FEM-START

In this week's newsletter, meet angel investors Tessa de Flines and Mara van der Ven at Her Capital Connection, and join Sophie Verhoeven and Alette Horjus, KPMG’s Techlaw & Privacy experts, as they explore the risks and legal challenges surrounding new technologies! Enjoy reading ✨

What would you do with €125K for your startup? Her Capital Connection is your chance to find out. Brought to you by FEM-START, The Angel Initiative, Female Ventures, and Rockstart, this event gives female founders the funding, tools, and networks they need to grow their startups and make an impact. Five accomplished female angel investors—including Bianca Van Galen, Mara van der Ven, and the dedicated team behind The Angel Initiative, are coming together to invest in five exceptional startups. Each founder could secure up to €125,000 in funding. What’s Included: ▶ 1-on-1 financial coaching from top-tier industry experts. ▶ Direct access to a network of leading angel investors. ▶ A 1-year FEM-START membership designed to accelerate your growth. ▶ Free access to Female Ventures events for an entire year. ▶ Clear, straightforward terms— no surprises, just meaningful support. Event Bonuses: Keynotes by exceptional founders— like Anke Huiskes, Managing Partner at NP-Hard Ventures and Founding Partner of ANGELS.vc, Planet Positive, and Aletta Angels— and Barbara Barend, Co-Founder of HERA United, the game-changing women’s soccer club. ⏳ Applications close December 1st— don’t wait. Submit your pitch deck now: https://hubs.li/Q02ZMDmJ0 Know a founder who needs to see this? Tag her below ⤵️ Organized by: Simone van Bijsterveldt, Tessa de Flines, Karin Boer 👑, Zara D., Hawa Kamara, Celina Sadijo, Yasemin Tümer This event is sponsored by KPMG Meijburg & Co.

Meet Mara van der Ven, one of the angel investors at Her Capital Connection! 🌟 Mara was CEO and co-owner of Human Protection, a manufacturer of medical products for the European hospital and healthcare market, offering 24/7 solutions for safety and freedom in urgent and high-risk situations. Her career began in financial services (ABN AMRO Bank N.V., Interpolis), and she became an entrepreneur in 2008 when she and her business partner acquired It Fits, a local specialist in clothing for disabled people. Together, they transformed it into a European solution provider. In 2022, Mara sold her shares to Private Equity but remains actively involved in the company. Mara’s expertise lies in business development, management operations, quality management and knowledge of Regulatory and Compliance (MDR). She is eager to use her experience in the world of Angel Investing, empowering and supporting women entrepreneurs wherever she can. This is your opportunity to pitch your business to Mara and other leading investors at Her Capital Connection! ✨ 📆 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 1𝐬𝐭! Visit our website to learn about the criteria and how to apply: https://lnkd.in/e48mrBzV This event is powered by KPMG Meijburg & Co, in collaboration with FEM-START, The Angel Initiative, Female Ventures, and Rockstart. #angelinvestors #femalefounders #pitching #investment

Meet Tessa de Flines, who will be one of the angel investors at Her Capital Connection! Tessa is the Founding Partner of Masters of Scale International, an international group of experienced entrepreneurs and experts supporting startups with scaling challenges. She personally helps startups and scaleups with strategic planning and execution, process improvement, project management, and team development as an advisor or Fractional COO. Over six years ago, Tessa made the leap into entrepreneurship after a long career in multinational corporations such as GE and ABN AMRO Bank N.V., where she held various senior roles. Privately, she invests as an angel in Seed and Pre-Seed rounds through cooperatives such as Great Stuff Ventures, The Angel Initiative, and independently. She is also deeply committed to female empowerment, serving as Chairwoman of the foundation Female Ventures. 📖 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚? Check out her interview here: https://lnkd.in/e7KAXW6T This is your opportunity to pitch your business to Tessa and other leading investors at Her Capital Connection! ✨ 📆 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 1𝐬𝐭! Visit our website to learn about the criteria and how to apply: https://lnkd.in/e48mrBzV This event is powered by KPMG Meijburg & Co, in collaboration with FEM-START, The Angel Initiative, Female Ventures, and Rockstart. #angelinvestors #femalefounders #pitching #investment

