With the FutureFem networking format, the Economic Development Agency of the state capital Stuttgart wants to contribute to increasing the number of female founders as well as the share of female executives in companies. On Tuesday, May 16, the second edition of FutureFem took place at the pop-up and networking space BRYCKE in Schmale Straße.
Ines Gräther, FutureFem coordinator at the Economic Development Agency, explained, “Women not only start up less often, they also start up more cautiously than men. They often lack the decisive network for founding - not only to co-founders, but also to potential capital providers. With FutureFem, we want to offer female founders, female investors, female executives and everyone who is interested in the topics of gender equality, start-ups and female entrepreneurship a platform for exchange and networking. We want to make the industry’s Role Models and their motivating success stories more visible and thus mobilize more female founders.”
Less princess, more CEO
In front of around 100 guests, Stuttgart entrepreneur Sophia Rödiger gave the keynote speech entitled “Courage booster - Female entrepreneur in the tech club of dudes”. In addition, the Forum Women’s Networks Stuttgart Region presented its work and goals. Rödiger, founder and CEO of the blockchain startup #bloXmove, has been advocating for more diversity in the mobility and tech industry for many years. She said, “Stuttgart and the region are so rich in female entrepreneurs, founders, investors, visionaries and doers. In their Swabian modesty, they are often invisible and hardly networked. With FutureFem, there is now a central meeting place - without expensive memberships. The format makes role models visible and gives our stories a stage. Many girls and women can’t even imagine what it’s like to be an entrepreneur: Yet we urgently need less princess, more CEO.”
FutureFem takes place every 2-3 months at BRYCKE. For the latest information, visit www.brycke-stuttgart.de (opens in a new tab).