SISTAFUND

🎉 SISTAFUND x SISTA x NEMOW Lab on UNESCO’s rooftop – A night to remember What started as a simple “What’s happening on March 8?” turned into an unforgettable evening of connections, celebration, and ambition. After the WES25 afternoon event at UNESCO, we teamed up with NEMOW Lab and SISTA to bring together an incredible mix of founders, investors, policymakers, and ecosystem leaders—all in one of the most stunning venues in Paris. A huge thank you to Jessica Matoua-David and the NEMOW Lab team for letting us take over their evening with Sista, and to Shirley Kohn for setting the perfect musical vibe. Among the incredible guests: Clara Chappaz, Mounir Mahjoubi Jozefowicz, Valentine de Lasteyrie, Gilles Babinet, Tatiana Jama, Marjorie Paillon, Celine Lazorthes, Paul Midy, Fatoumata Ly, Alice Groth, Natacha Brami, Alexia Reiss, Marie MILLET, Romane Sitbon, Youssef Zouakia, Michael Ohana 🔥, Margaux Gregoir, Maxime Paradis, Alix Trébaol, Camille Ha and many more Because celebrating ambition, innovation, and resilience is just as important as building it. Until next time! 💙 #WES25 #SistaFund #NemowLabs #Ecosystem #Innovation #Leadership

✨ Gender balanced news ! February edition – VC fundraising This month, female-led VC firms are fueling early-stage investment across France and Europe. Here’s a look at the latest: 🚀 Co-led by Sophia Bendz, Cherry Ventures (Europe) secures a $500M fund to invest in early-stage startups, with the ability to follow on at Series B and beyond. 🤖 Founded by Sarah Guo, Conviction (US & Europe) raises a $230M fund focused on investing in AI-first startups. 🚀 Co-led by Bénédicte de Raphélis Soissan, Emblem (France & Nordics) closes its debut €85M fund to lead or co-lead Seed-stage investments, writing checks from €500K to €3M. 💡 Founded by Marta G. Zanchi, Nina Capital (Spain) reaches the first close of its third fund at €50M, backing Pre-Seed to Series A healthtech startups across Europe, the US, Canada, Israel, and Australia. 🌍 Led by Lisa-Marie Fassl & Nina Wöss, Fund F (Europe) closes at €28M, surpassing its initial target to back Pre-Seed and Seed-stage gender-diverse founding teams. 🌱 Founded by Ashley Smith, Vermilion Cliffs Ventures (US & Europe) launches a $13M debut fund to support Pre-Seed and Seed startups in developer tools, data infrastructure, security, and enterprise software. 📊 Founded by Simone Brummelhuis, Borski Fund (Europe) secures a €9M investment from M&G Investments to bridge the funding gap for women-led startups. 💰 Founded by Jessica Kamada, Swizzle Ventures (Europe & Global) closes a $6.6M fund to advance women’s health and wealth through key life stages. At SistaFund, we’re excited to see more capital flowing into early-stage funds backing diverse founders. Looking forward to what’s next! #GenderBalancedNews #WomenInVC #VentureCapital #SistaFund

🌟 Celebrating Astran and Yosra Jarraya: finalist for the women entrepreneurs in tech award! 🌟 We are proud to share that Yosra Jarraya, the CEO of Astran, one of our amazing portfolio companies, has been named a finalist for the inaugural Women Entrepreneurs in Tech award by Shake'Up (Wavestone) and Les Echos! 🎉 Yosra Jarraya’s leadership at Astran is a powerful example of innovation in cybersecurity. The company is on a mission to ensure organizations are AlwaysReady® to confidently face IT disruptions—an essential service in today’s fast-evolving tech landscape. A huge congratulations to Yosra Jarraya, to all the inspiring finalists and to Marie Paindavoine, PhD, the winner of the competition! 🙌 At SISTAFUND, we’re excited to see women like Yosra Jarraya shaping the future of cybersecurity and tech. We can’t wait to see where this recognition takes her and Astran next! #WomenInTech #Cybersecurity #Innovation #DiversityInTech #Astran #SISTAFUND

✨ Gender balanced news! February edition ✨ A strong start to 2025 continues with impressive early-stage funding rounds led by female founders across Europe in February: 🐄 Co-founded by Maia Lidbeck, Agteria Biotech (Stockholm) banks €6M Seed to reduce methane emissions in agriculture. The startup secured funding with support from investors including Industrifonden. 🎓 Co-founded by Valentine Mandon, Edumapper (Paris) raises €5M Pre-Seed to empower students in higher education decisions. The round was led by daphni, with Kima Ventures and Eurazeo joining. 🌱 Co-founded by Mariantonia Logozzi, ExoLab Italia (L’aquila - Italy) lands €5M Series A to scale plant exosome innovations. The startup raised funding with support from CDP Venture Capital SGR, dsm-firmenich Ventures. 🚺 Co-founded by Linda Sejdova, snuggs (London) raises €5M to reinvent period products. The round was led by TripleB. 🌐 Co-founded by Veronica Prilutskaya, Lingo.dev (Barcelona) secures $4.2M Seed to power AI-driven localization. Its seed round was led by Initialized Capital and Y Combinator. 🌍 Co-founded by Anna Alex, Nala Earth (Berlin) raises €3.8M to help businesses manage environmental risks. The round was led by IRIS, with participation from KOMPAS VC and Pale blue dot. 🧪 Co-founded by Maria Fátima Lucas, Zymvol Biomodeling (Barcelona) closes €3M Seed to accelerate enzyme discovery for green chemistry. The round was led by Faber, with participation of Elaia. 🔥 Co-founded by Léa Dardenne EPYR (Paris) secures €3M Pre-Seed to innovate thermal energy storage. The round was co-led by AENU and daphni. 🤖 Co-founded by Carla Gómez Cano, THEKER Robotics (Barcelona) secures €3M in its first round to build the robots of the future. The startup raised funding in an initial round led by JME Ventures. 🏃♀️ Co-founded by Perrine Chapot, Ochy (Rennes) raises €1.7M Pre-Seed to enhance running performance with AI. The round was led by Redstone, with Look AI Ventures and Bpifrance participating. Missed anyone? Let us know! #GenderBalancedNews #WomenInTech #FundingNews #Innovation

