She Builds, She leads, She Inspires
March 8 is not only "Women’s Day”, but a day of struggle for women’s rights, to highlight persistent inequalities while also celebrating women’s achievements!
Women’s Entrepreneurship:
A Global Shift Gaining Momentum
According to the 2023/24 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) report, the percentage of women involved in business creation has risen from approximately 6% in the early 2000s to over 10% in recent years.
In concrete terms, one in ten women launched a business in 2023, compared to one in eight men, a gap that is narrowing significantly. In several countries, including France, the rate of women-led business creation has more than doubled over the past two decades, illustrating a lasting paradigm shift. On a global scale, women now represent two out of five entrepreneurs in the startup phase, an encouraging figure that would have seemed ambitious just a few years ago.
In France, the SISTA collective, co-founded by entrepreneur (and previous incubatee of HEC Paris) Céline Lazorthes, is actively working to bridge the funding gap. Its charter commits investment funds to allocate at least 25% of their funding to startups founded or co-founded by women by 2025 (compared to 12.5% today).
Several studies highlight that women-led startups not only perform as well as others but often surpass them in efficiency. For instance, for every dollar invested, women-founded startups generate an average of $0.78 in revenue, compared to just $0.31 for male-founded startups.
Success stories of women entrepreneurs are multiplying across the globe and in every sector. Whether in fintech, healthcare, social impact, or industry, women are driving change and creating value.
In the tech industry, the story of Canva founder Melanie Perkins exemplifies the power of perseverance. At just 19 years old, she came up with a simple idea, making design accessible to everyone, while based in Australia, far from Silicon Valley. In the early days, she faced hundreds of rejections from investors, even sleeping on her brother’s apartment floor due to financial struggles. Over time, however, she remained determined, imposed her vision, and surrounded herself with the right people. The result? Canva is now one of the world’s most successful unicorns, valued at around $40 billion.
And of course, let’s not forget that the two leading start-up hubs in France, Station F and the HEC Paris Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute, are both led by women, respectively Roxanne Varza and Inge Kerkloh-Devif.
Coincidence? 🤔
Probably not. 🚀
Startups & Retail Giants: How to Get Listed? 🔎 🛒 🥫
You have a product, and you’re convinced it deserves a spot on the shelves… But when facing the retail giants, you’re wondering where to start. The process seems opaque and complex? No worries, we have the solution! 💡
📅 Join our “solveshop” at Station F with Pascale Cartier, former Purchasing Director at Auchan Retail, to uncover the secrets of product listing and understand what makes buyers say YES (or NO).
🎯 What you’ll learn:
✅ What buyers are looking for (and what gets eliminated instantly)
✅ How to structure your pitch to stand out
✅ Common mistakes to avoid to secure a deal
✅ The key levers to negotiate effectively without underselling yourself
💡 Exclusive insights from an expert
With over 20 years of experience in purchasing and retail (Auchan, Monoprix, Aéroports de Paris, L’Oréal…), Pascale Cartier will share her expertise and concrete recommendations to maximize your chances of entering major retail chains.
📅 When: March 27, 2025
🕔 Time: 5:00 PM
📍 Where: STATION F
👉 Secure your spot here (Event in French 🇫🇷)
VIOLA Secures €428K in Pre-Seed Funding to Expand Safety Innovation
Six months after launching its app, VIOLA has successfully raised €428K in a pre-seed funding. Founded by Laura De Dilectis, Ilaria Saliva, and Georgia Spencer Davison, VIOLA aims to enhance women’s safety in public spaces through technology and innovation.
The app provides 24/7 video call support for individuals feeling unsafe, with trained companions assisting users and alerting authorities if needed. With over 50,000 downloads across six European countries, VIOLA is gaining traction in its mission to promote safer streets. The startup is also entering the French market through the L’Oréal Beauty Tech Atelier.
