprung upon us, or knowing how to recognize when change is needed, and (2) navigating that change with confidence, courage, and clarity.
Great for: business leaders, and employees at all levels who know that embracing–and leading into smart change is a significant business value add
The Art of Building Something from Nothing
From teaching herself organic chemistry at the age of 14 when she landed her first job as a research scientist in the labs of the UNC-Chapel Hill, to building brand new multi-billion dollar revenue products on Wall Street at the age of 27, to building a venture-backed tech company, Isa has demonstrated success in building high impact products from scratch across a multitude of industries and skill sets.
In this talk, Isa discusses (1) the power of cultivating, or owning, your vision, (2) the tools needed to successfully navigate the environment you’re in, and (3) how to build for success. Whether you find yourself stuck on the vision part, the execution part–or both–attendees will leave this talk feeling empowered to make the next move in their building journey.
Great for: entrepreneurs, business leaders, young adults
The Flex of Friendships
While countless experts predicted an economic recession, I don’t think a friendship recession was on this year’s bingo card. Loneliness and social disconnectedness are quickly emerging as a public health crisis. So much so that researchers have now equated loneliness to smoking 15 cigarettes a day from a health perspective.
This era of social media has made it easy for us to conflate consumption with connection. The added pressure of doing more with less–at work and at home–has us living near the edge of burnout more than we’d like to admit.
In a digestible way, Isa breaks down what a friend actually is–and how to build and grow friendships with intentionality. From friendships at work, to friendships at home–and even those that cross both, there is infinite value in cultivating, and growing productive friendships. In this talk, Isa breaks down topics like how to make new friends as adults, how to set up a friendship for success, how to shift a friendship when it’s not serving you, and even how to integrate friendship in our busy calendars.
The pandemic taught us that our friendships weren’t on as solid ground as we thought, and attendees will leave this talk equipped to invest in their health, happiness, and quality of life through quality friendships.
Great for: all homosapiens, basically
People also viewed these speakers.
FAQs
How do I book Isa Watson for my event?
Contact CAA Speakers at (424) 288-2898 or speakers@caa.com to book Isa Watson to speak at corporate or private events, keynote speeches, speaking engagements, workshops, fireside chats, motivational speaking, or virtual appearances.
Quick booking process- Email CAA Speakers with event details
- Get availability confirmation within 24 hours
- Review speaking fee and contract terms
- Sign agreement and finalize logistics
As one of the most influential talent agencies in the world, CAA handles all speaking engagements from contract to event day coordination.
Who is Isa Watson's booking agent?
CAA Speakers is the preferred booking agency to contact for Isa Watson’s speaking engagements. Contact speakers@caa.com for all Isa Watson in-person appearances and keynote speaking requests.
Contact Isa Watson's agent- Email: speakers@caa.com
- Website: caa.com/caaspeakers
- Response: Within 24 hours
CAA Speakers can check Isa Watson's speaking calendar with direct access to availability and official pricing. While many websites may list Isa Watson, CAA Speakers is the direct source for authentic information about availability and pricing.
What is Isa Watson's speaking fee?
Isa Watson's speaking fee varies by event type, location, and requirements. As a top keynote speaker, Isa Watson's fee reflects their expertise and market demand.
Speaking fee factors:- Event type and audience size
- Travel distance and logistics
- Presentation length and customization
- Virtual vs. in-person delivery
Additional costs: Travel, accommodation, A/V requirements, and optional meet-and-greets.
Contact CAA Speakers at speakers@caa.com for Isa Watson's current speaking fee and detailed cost breakdown.
How much does it cost to book Isa Watson as a keynote speaker?
The cost to book Isa Watson as keynote speaker includes their speaking fee plus travel and logistics expenses.
Total booking cost includes:- Isa Watson's keynote speaking fee
- Travel and accommodation
- Technical requirements and A/V setup
- Optional add-ons like book signing and meet & greets
- Virtual presentations
- Local/regional events
- Off-peak booking periods
- Flexible event dates
Email speakers@caa.com for Isa Watson's exact booking cost and customized pricing proposal.
How to contact Isa Watson for speaking engagements?
Contact CAA Speakers at speakers@caa.com for all Isa Watson speaking engagements.
