The European startup and venture capital network is full of innovative and trailblazing women who are driving the growth and success of the industry. In this blog, we will showcase 100 inspiring women who are breaking down barriers and paving the way for a more diverse and equitable future in digital tech. From founders and CEOs to investors and policymakers, these women are leading the charge in high-tech areas such as fintech, e-commerce, biotech, and beyond. Through their hard work, determination, and innovation, they are setting a sterling example for the next generation of female entrepreneurs and investors.
- Agate Freimane is a General Partner at Norrsken VC, a pioneer of impact investing in the Nordic region and one of the earliest in Europe. Freimane is an influential female figure in the VC industry who is dedicated to supporting startups that prioritize creating a positive impact. She began her career in finance in London and New York before co-founding the edtech non-profit organization Bright Mentors.
- Alice Albizzati is the founder of Revaia, a Parisian firm that specializes in investing in sustainable European businesses and working with entrepreneurs who prioritize their mission. Albizzati has been involved in financing, organizing, and supervising more than 35 growth companies throughout her professional journey. Before launching Revaia, she worked as an investor at Verlinvest in New York. She also serves on the boards of Deepki and Hublo.
- Alice Pelton is one of the co-founders and the CEO of The Lowdown, a revolutionary review platform that focuses on contraception. The platform is the first of its kind globally, and it has become the UK’s leading contraception and sexual and reproductive health resource. Thousands of women use The Lowdown every day to make informed decisions about their everyday health. The Lowdown is also championing a new generation of period empowerment.
- Dr. Aline Vedder is an accomplished investor with a Ph.D. in Neuroaesthetics. She has an impressive track record and is currently a Principle at LakeStar. Prior to her role at LakeStar, she worked with Acton Capital Partners in Munich and Ananda Impact Ventures. Vedder is enthusiastic about impact investing and uses her knowledge of psychology and neuroscience to identify exceptional leaders and teams.
- Alisée de Tonnac is a Swiss entrepreneur who is best known for co-founding Seedstars World, a worldwide startup competition that spans over 85 emerging and developing markets. She currently serves as Seedstars World’s CEO, and her work has been featured in Forbes, Le Monde, and Wired.
- Alix de Sagazan is the co-founder and CEO of AB Tasty, a prominent provider of feature management, experimentation, and personalization solutions. These solutions help companies validate ideas, reduce risk, maximize impact, and speed up time to market. She also serves as a board member of The Galion Project and is an investor with Galion.exe and Side Capital.
- Ana Wolsztajn uses her extensive experience as an operator, founder, and tech journalist spanning over 15 years to invest in angel and venture partner capacities in European tech startups. She focuses primarily on B2B SaaS, cleantech, and healthtech. Wolsztajn has worked with numerous tech venture builders, accelerators, and tech event organizers in various capacities and has played a key role in connecting the broader startup community with the world of VC and media.
- Angelica Kohlmann earned a Ph.D. in medicine and worked in cancer research and the pharmaceutical industry before venturing into the VC space. She founded Bloom Diagnostics in 2018 with the aim of leveraging technology to empower individuals to take control of their own health. She is currently the chairman of the Board of Directors for Bloom as well as Lonza.
- Anna Brailsford is the CEO and co-founder of Code First Girls, a social enterprise focused on enabling women to become successful developers and tech leaders. Code First Girls has a community of over 20,000 women representing 58 nationalities. She is also an advisor at HM Treasury Women in Finance Charter.
- Annalise Dragic became the youngest VC Partner in Europe when she was appointed Partner at Sapphire Ventures at just 29 years old. She has been involved in several investments made by Sapphire Ventures in companies such as Adversity, Contentful, Currencycloud, GitGuardian, Matillion, Unmind, and Yapily. Dragic also worked on the firm’s investments in Cazoo (NYSE: CZOO) and Wandera (acquired by Jamf).
- Aude Guo co-founded Innovafeed, a Paris-based startup that aims to revolutionize nutrition by building a circular and zero-waste agri-food chain centered around insects. The company has secured over $250 million, making it one of the biggest funding rounds in 2022 led by a female leader.
- Audrey Tsang is the Co-CEO of Clue, a femtech company founded in Berlin in 2013 that helps over 12 million people understand their menstrual health. Before joining Clue, she led products and teams at Pinterest, HotelTonight, and Yelp.
