Female Founders

🎥✨𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗹𝗮𝗴𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 #𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲! 🎥✨ At Female Founders we host an annual 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆. 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄. #event, bringing startups, investors & #innovation opinion leaders together to create an #inclusive future of #entrepreneurship. 👀 Watch now to catch a glimpse of the moments of #LTST24 that brought new hope, inspiration, and much our #community together. Truly setting the stage for a more inclusive - and innovative - future!🌟🚀 👉 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁? We will be doing it again on May 8-9th, 2025. 📆 Be sure to save the date, and subscribe to our #newsletter to get notified when #LTST tickets go live. Because you definitely won't want to miss this! Thank you to our #LTST24 main event partners: Wirtschaftsagentur Wien UNIQA Insurance Group FFG Austrian Research Promotion Agency Let's continue to redefine the status quo in European tech, together! 🤝

❗ 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲’𝘀 𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝘁. ❗ After a strong 2021 and steady numbers in 2022, the number of active female angels fell from 421 to 244 in 2023. That’s almost a 50% drop—ouch. 📉 😔 And European VC investors haven’t escaped the downturn either. PitchBook reports that the number of active VC investors in Europe has shrunk by over half—from 1,955 in 2023 to just 906 in 2024. The VC fund count also dropped 50.7%, and the amount of capital raised fell by 38% last year. It’s clear the industry is struggling to rebound. 🌱 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴: despite the decline in numbers, female angels are still showing resilience. They participated in 28% of deals for female-founded companies in 2023, only slightly down from 31% in 2022. And while fewer deals are closing overall, this signals that women are still holding their ground in the investment world. So, what do we need to ask ourselves? 💡 How can we make sure female investors don’t get left behind as the market contracts? 💡 What can we do to build a stronger, more resilient ecosystem that keeps women at the table? Now more than ever, we need to double down on support, foster connections, and make sure we don’t lose the progress we’ve made. 💫

🚀 𝗪𝗲'𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 #𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗙 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸! Our founders are meeting face-to-face at The Social Hub Berlin to connect, share valuable insights, and, of course, have an amazing time! Each #GrowF cohort includes an in-person networking event, and this one is already off to a fantastic start. 🙌 🌟 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆: 👉 A session on fundraising insights with Nina Wöss & Lisa-Marie Fassl from Fund F by Female Founders—unfiltered, practical, and essential. 👉 Pitch feedback sessions with the Fund F investor team and Zsuzsanna Kerémi from Morgan Stanley's Inclusive Ventures Lab. ...Each founder got 20 minutes of in-depth feedback to perfect their 3-minute investor pitches! 🔥 Stay tuned to hear about the rest of our time in Berlin! Grow F Program Partner: Morgan Stanley 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗕𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝟭𝟯 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽𝘀: 🌟 MUVN - with Katharina Kreutzer & Massimo Sabatino 🌟 Intriq - with Jessica Liew & Lloyd Evans 🌟 Geddid - with Christina Schaub & Fabian Binz 🌟 iDEAL Rent - with Marta Daina 🌟 factorymaker - with Maria Antonia Zahlbruckner & Thomas Reisinger 🌟 Wandel.com - with Kathryn Li & Volker Hollmichel 🌟 Redeco - with Lisa Jerahtina 🌟 moneten - with Selina Haupt & Andreas Lempik Fanny Springer Sebastian Gomes Lucy Izquierdo Greene Alvaro Egido Maestre Allie Trok Judith Schnaubelt Carina Roth

👩🎓 Meet Nejla Mahmutovic, our Working Student at Female Founders! Originally from Linz, she moved to Vienna to pursue her Master’s Degree after spending time in Canada and Malaysia. 🌍 Currently, she’s studying for an MSc in Export & Internationalisation Management at WU Vienna and brings valuable experience from her work in research, consulting, and banking. Nejla's dedication to supporting women in business began when she co-founded and led Vienna's first club for female business students. Now, she’s continuing that mission with Female Founders. 🚀 ☕🛩️ In her free time you're most likely to find her at an airport headed south or roaming around cafés in Vienna. 🥳 We’re so happy you’re part of our team Nejla!

🤔 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀? Having a solid product or service is just the beginning for a startup. The real magic happens when you tell a story that resonates. In her latest blog, Jule Wilhelm shares her insights on how founders can craft compelling narratives that connect with customers, win over investors, and engage teams. 📖 Storytelling isn’t a buzzword—it’s a powerful tool for building trust and lasting relationships. Whether you’re pitching your startup or inspiring your team, the stories you tell make all the difference. Dive into the blog to learn: 💡 Why storytelling is crucial for startup success 💡 How to find your authentic startup voice 💡 The key to making your audience the hero of your story Jule’s advice will help you create narratives that stick with your audience and fuel your growth. 💫 👉 Read the full post here: https://lnkd.in/gK-DPuyA