🚀 Portfolio news : Female Invest make major US expansion ! We're thrilled to announce that Female Invest, one of our portfolio companies, is officially entering the US market this March! From their first beginnings in Denmark 5 years ago to scaling to paying members in 125 countries, Female Invest has shown remarkable growth. After successfully establishing the UK as their fastest growing market, they're now taking their biggest leap yet. The US launch kicks off with an exclusive webinar featuring renowned entrepreneur and investor Barbara Corcoran on March 11th - with an incredible 80,000+ people already signed up! As one of America's most prominent role models for female investors, Barbara is the perfect partner for introducing Female Invest to the US market. Congratulations to Anna-Sophie Hartvigsen Emma Due Bitz, Camilla Cloëtta Falkenberg and the amazing Female Invest team as this expansion marks a significant milestone in Female Invest's mission to close the financial gender gap by empowering women with investment knowledge and confidence. Want to join the launch webinar? Find the link in the comments to sign up. #PortfolioNews #FemaleInvest #WomenInFinance #SistaFund

🎉 Celebrating Fund F's €28M final closing! Huge congratulations to Fund F and their incredible team on reaching their final closing at €28M, with an oversubscribed first fund! This milestone unites entrepreneurs, angels, family offices, and institutional investors—including the European Investment Fund (EIF)— with whom, at SISTAFUND, couldn't be prouder to partner as well. This achievement isn’t just about funding; it’s about reshaping industries. Investing in diverse founders drives innovation, fuels growth, and creates a lasting impact. The earlier we invest in female founders, the stronger the cycle: women build, scale, exit, and reinvest—powering the ecosystem forward. And we need more of it! A special shoutout to our former intern and now full-time VC Analyst, Lucy Izquierdo Greene, who’s thriving as part of this inspiring team!

🚀 SISTAFUND at Female Founder Office Hours – April 3, 2025 We’re excited to join 190+ VCs for the next Europe-wide Female Founder Office Hours, led by Playfair Capital in collaboration with Microsoft for Startups. This initiative has already connected 2,800+ founders with investors through 12,000 one-on-one meetings across 12 editions—providing invaluable access to mentorship and funding opportunities. 📢 Female founders: If you’re looking to connect with investors for pitching or mentorship, this is your chance! 🔗 You will find two links below: one to register and one for more details. cc Natacha Brami Clare Zhang #OfficeHours #FemaleFounders #Diversity #Inclusion #VC #Technology

We’re counting down the days until 4YFN event in Barcelona – one of the most exciting events in Europe’s tech startup scene, where the future of innovation takes center stage. This year, our Managing Partner, 🍋 Isabelle Gallo 🍋, is honored to join as a speaker for the 6th consecutive year. She will participate in two engaging discussions: 🎤 "Building Success: The Power of Diversity in Teams" 📅 Monday, March 3 | 17:20 - 18:00 CET In a powerful panel with Shiro Theuri (Glovo), Sarah Anto, MBA, CPA (FundHER), Ayumi Moore Aoki (WOMEN IN TECH ® Global), and Julie Mahoney (GSMA), they will dive into how diverse teams drive business success and innovation – a core value we embrace at SISTAFUND. 🎤 "Bold Bets, Big Breakthroughs: The Power of Contrarian Deep Tech Investing" 📅 Wednesday, March 5 | 12:50 - 13:10 CET With Oscar Farres (European Investment Fund (EIF)), they’ll explore how bold investments in overlooked deep tech startups can deliver major breakthroughs. Find the link below to join us in Barcelona! #4YFN #TechInnovation #DiversityInTech #DeepTech

🚀 Orakl Oncology is Hiring! Our portfolio company Orakl Oncology is expanding its team and looking for top talents to join their mission in revolutionizing cancer research. Open positions include: - Research Assistant – Full-time position  - Senior Director, Business Development – Full-time position  - Laboratory Technician – Full-time position  - Senior Software Engineer – Full-time position 📢 English speakers are required for these positions. Want to be part of a company shaping the future of oncology? You’ll find the link to apply in the comments below. cc Fanny Jaulin, PhD Diane-Laure Pagès Gustave Ronteix #Hiring #Biotech #Oncology #AI #SistaFund #OraklOncology

🚀 Applications Open for the NextGen Founders Fellowship! We’re excited to share that the Women Who Build 🪄 NextGen Founders Fellowship (Spring '25 Cohort) is now open for applications! This program is designed to support ambitious female students in the UK who are ready to turn their entrepreneurial ideas into reality. 🎯 What’s in it for you? - Mentorship from top founders, VCs, and startup leaders - Hands-on guidance on ideation, pitching, fundraising, and team building - A strong network of peers and role models to support your journey 🗓️ Key dates: - Feb 28: Application Deadline - March 5-6: Info Sessions - March 12-13: Cohort Kick-Off Call - March 19: London Social - March 24-28: 1:1 Mentorship Week At SISTAFUND, we love seeing initiatives that support the next generation of female founders. You’ll find the link to apply below!