- Avent Bezuidenhoudt is a leading water tech investor in the UK with over 25 years of experience in venture capital. She is passionate about the sustainability sector and has worked at various investment firms, including The FSE Group and BDO UK. Bezuidenhoudt currently serves as the CEO of Earth Capital.
- BaoY Van Cong is a partner at Target Global, an international investment firm headquartered in Berlin. She is one of the leaders of the firm’s growth stage investment practice and has been involved in key deals such as Lepaya, Crisp, and Elopage. Cong focuses on edtech, consumer, and software industries.
- Carlota Pi Amoros co-founded and serves as Executive President of Holaluz, a cleantech company that has been voted the most valued energy company in Spain. She has built a team of over 700 people over the past 12 years, with an equal gender divide.
- Caroline Noublanche is the CEO and founder of Apricity, the world’s first virtual fertility startup. The app matches patients with leading fertility experts and enables them to do as much of their IVF treatment from home as possible. She works closely with fertility researchers to better understand factors affecting fertility and improve the chances of conception.
- Caroline Plumb has a successful track record of building and selling businesses, having co-founded and sold the recruitment consultancy FreshMinds and built the fintech business Fluidly, which was sold to challenger bank Oaknorth in 2021. She now leads Gravita, a full-service accounting firm that provides financial advice to growing businesses across all sectors.
- Celine Lazorthes is the founder and CEO of Leetchi Group, which includes leetchi.com and MANGOPAY. She is a founding member of France Digitale, an active business angel, and a regular speaker on entrepreneurship and FinTech. Lazorthes has invested in over 40 companies, including Jimmy Fairly, Talent.io, Frichti, Le Slip Français, and Tacotax.
- Charlotte Baumhauer is an investment manager at SquareOne, where she invests in European tech companies that focus on climate tech innovation. She was an integral part of the operations practice at McKinsey, where she worked on projects related to lean operations, supply chain transformations, and digital manufacturing.
- Chelsea Slater is the CEO of InnovateHer, an organization that aims to get more girls involved in the tech industry by running a school program for 13-17-year-olds and consulting with tech businesses on inclusivity. She also co-founded Liverpool Girl Geeks, a coding and networking community for women and non-binary developers and code newbies.
- Cindi Lindsborg is the head of Scania Ventures, a company that focuses on mobility solutions that promote sustainable futures. She has a vast knowledge of leadership and management consulting, specializing in strategy, digitization, and innovation.
- Claire Novorol is a trained doctor who previously worked as a pediatrician in London before specializing in clinical genetics. She is now the co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Ada Health, a global health company based in Berlin that has over 13 million users and has conducted 31 million assessments. The company aims to improve human health by transforming knowledge into better outcomes.
- Clara Chappaz is a prominent figure in Europe’s startup ecosystem and leads one of the continent’s most renowned startup hubs. In her current role, she plays a vital part in supporting the growth of the French startup ecosystem as part of the Ministry of Economy & Finance. Previously, she transformed Vestiaire Collective into a well-known circular economy fashion brand.
- Clare Jones is the CCO of what3words, a geocoding system used by individuals, businesses, and governments to enhance efficiency in locating and sharing locations. She is committed to ensuring that the concept has a positive impact on the world and has been recognized in Forbes’ 2019 30 under 30 technology list. Jones is also involved with London-based companies that address social and environmental challenges.
- Claudia de la Riva is a serial entrepreneur who is passionate about developing solutions that improve people’s welfare, quality of life, and development. She is the CEO of Apolo Kids, an exciting edtech startup based in Barcelona that motivates children through internet-based learning.
- Cristina Bentue is an influential voice in the cybersecurity industry as an entrepreneur, tech leader, and mentor for young women and girls. As the co-founder and COO of IriusRisk, she has taken a small startup to a 150-strong team across three continents. She also leads different initiatives and programs to encourage more girls in STEM and equip them with the tools and confidence to succeed.
- Cristina Koehn has recently been appointed to lead Picus Capital, with the responsibility of opening a new office in Stockholm. She previously served as VP of operations at Kry, a Swedish unicorn, and has extensive expertise and experience in the entrepreneurial world.
