Grace - Accelerate Female Entrepreneurship

𝟭𝟭 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 , 𝟭𝟭 𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮s, 𝟭 𝘂𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁! Grace Demo Day once again ignited Berlin’s startup scene with groundbreaking ideas, fearless founders, and an incredible community of supporters! 🚀 And now, the moment we’ve all been waiting for—meet the winners of Grace Demo Day 2025! 🎉 🏆 1st prize: Madlen Baetzgen & Christina Schwörbel-Binn – Co-founders of wild & water 🥈 2nd prize: Sophie Apel – Co-founder of AVALY 🥉 3rd prize: Wangechi Ngige - Founder of Shambakeep 💡 Audience Award: Sara B. & Catalina Domínguez - Co-founders of Strategic Advocacy for Human Rights (SAHR) A huge congratulations to all our Grace founders who stepped up, pitched their hearts out, and made us proud Amanda Gicharu-Kemoli Bahila Hijazi Victoria Etherington Sasha Silberberg Christine Ripken Brooke Trezise Pati Keilwerth Stella Hinderer Clara Gillet The journey is just beginning, and we can’t wait to see where you take your ventures next!✨✨ A special shoutout to Scaling Spaces for their incredible support, offering the 1st prize winner an extra 6 months of free office space! for CIC Berlin for hosting us and making our demo day extra special. A massive thank you to our esteemed jury for taking on the challenge of selecting the winners: Anne Kjær Bathel (She) Sabrina Spielberger Isabelle Canu Jutta Jakobi Ewa Geresz Ralph Riecke The Grace Demo Day spirit doesn’t stop here, stay tuned for more highlights and behind-the-scenes moments in the coming days! ___ This project is funded by the European Social Fund Plus with support from the European Union and the State of Berlin. Photos: Dominik Tryba #GraceDemoDay #FemaleFounders #StartupSuccess #BerlinStartups #Entrepreneurship #FutureIsFemale #SupportWomenInBusiness #ImpactDriven #FounderCommunity

🚀 From personal experience to powerful impact: Meet Clara Fiorella Rivera ✨, CEO and founder of MyClarella®! Clara Fiorella Rivera founded MyClarella to revolutionize maternity and postpartum care. What started as a mission to break taboos around postpartum recovery has grown into a thriving brand, reaching 50,000+ customers and generating €1M+ in revenue. With passion and resilience, she’s reshaping the future of women’s health—one innovation at a time. 💪✨ Learn more about her advice to aspiring female founders in the industry, challenges, and her startup's ties to her personal experiences our latest blog: https://lnkd.in/ev5idtmx 👉 Also, swipe left for her top entrepreneurship tips for aspiring founders! Who should we interview next for our blog post? Tag your favorite female founder! #Entrepreneurship #Sustainability #Inspiration #Leadership #ImpactBusiness #GraceInspiration #BerlinFounders #FemaleFounders

🧡 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 🧡 🌟Jenna, Nici and Sara, the co-founders of Safer Sex Berlin The Safer Sex Berlin team is passionate about gender justice in sexual healthcare. Germany’s system is failing women and genderqueer people. Resources are allocated based on outdated assumptions about risk and a harm-focused definition of sexual health, leaving many without access to free or affirming care. Safer Sex Berlin is a nonprofit organization working to change that. Through outreach, advocacy, and information-sharing, they help people navigate the existing system while mobilizing collective power to build a new one. Their work challenges the outdated narratives and flawed science that drive current policy, reclaiming female and queer sexuality as something to be celebrated, not controlled.  👉 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲? Safer Sex Berlin joined Grace to turn their community initiative into a sustainable nonprofit that can produce long-lasting, transformative change. Through mentorship, coaching, and a network of experts and entrepreneurs, they’ve gained the tools to scale their impact, strengthen their strategy, and advance their mission. Crucially, the financial support provided by Grace allowed them to dedicate themselves full time to this work—because without funding, it’s impossible for grassroots projects to do the labor that actually strengthens society—because grassroots projects for the social good only thrive when the people behind them are paid, too. 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱, Safer Sex Berlin 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝘀: 🏢 Raving ✊ Putting values into action 🔥 Pleasure politics 📸 Photo Credit Rosa Merk at bUm - Raum für solidarisches Miteinander Do you have a question for the Safer Sex Berlin team? leave it in the comments. — The project is funded by the European Social Fund Plus with funds from the European Union and the State of Berlin. #startupsofberlin #gracefounder #graceaccelerator #flintafounders

𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 Alexandra Kammer Being a founder means constantly evolving, especially when it comes to mindset. Many female founders carry beliefs that hold them back, often shaped by societal expectations rather than reality. At Grace, we see this firsthand, and Alexandra has been an inspiring example of unlearning these limiting beliefs. She shared how shifting her mindset unlocked new opportunities for her startup. Here are three key lessons: ✅ 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝗦𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻 Alexandra used to overwork every detail before launching anything. Now, she follows the 𝟴𝟬/𝟮𝟬 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲, focusing on impact over perfection. “Done is better than perfect” has become her mantra. ✅ 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗜𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱—𝗦𝗼 𝗜𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗕𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 Women often feel they need to prove themselves more than men. Alexandra realized that self-doubt wasn't a personal flaw but a learned response to systemic bias. By recognizing it, she took control of her narrative and moved forward with confidence. ✅ 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴—𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 Many women hesitate to talk about their wins, but Alexandra now sees visibility as a strength. 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀. As she says, “If you don’t tell your story, someone else will—and they might not get it right.” ✨ What’s something 𝘆𝗼𝘂 had to unlearn in your journey? Let’s break these cycles together. Drop your thoughts below! 👇 #FemaleFounders #WomenInBusiness #EntrepreneurMindset #GrowthMindset #Leadership #WomenWhoLead #BoldMoves #Startups #FounderLife

𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁-𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 This month, we invited leading entrepreneurship researchers to our Grace loft to bridge the gap between impact-driven entrepreneurship in theory and practice. As part of the FGF Förderkreis Gründungs- Forschung e.V. working group meeting on Social & Sustainable Entrepreneurship, hosted this year by Berlin University of Applied Sciences Berlin (BHT), we explored fresh insights into social entrepreneurship and fostered an enriching exchange of ideas between academia and impact-oriented entrepreneurs within the Grace network. This also included an engaging Fishbowl discussion on the challenges and opportunities shaping social and sustainable entrepreneurship in 2025, featuring policy leaders from SenWEB, Social Entrepreneurship Netzwerk Deutschland e.V., and Bitkom. This was a thoughtful and inspiring exchange, and we extend our heartfelt thanks to the incredible supporters who made it possible: 🔹 Nicole Siebold & Steffen Farny – Leaders of both working groups 🔹 Louise Guigon, Raburu Sharon. A. and Leonie Moos – For sharing insights on entrepreneurial practice 🔹 Franziska Giffey – Mayor and Senator at Senatsverwaltung für Wirtschaft, Energie und Betriebe 🔹 Senatsverwaltung für Wirtschaft, Energie und Betriebe, Borderstep Institute for Innovation and Sustainability gGmbH, and the FutureSEE Project (Fachhochschule Eberswalde, Mona Mirtsch, Britta M. Gossel) A special thank you to Michael Wunsch and Yasmin Olteanu for organising this gathering, and to Nadja Scheub for capturing the evening. We look forward welcoming you back in the soon future! 🚀 #socialentrepreneurship #sustainableentrepreneurship #entrepreneurshipresearch

💸 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞: 𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐫: 𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞! Newest insights suggest that the fundraising situation for female-founded companies is not getting better: In 2023, only 2% of VC funding went to female-only founding teams. In 2024, it went down to 1%. For years, we’ve supported female founders on their founding journey within our programs, including their fundraising process. With this development, however, we feel that we want to do our part in changing the trend: That’s why we're opening the doors 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 looking to start fundraising. 🚀 Join us on 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝟗-𝟐𝟎, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓, for 𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞—a 𝟐-𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢-𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 designed to equip female founders with the insights, network, and strategies to gain clarity and confidence on the right funding path for their startup. Expect: 💡 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 — explore your options from public funding to venture capital 🤝 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝟏:𝟏 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 with VCs, angel investors & public funding experts 🎤 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐬 from fundraising trailblazers who’ve been in your shoes 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍. 🚀 Sign up through the link in the comments and get notified first once tickets go live! #FemaleFounders #Fundraising #WomenEntrepreneurs #RaiseWithGrace