ARE YOU A FEMALE FOUNDER, AND ARE YOU FUNDRAISING? Imagine securing up to €125K in funding and gaining unparalleled support to accelerate your business. This is YOUR moment! Her Capital Connection, the event organized by FEM-START, The Angel Initiative, Female Ventures, and Rockstart, is here, and it's bigger than ever! Five visionary female investors are set to fund five exceptional startups, offering up to €125K in funding. For this event, female angel investors are joining forces: Bianca Van Galen, Mara van der Ven, and a collective from The Angel Initiative, including Tessa de Flines, Wiegertje Groenveld, Laurie Lancee, Sacha Martina 💁🏽♀️, and Caroline Beelen to invest in high-potential female-led startups. What's in it for you? ✨ Tailored 1-on-1 financial coaching from industry experts. ✨ Access to a network of leading angel investors. ✨ A 1-year FEM-START membership to help you scale. ✨ Complimentary entry to Female Ventures events for an entire year. ✨ And most importantly: Transparent terms with no surprises: actual funding, real impact! Exclusive Opportunity: Attend a keynote by renowned investor Anke Huiskes, Managing Partner at NP-Hard Ventures, and Barbara Barend, co-founder of HERA United, the pioneering professional women's soccer club in the Netherlands. Gain insights from their journeys and learn how to navigate the entrepreneurial landscape. 💭 How would funding transform your business? Share your vision in the comments! ⏳ Deadline Alert: Only until December 1st to apply! Submit your pitch deck NOW: Apply here: https://lnkd.in/ePv3-5E3 💬 Have questions or need advice on your pitch? Let's connect—DM me! 🔗 Know a brilliant female founder? Tag her below and help us close the funding gap together. Organizing committee: Simone van Bijsterveldt Tessa de Flines Karin Boer 👑 Zara Doyle Cunningham Hawa Kamara Celina Sadijo Yasemin Tümer This event is sponsored by KPMG Meijburg & Co #FemaleEntrepreneurs #FundingOpportunities #PitchCompetition #AngelInvestors #WomenInBusiness

"Dare to dream". Pumped to be the keynote speaker on Jan 24th at the Her Capital Event in Amsterdam. This will be a day packed with inspiration, learning, and investments in the future of female-led innovation. Most importantly, it’s a day dedicated to building bridges across industries—connecting family offices, angel investors, VCs, and founders. Dare to dream. When I learned about the theme, I immediately thought of HERA United. The first professional female founded football club in Europe, started by Marieke Visser, Barbara Barend, & Susan van Geenen. Seeing the first slide of their pitch deck gave me goosebumps. Her dream. Her story. Her era. As a tiny investor at Alexis Ohanian Sr. & Katelin Holloway holoway's Seven Seven Six 7️⃣7️⃣6️⃣ , I'm a proud co-investor in Angel City Football Club and have followed their very impressive progress over the past few years. For those unfamiliar, Angel City is now the world’s most valuable women’s sports team, with an enterprise valuation of $250M—an incredible feat for a club launched in 2020. What started as a dream in 2019 is now a powerhouse in women’s sports, proving the unimaginable is possible. With that, I’m incredibly excited to welcome Barbara Barend on stage to share HERA United's story—how they are turning their vision into reality, and where they’re heading next. UEFA predicts a six-fold increase in the commercial value of women’s football by 2033, and the Dutch market could see an even greater tenfold expansion. **In sum: women’s elite sports is having its moment, and Europe is stepping into the spotlight**. Join us for a front-row seat to hear Barbara's inspiring journey, along with the pitches from five incredible female founders competing for up to €125,000 in investments. (Deadline to apply: December 1st!) A huge thanks to the organizers KPMG, FEM-START, The Angel Initiative Female Ventures & Rockstart for making this event possible. Looking forward to seeing you all on the 24th!

