On May 3, 2022, UnternehmerTUM, Nauta Capital, XPRENEURS Incubator and Women Start-up hosted the first Female Founders Night of the year at the Munich Urban Colab. Founders, investors and other important players in the ecosystem came together to speak about what barriers especially female founders still encounter, what needs to be done to foster more diversity not only in gender, but also many other important aspects in the start-up ecosystem. This time, we focused on the importance of “Investing in Diversity”.
The event was kicked-off with a warm welcome and an introduction from Juliane Elsner from Nauta Capital, Barbara Mehner from XPRENEURS Incubator and Susanne Traugott from Women Start-up at the local restaurant “Flash Gordon”. One highlight was the panel discussion with inspiring speakers: Juliane Elsner from Nauta Capital, Svenja Lassen from the Female Investors Network, Amanda Birkenholz from UVC Partners and Dr. Friderike Bruchmann, Founder of XO Life, discussed the challenges and opportunities of being a female entrepreneur in male-dominated industries with a focus on inspiring and empowering women to break stereotypes. Because UnternehmerTUM places such a strong focus on empowering entrepreneurs, female founders had the opportunity to pitch at the event, to get feedback and, of course, to connect with UnternehmerTUM’s extensive ecosystem. The audience of 60 guests had the chance to listen to the crisp pitches of finway, Vyoma, Sim4Care, XO Life, Heynannyly and Aluco. It was an enrichment that alumni from the XPRENEURS Incubator program, e.g. Jennifer Dussileck from finway, Dr. Luisa Buinhas from Vyoma and Dr. Friderike Bruchmann from XO Life, contributed to the evening.
The evening continued with great talks and networking over drinks and snacks. It was amazing to see everyone meet and mingle, exchange ideas, and discuss challenges and opportunities. All guests created an atmosphere where speakers and participants could have intense exchanges.
Change happens slowly, but starts with awareness. Our innovation-driven Female Founders Night, including inspiring pitches, a panel discussion, and networking opportunities, aimed to bring together women with different backgrounds and stages of their journey, striving to reshape the stigma associated with female founders.
Our belief is that collaboration and exchange between founders make a difference. With UnternehmerTUM Female Founders Office Hours, we support female founders throughout the early stage of their start-up, including mentoring on finding the right program and network, running a successful business, or getting funding. If you are a female founder who needs support, book a session with our experts.