Maria Sze of Make Lemonade on Making AI Visibility Practical, Measurable and Human

Maria Sze is the founder of Make Lemonade, a brand communications business that helps luxury travel and hospitality brands understand how AI is changing the way people discover, evaluate and choose them. Their proprietary intelligence framework, SIGNAL NOIR®, measures how brands are represented in AI-generated answers and turns the findings into practical action.

Maria was named a Q3 2026 Founded by Women Awards Winner in the Best Innovation category. It is a fitting recognition for a founder who came to AI and brand influence from outside the technology world, and built a practical, measurable approach around one idea: understanding people matters more than following the latest marketing trend.

In this extended Q&A, Maria shares what excites her most about how AI is changing the rules of influence, the lesson she wishes she had known when she started Make Lemonade, and what is next for the business, from international growth to original research on luxury travel discovery.

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Q: What stands behind the work you were recognized for, and what inspires you most about it?

I believe we’re at one of the most interesting turning points in the history of brand communications. And for those willing to challenge conventional thinking, the opportunities are enormous.

Make Lemonade was founded on a simple principle: understanding people is more important than following the latest marketing trend.

That thinking led us to develop SIGNAL NOIR®, our proprietary intelligence framework, which helps brands understand how AI is changing the way people discover, evaluate and choose businesses. It allows us to measure how brands are represented in AI-generated answers, identify where their stories are being misunderstood or overlooked, and turn those insights into practical action.

What’s particularly exciting is that AI is changing some of the rules of influence. A smaller, independent brand with a compelling story and genuine credibility can increasingly compete for attention alongside much bigger, better-funded competitors.

We’re taking something that can feel incredibly complex and making it practical, measurable and commercially useful, particularly for the luxury travel and hospitality industry.

What inspires me most is the opportunity to help brilliant businesses get the recognition they deserve, while proving that creativity, reputation and human understanding are becoming more valuable, not less.

Q: What is one thing you learned while building Make Lemonade that you wish you’d known at the start?

That you don’t have to be the expert in everything. You just have to be curious enough to ask better questions and brave enough to challenge the answers.

I didn’t come from a technology background, and I certainly didn’t set out to build a business working at the intersection of AI, brand influence and commercial strategy.

But I’ve learned that being an outsider can be a real advantage. You approach problems without the baggage of how things have always been done.

I’ve also learned the importance of surrounding yourself with brilliant people whose expertise complements your own, and having the confidence to pursue opportunities before you have every answer.

Perhaps most importantly, I’ve discovered that building a successful business isn’t about saying yes to everything. It’s about knowing where you can make a genuine difference, choosing the right people to work with and having the conviction to do things your own way.

I wish I’d worked that out a little earlier!

Q: What’s next for you and Make Lemonade?

Our focus now is on building on what we've created and taking it into more international markets.

We're already working with luxury travel and hospitality businesses, including Grotto Bay Beach Resort & Spa in Bermuda, helping them understand how AI represents their brands, identify opportunities to strengthen their positioning and turn those insights into practical action.

Alongside our client work, we've published two editions of Invisible or Influential?, our research series developed with Spotlight Communications Luxury Travel PR agency, exploring how AI is reshaping luxury travel discovery and the influence of trusted editorial media.

We're continuing to invest in original research, industry partnerships and education, bringing together perspectives from technology, media, hospitality and brand strategy.

For me, the really exciting opportunity is to help shape the conversation rather than simply respond to it.

AI will continue to change how businesses compete, but I believe the winners will be those who understand that technology is only part of the equation. Trust, creativity, distinctive thinking and genuine human connection still matter enormously.

Our job is to help ambitious brands turn those strengths into a competitive advantage.

Innovation doesn’t always come from the people who understand the technology best. Sometimes it comes from the people who see a problem differently and refuse to accept that the old way is the only way. - Maria Sze, Founder, Make Lemonade

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