- Daisy Onubogu, the COO of Diversity VC, is a strong advocate for creating a fairer and more diverse VC sector. The company focuses on building a network of VC professionals, collaborating with universities and young professionals to assist firms in hiring from more diverse backgrounds, and producing research to better understand the industry’s current state and how to enhance it.
- Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, an Olympian turned entrepreneur, is now promoting the use of technology to improve women’s health and fitness. In 2019, she founded Jennis, a femtech startup that aims to enhance awareness of women’s health and training, based on her own experiences with the power of hormones and how little women understand about their cycles.
- Danila De Stefano is the founder and CEO of Unobravo, a company that is creating an empathetic, clinically backed, and accessible end-to-end platform for mental health. Established in 2019, the company is already the market leader in Italy, with over 1 million sessions completed, over 2500 psychologists employed, and more than 80k patients.
- Deepali Nangia is a Partner at Speedinvest, where she focuses on investing in founders who are underrepresented and underfunded. She is also an angel investor and co-founder of Alma Angels, a community of angel investors that supports female founders. The company has invested close to €3.4 million in female founders since its founding in June 2020.
- Diliara Lupenko is a co-founder of Impress, the largest chain of orthodontic clinics in Europe. Impress aims to digitalize clinical work and provide patient-centered orthodontic treatments. In 2022, the company raised the largest Series B in Southern Europe of €123 million.
- Dr. Fiona Pathiraja is a physician turned investor and a partner at Crista Galli Ventures, a fund that invests in Seed and Series A in European healthtech. Her experience working in England’s National Health Service for over 15 years gives her firsthand insight into the need for tech-driven solutions to healthcare challenges. She is also a big advocate for greater diversity in the industry.
- Ekaterina Almasque is the General Partner of OpenOcean VC and a leading voice within European venture capital. She was recently part of the ‘Invest in Women NOW’ report that called for action from the European Commission to address inequities in funding for female-led firms. Almasque is also on the board of IQM, the European leader for superconducting quantum computers.
- Emma Davies serves as the Co-CEO of Octopus Ventures, a prominent European VC firm that manages £2 billion in assets. She possesses significant experience in creating top-tier investment firms such as J.P. Morgan, Perry Capital, Big Society Capital, and The Wellcome Trust.
- Erika De Santi is a co-founder and International Expansion Director of WeRoad, a Milan-based startup that specializes in group adventure travel tailored to millennials. WeRoad is among Europe’s quickest expanding travel operators, with offices in Italy, Spain, and the UK and recently launched in Germany and France. It provides a personalized, hyper-connected, and enjoyable experience for a generation that frequently travels alone.
- Eva-Valérie Gfrerer founded Morphais in 2020 to invest in outstanding entrepreneurs regardless of their backgrounds. Gfrerer, a behavioral scientist and entrepreneur, prioritizes creating world-class enterprises.
- Fariha Shah has been a tech entrepreneur, an angel and VC partner investor, a startup mentor, and a diversity & inclusion advocate. She currently serves as CEO at SHAH Invest and is a partner at 50 Partners Impact.
- Francesca James is the founder of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards and community. With a background in publishing and events, she is committed to showcasing entrepreneurs’ stories to support and champion their efforts. Since 2013, the Great British Entrepreneur Awards honors the hard work and inspiring stories of entrepreneurs and businesses in the United Kingdom.
- Geraldine MacCarthy, the CRO of Personio, is an international business leader with an impressive track record of building and scaling global companies. She advocates for a positive approach to building high-performing and results-driven teams.MacCarthy’s role for Personio has been integral to the company’s remarkable growth and emergence as Europe’s most valuable HR tech firm.
- Grace Beverley is the CEO and founder of TALA and SHREDDY, as well as a popular podcast host focusing on female entrepreneurship and empowerment. She was ranked first in Forbes 30 under 30’s retail and e-commerce list at the age of 23 and has been recognized as the 26th most influential online creator by The Sunday Times. Glamour featured her alongside Emma Watson and Rihanna as one of “the 10 amazing multi-hyphenates to be inspired by.
- Hélène Falchier is a partner at Portage Ventures, which focuses on supporting the next generation of innovative, impact-driven companies, particularly in the financial sector. Throughout her distinguished career, Hélène has influenced the fintech space and helped promote greater female representation in the industry.