🛫 Next stop for Grow F? Berlin! 🥂 Fundraising can be tricky—that’s why we bring together experienced investors, industry experts, and founders who’ve been through it to share what they’ve learned. 🤝 Our founders and experts will get together for an in-person networking event and discuss everything there is to know about fundraising and all its intricacies. 💡 🙌 We’re excited to introduce the next round of experts for Batch 13 of Grow F who share their expertise to help our startups grow and succeed. 🧠 To learn the ins and outs of pitching to investors, our founders gain in-depth insights and feedback from: 👉 Zsuzsanna Kerémi of Morgan Stanley 👉 Monika Rodiqi of XPRESS Ventures 👉 Selma Meryem Peters of amberra 👉 Wanjiru C. of JOIN CAPITAL 👉 Chloe Coorey 👉 Max Narr of Blue Forest Ventures 👉 Klara Ritter of PT1 👉 & from our very own Fund F by Female Founders team: Nina Wöss, Lisa-Marie Fassl, Lucy Izquierdo Greene, and Sebastian Gomes 💫 Finally, we turn to founders who recently raised to share their own personal insights from their fundraising journeys: 💪 Katharina Riederer of eco.mio 💪 Charlotte Dryander of Sirius 💪 & Nina Mannheimer of Klim Grow F is a 5-week program designed to get gender-diverse ventures investment-ready. Want to be the first to know when applications open? Join the waitlist here: https://bit.ly/grow-f-info Grow F Program Partner: Morgan Stanley

✨ Meet our new Fund F by Female Founders VC Analyst, Lucy Izquierdo Greene! Born and raised in Paris, Lucy is also English and Spanish, and has just landed in Vienna to join the Fund F team. ✈️ 🌍 Lucy brings a diverse background with a BSc in Sustainability and Biology from the UK and an MSc in International Management from France. She entered the European Tech ecosystem first by joining an early stage ClimateTech and discovered her passion for investing in gender-diverse teams during her time at SISTAFUND. 💡 🎒 Outside of work, Lucy enjoys backpacking across different countries, meeting new people, and listening to uplifting music. Always eager to try new things, she recently learned to kitesurf and is now taking on the challenges of learning German and training for a half marathon. 🇩🇪 🏃♀️ We’re thrilled to have you on board, Lucy! Welcome to the team! 👏

🌍 A little recap of our Scaleup Globally program! 🚀 👉 Our program includes workshops focused on international growth, giving founders practical insights and access to industry experts to boost their global journey. Here’s a quick peek at what went down in our latest workshops: 💪 Team power: Laura Lidauer (Hallermeier) and Amelia Suda-Gosch shared practical advice on growing your team while keeping that startup energy alive—from culture hacks to smart hiring. 🪐 Sales Jedi moves: Jule Wilhelm and Aurelia Liechtenstein wowed us with sales strategies and the art of storytelling, showing us how to pitch like pros and win hearts (and deals) globally. 🎤 Next stop: Demo Day at the Invest Austria Conference. Get ready to cheer for our startups as they gear up to showcase their brilliance, and keep an eye out for updates! 👀

📢 Exciting news!! 📢 💫 After 3 years of maternity leave, Vilyana Lazarova-Guerra is back with us in a brand new role as Event Manager here at Female Founders. Previously, she was our Project Manager for Lead F—working on marketing, sales, and content strategies, making two batches super successful. 👩🏻💻 🌍 With a knack for organizing #events in Vienna and Berlin, Vilyana loves creating unforgettable experiences and sparking real connections. Her attention to detail ensures every event she touches is engaging and packed with top-notch content. Plus, her stint as a community manager only fired up her passion for building community and collaborating closely with others. ☀️ Outside of work, Vilyana’s a proud mom to two lively boys. She loves lazy brunches, sunny beach days, and traveling—especially when it means catching up with family in Bulgaria, Spain, or the US. 🛫 Welcome Vilyana—we’re excited to work together again! 🤩

🍾 It’s time to pop the bottle! We’re spotlighting the experts who are instrumental in preparing our #GrowF founders for #investment readiness! 👉 Our hybrid program features a curated lineup of experts who bring their hard-earned industry knowledge and personalized mentorship directly to our startups. Without further ado, meet the exceptional experts driving this batch of GrowF: 💫 Jule Wilhelm, Speedinvest Pirates 💫 Dina Mehulić, The Lady's Realm 💫 Frances Spooner, Marriott Harrison 💫 🌳 Petra Wolkenstein, Konsultori 💫 Jaysri Thangam 💫 Patricia Domenti, Speedinvest 💫 Katerina Nichols, KN Finance 💫 And our very own Fanny Springer and Valerie Hengl 🧠 What are our founders learning in these sessions? Storytelling, negotiation, and everything in-between—swipe the gallery to find out and keep an eye out for the #founders and #investors sharing their stories! 👀 💡 Keen to learn more about our #GrowF 5-week investment-readiness program for gender-diverse ventures? 👉 Join us here: bit.ly/grow-f-info Grow F Program Partner: Morgan Stanley #GrowF #InvestmentReady #VC #Fundraising #Scaling #FemaleFounders #Startups