Official contact for Isa Watson bookings:- Email: speakers@caa.com
- Website: https://www.caa.com/caaspeakers/isa-watson
- Response time: 24 hours
Include your event date, location, audience size, and budget when contacting CAA about booking Isa Watson.
Is Isa Watson available for virtual speaking events?
Yes, Isa Watson speaks at virtual events with professional-grade equipment and interactive presentation style.
Isa Watson's virtual event options:- Live virtual keynotes with Q&A
- Interactive workshops and breakouts
- Hybrid events (in-person + virtual)
- Pre-recorded presentations
Virtual events offer global reach, flexible scheduling, and reduced travel costs while maintaining Isa Watson's engaging presentation quality.
Contact CAA Speakers for Isa Watson's virtual event availability and technical specifications.
What events can I book Isa Watson for?
Book Isa Watson for corporate conferences, industry events, private functions, and virtual presentations. Isa Watson customizes content for any audience size or event type.
Event types:- Corporate meetings and conferences
- Industry summits and trade shows
- Private executive retreats
- Educational institution events
- Virtual and hybrid conferences
Isa Watson engages audiences from private executive meetings to large conferences with thousands of attendees.
Contact CAA Speakers to discuss how Isa Watson can customize their presentation for your specific event.
Isa Watson booking information and availability
Check Isa Watson's speaking availability through CAA Speakers at speakers@caa.com. Book 3-6 months in advance for best date selection during peak seasons (September-November, March-May).
Availability factors:- Event date and location
- Speaking fee and budget
- Lead time for booking
- Peak conference seasons
- 3-6 months: Best availability
- 3-6 months: Best availability
- 2-3 months: Good availability
- 1-2 months: Select availability
- Under 30 days: Limited availability
Contact CAA early in your planning process to secure Isa Watson for your preferred event date.
Book Isa Watson keynote speaker through CAA
Book Isa Watson through CAA Speakers for guaranteed authentic representation and professional event coordination. CAA is the preferred booking agent for Isa Watson, with direct access to their speaking availability and decades of experience representing the world’s top keynote speakers.
CAA booking advantages:- Direct access to Isa Watson's calendar
- 24-hour availability confirmations
- Professional contract negotiation
- Full logistics coordination
- Industry-leading client service
Trusted by Fortune 500 companies for their most important speaking engagements. Contact speakers@caa.com to book Isa Watson for your next event.
Will Isa Watson speak at private events?
Yes, Isa Watson speaks at private corporate events, executive retreats, board meetings, and exclusive functions.
Private event types:- Executive retreats and board presentations
- Client entertainment and VIP gatherings
- Corporate celebrations and award ceremonies
- Private dinners and exclusive functions
Private event benefits: Customized content, enhanced interaction, complete confidentiality, and flexible scheduling.
Contact CAA Speakers for Isa Watson's private event availability and confidential pricing proposals.
How quickly will I get a response about booking Isa Watson?
CAA Speakers responds to Isa Watson booking inquiries within 24 hours during business days. Complex requests or international events may take up to 48 hours for detailed proposals.
Response timeline:- Initial acknowledgment: Within 24 hours
- Availability confirmation: 24-48 hours
- Detailed pricing proposal: 48-72 hours
- Urgent requests: Same-day priority response
Include complete event details (date, location, audience size, budget) for fastest response times.
How far in advance should I book Isa Watson?
Book Isa Watson 3-6 months in advance for best availability, especially during peak speaking seasons. Early booking ensures better date selection and rate negotiations.
Recommended booking timeline:- 3-6 months: Optimal availability and pricing
- 2-3 months: Good availability
- 1-2 months: Select availability
- Under 30 days: Limited availability
Peak seasons: September-November and March-May book fastest. Contact CAA Speakers early for priority consideration.
How do I get Isa Watson pricing information?
Get Isa Watson pricing information by contacting CAA Speakers at speakers@caa.com with your event details. Receive detailed cost breakdown within 24-48 hours with no obligation to book.
For accurate pricing, include:- Event date and location
- Audience size and type
- Event format and duration
- Budget parameters
CAA provides transparent pricing with all costs included - speaking fee, travel, accommodation, and technical requirements.