- Hélène Huby is the founder of The Exploration Company, a rapidly-growing spacetech firm in Europe. Formerly the Head of Innovation at Airbus Defence and Space, Huby launched The Exploration Company with the aim of creating sustainable, scalable, and affordable space journeys made in Europe. The startup, founded in 2021, has already secured over $42.9 million and has since partnered with the European Space Agency and ESA Business in Space Growth Network.
- Inka Mero is the founder and managing partner of Voima Ventures, a Finnish deeptech fund that’s focused on addressing significant global challenges through science, entrepreneurship, and capital. Mero is passionate about purpose-driven startups and their use of digital technology to create a better future.
- Itxaso del Palacio is a partner at Notion, a prominent European B2B SaaS-focused VC. Before joining Notion, she served as the Investment Partner for M12 (formerly Microsoft Ventures) in Europe. Some of the latest investments led by del Palacio0 include MyaSystems, ForestAdmin, Yulife, Onfido, Unbabel, and Beamery.
- Jacqueline Ruedin Rüsch is the CEO and founder of Privilège Management SA, which offers wealth management services for private and institutional clients. Rüsch launched Privilège Ventures SA to support entrepreneurs and then founded the Privilège Student Ventures Initiative, which educates the younger generation of students to become venture capital investors and entrepreneurs.
- Jacqueline van den Ende is an entrepreneur and investor who is enthusiastic about impactful and mission-driven businesses. She established Carbon Equity in 2021, a fintech platform that aims to fund the most impactful climate technology solutions using retail capital. Before this, she served as a partner with Peak Capital and an investor with HAL Investments.
- Jane Elizabeth Reddin is the Talent and Platform Director at AlbionVC, which has over 20 years of experience investing in technology. AlbionVC is based in London and is focused on building the future of enterprise and healthcare. Reddin’s role involves assessing the leadership potential of founders and advising leadership teams to support and speed up the rapid organizational scaling of companies.
- Janneke Niessen is a founding partner at CapitalT, as well as a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, board member, and diversity advocate. She has established and sold two international tech firms, serves on several prominent boards, and is frequently sought out for her expertise in technology, talent, and investing.
- Jenny Saft is the co-founder of Apryl, an employee fertility benefits platform that helps companies support employees on their journey to parenthood. She is also an investor with Nucleus Capital and Atomico, which looks to support impact-driven ventures.
- Joanna Torngren Redebran transformed her interest in investment into a business concept, which she realized by founding Nyfikna in 2021. Her goal was to promote growth throughout Sweden’s tech ecosystem, and Nyfikna has become one of Sweden’s most impactful business-angel networks focused on supporting early-stage startups. In 2022, the network opened up its membership to angel investors throughout Europe for the first time.
- Julia Bijaoui founded Frichti in 2015, which has grown into a successful food delivery company that manages everything from cooking to order to delivery in Paris, with funding of over €43 million to date. Before beginning her entrepreneurial venture, she was a Strategy and Operating manager at Birchbox and a business developer at JolieBox.
- Julia Hawkins has taken a keen interest in healthcare, creative industries, mobility, and fintech. She has supported companies like Yulife, Vira, and Hertility. Hawkins currently collaborates with LocalGlobe and Latitude, which aims to support ambitious founders striving to make a positive impact.
- Karoli Hindriks founded her first company at the age of 16 and has always been ahead of the curve in identifying game-changing trends. She launched Jobbatical in 2014, well before international recruitment became a booming market. After successfully pivoting the company in 2019, she has since scaled it to global success. In 2020, the EU Council named her one of the eight most inspiring women in Europe.
- Katrina Walker is the founder of CodeOp, a social venture that aims to address the gender gap in the tech industry by providing technical training and forging partnerships with governments, NGOs, and corporations. The venture has so far trained women, trans and non-binary individuals from over 70 different countries.
- Kerry Baldwin is the Managing Partner at IQ Capital, a deep tech early-stage VC firm located in Cambridge and London. She co-founded IQ Capital in 2006 and has over 24 years of experience in deep tech venture capital investing. Before this role, she was part of the team at Venture Technologies, investing in the first wave of deep tech companies in the UK.