📣 It's the last day before the 📍 Amsterdam edition of De Groeitafel, so now is the LAST CHANCE to grab your spot at this event geared towards funding for #FemaleFounders. 💸 If you are a female founder looking to grow your business, then this event is built especially for you. We welcome female entrepreneurs whose businesses have a developing and possibly untapped potential by inviting you to a table where entrepreneurs and experts take a closer look at your company. Here are the topics we'll discuss: 🌎 Internationalization with Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), Invest International and Amsterdam Trade & Innovate 💸 Funding with Borski Fund and Innovatiefonds Noord-Holland 💪 Growth and Impact with ROM InWest, ONHN (Ontwikkelingsbedrijf Noord-Holland Noord) and FEM-START Here are the event details: #DeGroeitafel Noord-Holland 📅 Tuesday, November 26th 📍 Equals Amsterdam 🔗 Register here > https://lnkd.in/e_myndNu We hope to see you there! 👋 #borskifund #innovation #venturecapital #impactinvesting #startup

⏳ 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧! Are you a female co-founder looking to elevate your business? Her Capital Connection, powered by KPMG Meijburg & Co and in collaboration with FEM-START, The Angel Initiative, Female Ventures, and Rockstart offers a unique platform to connect with investors, industry experts, and other entrepreneurs committed to supporting women-led ventures. As a founder, this is your chance to: - Pitch your innovative ideas to top angel investors. - Compete in the Dare to Dream Challenge for an investment of up to €125,000. - Gain invaluable exposure, feedback, and connections. 📆 Applications close December 1st, 2024. Don’t wait! Apply now and seize this opportunity to grow your business: https://lnkd.in/e48mrBzV Tag a founder who needs to see this! 👇

⏳ 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧! Are you a female co-founder looking to elevate your business? Her Capital Connection, powered by KPMG Meijburg & Co and in collaboration with FEM-START, The Angel Initiative, Female Ventures, and Rockstart offers a unique platform to connect with investors, industry experts, and other entrepreneurs committed to supporting women-led ventures. As a founder, this is your chance to: - Pitch your innovative ideas to top angel investors. - Compete in the Dare to Dream Challenge for an investment of up to €125,000. - Gain invaluable exposure, feedback, and connections. 📆 Applications close December 1st, 2024. Don’t wait! Apply now and seize this opportunity to grow your business: https://lnkd.in/e48mrBzV Tag a founder who needs to see this! 👇

🚀 Attention all female founders in my network seeking funding! Pitch your startup and win up to €125k in funding, alongside amazing exposure and support from experienced angel investors! I am personally very passionate about this opportunity. Last year, Jozien Boersma and I won the 1st price with Vini Mini at the FEM-START Pitch Competition, securing €100K in funding. This milestone kickstarted our funding round, which ultimately closed at €500K earlier this year. Other finalists in the 2023 competition were Kinga Matuła, Anastasia Kuskova, 🤓 Claire Bénard and Mónica Larrazábal Álvarez-Guerra. This year, the pitch competition is back—with an even more exciting format! The Angel Initiative, a group of female investors committed to closing the female funding gap, will each invest in their chosen start-up, meaning five pitchers can win a combined €125K in funding! But that’s not all: ✨ One-on-One Financial Coaching from industry experts. ✨ Networking Opportunities with leading investors. ✨ A one-year membership with FEM-START. ✨ Free access to Female Ventures events for one year. 💡 The best part? Terms are mutually agreed upfront, ensuring this is no empty promise. ⏳ Only 1 week left to apply! Submit your pitch deck today and take your business to the next level. https://lnkd.in/eYRvbjuq Got questions? Drop me a message—I’m happy to help! Thanks for sharing the message with any female founders in your network! #femalefounders #startup #funding Marian Spier Simone van Bijsterveldt Tessa de Flines Anke Huiskes Karin Boer 👑 Zara Doyle Cunningham