🚀 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗜 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 – 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗕𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆! We’re excited to partner with Global AI Community ,  and ignore gravity, to bring together AI enthusiasts, developers, and professionals for an AI discovery day full of learning, collaboration, and innovation! If you’re a founder interested in applying AI, you should join us on April 11, 2025, at CODE University of Applied Sciences for hands-on sessions and inspiring talks on Azure AI, Copilots, AI Upskilling, Microsoft 365, and AI Ethics. We are super proud that Daniela Burgos , co-founder of Nerea and a participant in our current Grace program, will be speaking at the event and sharing her journey: From Rock Bottom to Startup Founder: My AI-Powered Comeback.  And so many other amazing speakers: Tanja Wiehoff, Rene Schulte, Matthias Buchhorn-Roth & Alexander Preiß, Marc Plogas, Christian Weyer, Nicole Enders, Ragnar Heil, Torben Köhler Dr. Sebastian Rosengrün & . Dr. David Rump This event is part of the Global AI Community, connecting over 60,000 AI enthusiasts worldwide. Whether you’re an expert or just getting started, this is your chance to explore AI’s latest innovations and real-world applications. 🔗 Check all the information here: https://lnkd.in/evG9QFX3 🔗 Register now through meetup or Luma: https://lnkd.in/e7dyR9kX https://lu.ma/xay7f92v See you there! ___ #GlobalAIBootcamp #AICommunity #AzureAI #Copilots #TechInnovation

✨ We are beyond excited to share that Grace has been named a nominee for the 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱! ✨ This recognition is a testament to our unwavering commitment to gender inclusion and our dedication to empowering female founders. From the Grace Berlin Accelerator program to the Grace Scale program and beyond, we strive to build a thriving, diverse community of women in entrepreneurship. Since 2018, we have worked tirelessly to accelerate female entrepreneurship, promote inclusivity, and celebrate every milestone along the way. This nomination is not only an honor but a reminder of the impact we can make when we come together to create positive change. A huge thank you to everyone who’s been part of our journey—this is just the beginning! 💫 Impact of Diversity ___ #Diversity #WomenInBusiness #FemaleEntrepreneurs #Inclusion #GraceCommunity #EmpoweringWomen

🌟 Meet Dijana Galijasevic 🌍, founder of Impact Hero! From fleeing war in Sarajevo to leading a company that drives environmental and social change, Dijana’s journey is one of resilience, purpose, and impact. With Impact Hero, she’s proving that sustainability and business success can go hand in hand—helping companies integrate tree planting, plastic collection, and reef restoration into their operations. As a female founder, Dijana champions responsible leadership, kindness in business, and the power of strong communities. 💚 Learn more about her inspiring journey in our latest blog: https://lnkd.in/et2GSpxk 👉 Also, swipe left for her top entrepreneurship tips for aspiring founders! Who should we interview next for our blog post? Tag your favorite female founder! #Entrepreneurship #Sustainability #Inspiration #Leadership #ImpactBusiness #GraceInspiration #BerlinFounders #FemaleFounders

𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀! 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗙𝗙𝗠 – 𝘄𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗳𝘂𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿! Yes, you have heard this correctly! We are hosting our first ever event in 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗳𝘂𝗿𝘁 (𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻)! Join us on 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟭𝟬𝘁𝗵 when we gather the local female founders community from FFM and the Rhein Main region for a special evening to form long-lasting bonds and genuine connections. If you know Grace, you know that we will make sure that these connections will be anything but superficial! Tickets are available now – be sure to let your female founder friends from the FFM region know! More details will be coming soon. 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘂𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://lnkd.in/eX3qgQyk 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳 Scaling Spaces 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨. See you in a bit, Frankfurt! #FemaleFounders #FrankfurtFounders #BerlinStartups #Entrepreneurship #FutureIsFemale #SupportWomenInBusiness #ImpactDriven #FounderCommunityFrankfurt