This session is dedicated to addressing the persistent gender gap in entrepreneurship and funding, and fostering a dialogue on practical strategies to achieve equality and inclusivity within the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Not only are women under-represented in entrepreneurship and in funding, female entrepreneurs face different challenges while growing their businesses when it comes to hiring, having access to funding and networking. This session seeks to explore these gender specific challenges and equip participants with actionable insights to close the gender gap in entrepreneurship and funding.

Presentations

Véronique Bockstal - Is there a Female Founder Formula for Building and Scaling a Million-Euro Business?

Despite the fact that we outnumber male founders in business performance and return on investment (ROI) for investors, and we outlive them in terms of life expectancy, we remain significantly underrepresented as female founders. Progress is slow, whether we consider the sheer number of female entrepreneurs, the scale of their enterprises, their growth trajectories, or the limited amount of funds they raise. 

Numerous factors contribute to this disparity. Some are intrinsic to the founders themselves, while others stem from the broader ecosystem in which women entrepreneurs have to navigate.

My journey as a female founder, particularly in the realms of starting up and finding funding, led to a pivotal life mission. My 'product' became 'small' female founders, and my ambition shifted to providing guidance to help them build million-euro businesses.

Based on countless dialogues with female entrepreneurs and research over the last five years, coupled with my firsthand experiences as both a serial founder and investor, I developed a scaling model tailored for small businesses led or owned by women with the ambition to scale their ventures.

I am excited to share both the research and experiential foundations of my model at the TOPX Summit. I look forward to meeting you and eagerly anticipate connecting with you on the 18th of January.