encourageventures

What they do

encourageventures e.V. was born in October 2020 when a group of prominent female executives formed an all-female syndicate to invest in the HR tech startup Tandemploy. Realizing the power of this model, they officially founded the network in June 2021. Today, it is a highly influential ecosystem player in Germany, uniquely positioned to tackle the structural funding gap for female founders. They operate a dual-sided marketplace: they provide diverse-led startups with capital, mentoring, and corporate connections, while simultaneously running a "Business Angel Academy" to train and empower wealthy women to become first-time angel investors.

What they look for

Innovation needs diversity. encourageventures aims to close the venture capital gender gap by mobilizing female wealth ("Smart Money") and directing it toward diverse-led startups. They believe that providing female founders with capital, high-caliber networks, and operational expertise will lead to faster, more successful growth and a more diverse European innovation landscape.

Stage

Pre-seed, Seed, Series A, Series B+

Sectors

AI, Deeptech, SaaS, Healthcare, Climate

Based

Berlin, DE