- Kristina Walcker-Mayer is the CEO and former CPO of Nuri (formerly Bitwala) and has over 10 years of experience in digital industries. She has worked with German unicorns N26 and Zalando during their hyper-growth phases, leading product teams for mainstream customer-facing products. She has extensive experience in building mobile strategies and developing innovative mobile solutions for clients in the retail, television, NGO, and automotive sectors.
- Laura Urquizu is the CEO and President of Red Points, a SaaS company that helps brands protect their intellectual property and online content. She was named one of the 100 Leaders transforming business by Business Insider and one of the most creative people by Forbes in 2020. Prior to joining Red Points, Laura held executive and management positions at Arthur Andersen, Caja Navarra, and CAN Corporation.
- Leila Maidane is the creator and leader of two empowerment organizations. Femmes Fieres supports women entrepreneurs in launching and growing impactful companies, while Begreator develops innovative solutions to address digital skills shortages and increase diversity.
- Lina Chong is a leader in early-stage investments at Target Global, which specializes in SaaS and Web 3.0. She has also worked with notable European startups, including TravelPerk, Fresha, Bloom, and Kippah.
- Lina Zakarauskaite is the Principal at Stride.vc, an early-stage fund that supports healthtech startups. Lina is very passionate about the potential of healthtech and believes strongly that blockchain technology could hold solutions for the current healthcare crisis.
- Linnéa Kornehed Falck is the co-founder of Einride, a technology company that helps shippers transition to sustainable practices through digital, electric, and autonomous technology. She is passionate about entrepreneurship, technology, and creating positive impacts on society and the planet. As a member of the World Economic Forum’s tech innovators community, Falck aims to accelerate the transition to new clean, and resilient technology.
- Lisa Barclay is the Executive Director of Nesta Impact Investments and has over 20 years of experience as an investor, advisor, and manager driving business growth. She is passionate about impact investments and has held positions such as COO for Social Finance, Assistant Director for Bridges Ventures, and co-founder of EGS Group. Barclay is a board observer for Koru Kids and supports startups such as AirEx Technologies and Habitual Health.
- Lisa Carter is the founder of Discussion Box, a startup that helps global brands bring together high-level stakeholders for conversations that create a lasting impact. Discussion Box is the only black woman-owned and operated business in the industry and has generated over €1.3 million in its first year of trading in 2021. Carter is also the CEO and founder of the jewelry brand NIKAO, which has fans like Beyonce and Zendaya.
- Lubomila Jordanova is the founder and CEO of Plan A, a science-backed and AI-driven Saas platform that helps businesses with carbon accounting, decarbonization, and ESG reporting. As a sustainability advocate, she co-founded the Greentech Alliance, a community connecting over 3000 greentech companies with over 500 VCs, media, and experts. She is also part of the Obama Foundation Leaders Europe program, which aims to build a network of changemakers driving impact in their communities.
- Luciana Lixandru is a partner at Sequoia Capital, which works with European startups that are driving impactful change. She has invested in Series A at UiPath, Series A at Miro, Series B at Deliveroo, the seed stage at Hopin, and the seed level at Tessian. Lisandru has also served as a board member for groundbreaking companies such as Miro, Tessian, and UiPath.
- Lucile Cornet is an investor and partner at Eight Roads, which focuses on investing in promising companies within the fitness and SaaS sectors. Some of the companies she is currently supporting include Reveal, Amenitiz, Spendesk, Interaction, and Fuse Universal. Cornet has a dynamic background in the investment industry, having previously worked for prolific companies like Summit Partners and Merrill Lynch.
- Lupina Iturriaga worked in international banking in New York and Madrid before founding Fintonic in 2012, which helps users manage their finances. She believes in building great teams and has a passion for supporting impactful ventures in the financial and green technology sectors.
- Dr. Manon Sarah Littek is the founder of the Green Generation Fund and Katjes Greenfood, and is passionately investing in foodtech and greentech ventures across Europe. She is currently working with companies like Upfield, Change Foods, Lypid, and The Rainforest Company.
- Marcia Kilgore is the founder of Beauty Pie, a startup disrupting the beauty industry with a focus on female empowerment and self-worth. She has raised over $100 million for her company and constantly encourages more women to find their self-confidence.
- Margo Polishchuk co-founded proSapient and serves as its COO. proSapient offers research and expert networking services to institutional investors, consultants, and corporate clients worldwide. Its goal is to provide clients with actionable intelligence and relevant experts, giving them an edge to achieve their commercial goals.
