#aboutlastnight
Last night, Fintech Ladies FFM had the privilege of attending a great panel discussion titled “Found, Grow, Ring the Bell,” hosted by Deutsche Börse. Set against the impressive backdrop of the #IPO floor at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, panelists Natalie Seebacher, Carolin Amann, Maria Pennanen and Elena Girlich along with moderator Nicole Koludrovic, shared their insights on achieving success as a founder, scaling a company, and navigating the public offering process.
Out of the numerous highlights, here are some:
Nicole provided a compelling overview of the current landscape for female IPOs and founders.
💡 Out of the 83 IPOs that “rang the bell” from 2014 to the present (distinct from the total number of IPOs during that period) only 17 featured women on their management boards, and just two had female CEOs.
💡 Women are more likely to found companies all by themself.
💡 Pure female founder teams tend to receive significantly lower funding compared to those led by all-male or mixed-gender founding teams.
Elena and Maria drew from their deep understanding of the #startup scene to emphasize:
💡 The critical need for a compelling founder story and a strong “founder-problem fit.” It’s essential to articulate the motivation behind launching the company and connect it back to your own story.
💡 Founders should aim to retain 70-80% of their shares in Series A funding rounds; otherwise, attracting investors in later stages may become challenging.
💡 When seeking funding, do not underestimate the amount you need—factor in at least a 20% cushion. Women often adopt a more modest approach, typically seeking around $250K, while their male counterparts frequently request up to $2 million. The advice? Aim high!
💡 The selection of both investors and co-founders is crucial. As Maria pointed out, getting rid of your co-founder can sometimes be more complex than divorcing your husband 😆 .
From a corporate and capital markets perspective, Nathalie highlighted
that #capitalmarkets are fundamentally focused on the future.
💡 Therefore, presenting a compelling narrative for why investors should engage now is critical.
💡 Your #equitystory should be straightforward and easy to understand.
Carolin, an expert in IPO and corporate communication emphasized
💡 the importance for women to articulate their positions more assertively while maintaining authenticity.
💡 Find sponsors, not mentors - people that will help open doors for you not just giving good advice.
The discussion was rich with insights, so our heartfelt thanks go Edda Vogt and Fabienne Lindner who are dedicated to push #femalefinance to the next level. And especially Nicole Koludrovic for her exceptional organization of the panel and the gathering afterwards!
As a cherry on top, I returned home inspired, with a new #entrepreneurial idea: As #fundraising for startups seems so much easier with a guy onboard, I will create a platform called “Rent-a-Male-Founder” 😜 .