Jolimoi Reaches a Major Milestone: Profitability is Here! 🎉
In the dynamic world of Tech and e-commerce, some milestones stand out more than others. For Jolimoi, this one is massive: the startup is now profitable! ✨
And it’s more than just a line in a financial report. It’s proof that their responsible social selling model works, that it meets consumer expectations, and that it creates real opportunities for those who want to embrace entrepreneurship differently.
📊 In 2024, Jolimoi stands for:
✅ €20M in revenue, with a +19% growth
✅ €6.5M distributed to their 10,000 social sellers (an average of €275 per month)
✅ An average order value of €118, a testament to a loyal and engaged community
✅ The success of Yfen, their own brand, which reached €1M in revenue in just 8 months
14 restaurants, €18M in revenue, and an endless quest for the perfect burger. 🍔
Graffi Rathamohan, a former HEC student, is the co-founder of PNY, the burger chain launched in 2012.
Driven by a passion for doing things right, she and her partner dreamed of creating a place that would attract all of Paris. And they succeeded, the demand was so high that they quickly had to open a second restaurant to ease the crowds.
But building a restaurant chain is about more than just great products. It’s about facing unexpected challenges, learning from failures, and constantly striving to improve. Discover her story in this video! 👇
Breaking Barriers: The Latest Data on Women-Led Startups & VC Trends in Europe
This week, Female Foundry unveiled its latest insights through the Female Innovation Index, offering a comprehensive look at the state of women-led startups and investment trends across Europe, with data powered by Dealroom.
The findings reveal that startups founded or co-founded by women secured 12% of the total venture capital invested in Europe over the past year. While this figure has doubled compared to ten years ago, recent progress appears to have slowed.
Specifically, European startups led by women attracted €5.76 billion across 1,305 investment deals in 2024. Although this marks a 12% decrease from the €6.56 billion raised in 2023, it aligns closely with the broader market trend, which saw an overall 11% year-on-year reduction in venture capital funding. Clearly, there's still significant potential to further advance women-led entrepreneurship.
👉 see the report
Which women-led startups secured the largest funding rounds in 2024?
These 50 rounds in 2024 were the biggest from companies that were founded or co-founded by women. They include eight megarounds of $100M+ for WorldRemit, The Exploration Company, NewCleo, Pigment, OURA, Oda, Akur8, and Medical Microinstruments.
👉 see the report
If you want to join a women-led company, check out these opportunities!
Beev simplifies the transition to electric mobility for individuals and businesses by offering services such as leasing electric vehicles and installing charging stations.
👉 Discover 8 offers
Veeton uses AI to create high-quality fashion visuals, allowing brands to generate diverse product images at a lower cost than traditional photoshoots.
👉 Discover 4 offers
Deardot is eco-friendly and vegan cosmetic brand, pioneering sustainable beauty with waterless formulas and innovative plastic-free, water-soluble packaging.
👉 Marketing/communication (intership)
Do you know what modern computing, Internet, the GPS , Wifi, Apple and Google have in common ?
They were all built on the fundamental work of amazing Women.
Throughout history, brilliant women have shaped the tech world with groundbreaking contributions. Ada Lovelace, often considered the first computer programmer, wrote the first algorithm for a machine in the 19th century, laying the foundation for modern computing. Fast forward to the mid-20th century, and Grace Hopper developed the first compiler, transforming how we interact with machines and making programming languages more accessible.
Radia Perlman’s invention of the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) revolutionized computer networks, ensuring reliable data transfer across the internet. In parallel, Adele Goldberg’s development of Smalltalk-80, a programming language, inspired early personal computing, including the first Apple computer.
Karen Sparck Jones’s pioneering work on inverse document frequency (IDF) underpins the functionality of today’s search engines, enabling efficient information retrieval. Hedy Lamarr, an actress and inventor, designed a secure communication system that evolved into foundational technologies like Bluetooth, GPS, and Wi-Fi. Elizabeth Feinler’s leadership in developing the ARPANET, the precursor to the internet, helped shape the communication infrastructure we rely on today. These extraordinary women proved that innovation knows no bounds, and their collective achievements continue to inspire and transform the world. 🌍
"It is often easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission"
Admiral Grace Hopper