- Marie-Helene Ametsreiter is a prominent business personality who has been leading the way for women in the venture capitalist industry. She is currently a General Partner at Speedinvest, which advocates for greater diversity in the EU startup and VC space and is backing companies like Greyparrot, Fernride, and CELUS.
- Mariya Gabriel has been the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education, and Youth since 2019. She is responsible for EU policies related to research and innovation, education, culture, and sport. Gabriel is also behind the Digital Single Market of the European Commission.
- Melanie Gabriel is a co-founder and CMO of Yokoy, a Swiss fintech startup that uses AI to automate corporate expense, invoice, and credit card processes of midsize and large enterprises. She is an active board member of WE SHAPE TECH and advocates for greater diversity in the tech and innovation space.
- Merit Valdsalu worked at Pipedrive as Head of Localization before joining Single.Earth. The company focuses on providing disruptive solutions for corporate environmental action, with the goal of making sustainable forest and land management the new norm.
- Mette Lykke is the founder of TooGoodToGo, a leading sustainability company in Europe. Her team of over 400 “Waste Warriors” works with around 30,000 supermarkets, restaurants, bakeries, and hotels that have surplus food. She also co-founded Endomondo, a successful social fitness community that utilizes free real-time GPS tracking of running.
- Michaela Eschbach is the CEO and co-founder of Workfinder, a company that specializes in early careers and financial services. She leverages her extensive leadership experience and entrepreneurial mindset to lead the growth and scaling efforts of the company.
- Michaela Jeffery-Morrison is the founder and CEO of Ascend Global Media, an organization focused on empowering women and girls to join and succeed in the technology industry. The company connects businesses with talent and aims to create a fairer and more inclusive sector by adopting best practices that create products fit for all.
- Miriam Wohlfarth is the founder of several successful tech companies, including Ratepay – one of the first fintech companies in Germany. She is passionate about promoting the startup ecosystem, cooperation between business and politics, and digital education through her participation in various advisory boards and initiatives.
- Montse Suarez, Montse is the founder of Vaultier7, a consumer-focused private equity firm that has backed several successful startups, including French fashion unicorn Vestiaire Collective. With a distinguished career in the VC, private equity, and investment banking industries, Montse is currently investing in startups like APircity, Olistic, and Artemest.
- Namrata Sandhu is the impact-driven co-founder and CEO of Vaayu, a startup that is helping retailers track and reduce their carbon emissions. With over 17 years of international experience in sustainability, Sandhu focuses on climate change, carbon emissions, human rights, ESG reporting, and ethical supply chains. She has worked with companies like Zalando and Arcadia Group to enhance their sustainability efforts and is also a board member of Nia, a platform that supports girls to be mentored and reach their dreams.
- Nana Addison is the founder and CEO of CURL Con, which aims to bring more diversity to the cosmetics, fashion, and entertainment industries by highlighting the work and talent of black professionals and talent in the ecosystem. She is also a popular podcast host on Young Broke and Sharp.
- Niamh Sterling is an investment consultant for HBAN, which is the largest angel network in Ireland. Her role includes sourcing the best deal flow and managing the overseas network of HBAN syndicates in various countries. With over 20 years of experience as a senior executive and board member, Sterling has a track record of assessing viability and building successful commercial players. She was also a co-founder and director of Interact and H2O Solutions, which were both acquired by Bidvest in 2021.
- Nicola McClafferty is a partner at Molten Ventures and sits on the board of several startups. She founded Covetique, an online curated marketplace for pre-owned luxury fashion. McClafferty has also worked as an investor at Ravensbeck and Balderton Capital, which focuses on cross-platform media and e-commerce startups.
- Paulina Jänsch is a founding partner of Leanox Impact Capital, a firm that supports sustainability-driven startups and female empowerment. It prioritizes founders and innovators who aim for impact beyond financial returns. Paulina is also an active mentor at various startup organizations, NGOs, and universities.
- Rachel Delacour is a serial entrepreneur and a prominent figure in European tech. In 2020, she founded Sweep, a B2B software platform that helps companies understand, manage and reduce their carbon footprint to combat the consequences of climate change. Delacour is also a co-founder of BIME Analytics, which was acquired by Zendesk, and a business angel and board member of several US and French startups.
- Raja Skogland has advised thousands of founders and invested in over 70 startups ever since 2015. In 2020, she founded The Visionary Company, which provides founders with the best practices and tools to accelerate their fundraising and scaling. Skogland also launched thehub.io, the largest job platform for startups in Norway.
- Roberta Lucca is the co-founder and CMO of Bossa Studios, a BAFTA-winning independent games developer and publisher that takes a community approach to content and games development. She is also an angel investor and highly sought-after keynote speaker regarding the future of games, entrepreneurship, and leadership.
- Sana Afouaiz is an award-winning gender expert, female advocate, public speaker, and author of “Invisible Women of the Middle East.” As the founder of Womenpreneur, she has been working to advance women’s place in the entrepreneurial scene, technology, innovation, and society through Womenpreneur. Afouaiz is also the co-founder of Womenquake, a global movement that critically examines beliefs, myths, and ideas about gender.
- Sara Resvik is an experienced early-stage investor and leader at BackingMinds. Founded in 2016, BackingMinds was built on the thesis that Europe’s next unicorn would come from looking to the overlooked parts of the startup ecosystem. Recently, the company closed a fund of €50 million.
- Sarah Barber is the CEO of Jenson Funding Partners and was involved in the creation of the first Jenson SEIS Fund in 2012. She has played a crucial role in the growth of the fund, leading fundraising efforts, deployment, and managing the portfolio of investee companies.
- Selma Prodanovic is the Vice-President of the European Business Angel Network and has co-founded the Austrian Angel Investors Association and 1MillionStartups. Since 2005, she has launched numerous brands through her business creation and advisory boutique, Brainswork.
- Shrestha Chowdhury is the co-founder and CTO of Berlin-based unicorn startup, Razor. She previously held leadership positions in technology and analytics at various e-commerce startups in New Delhi, including as Chief Technology and Product Officer at StalkBuyLove.
- Simone Brummelhuis is the founding partner at the Borski Fund, which invests in technology leaders and diversity. Brummelhuis also serves on the supervisory board of Royal Schiphol Group, Rabo Amsterdam, and Media Huis Nederland. She previously founded The Next Women, which supports female entrepreneurs by providing access to capital, programs, resources, and networks.
- Sophie Hersan is one of the co-founders of Vestiaire Collective, a global online marketplace that specializes in preloved fashion. Her company has been certified as a B-Corp because of its aim to transform the fashion industry. Vestiaire Collective has a large customer base of over 23 million and has offices in cities worldwide, such as Paris, London, Berlin, New York, and Hong Kong.
- Talia Rafaeli is a General Partner at KOMPAS, a venture capital firm that invests in startups leading the digital transformation and sustainability revolutions in various industry verticals. She supports ambitious founders who are developing technologies that can transform buildings into healthier and more sustainable spaces, reduce the environmental impact of the construction and manufacturing industries, and change the way modern organizations function.
- Tugce Bulut, the founder and CEO of Streetbees, is a firm believer in the power of data and its positive impact. Since 2015, the company has raised more than $50 million for its AI-powered customer intelligence platform. Before founding Streetbees, Bulut worked as a strategy consultant advising technology and consumer companies on how to achieve growth.
- Vivienne Hsu is a strategic communications expert who has worked with both B2B and B2C organizations for the past 20 years. She is the co-founder and CEO of Anasbasis Partners, a founding member of Chief, and a mentor for startups and scaleups in the fintech space. In her current role with Chief, she helps drive more women into positions of power by enabling them to strengthen their leadership skills, increase their influence, and inspire others.
- Yonca Braeckman is the CEO and founder of Impact Shakers, a global ecosystem that focuses on tackling societal and environmental challenges through inclusive entrepreneurship. Her passion lies in supporting mission-driven projects and underrepresented founders, and she has played a key role in promoting diversity in the European and Belgian tech startup communities.
- Yvonne Bajela is a founding member of Impact X Capital, a venture capital fund based in the UK. The fund is aimed at investing in companies that are led by underrepresented entrepreneurs across Europe. Bajela was recognized by Forbes in their 30 Under 30 list in 2020 after she invested over $250 million in startups across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. Yvonne is also a mentor for startups, a coach for female founders, and a Global Shaper for the World Economic Forum.