2023 Female Founder Challenge winner, Suzanna Stamirowska, Founder and CEO of Pathway onstage. Photo credit: VivaTech
VivaTech established the Female Founder Challenge to celebrate women-led startups that are driving innovation in tech. The aim of the challenge is to enhance female representation, promote access to key roles, emphasize the value of diversity, and address women's underrepresentation in the industry.
In 2022, 94% of female-led startup fundraisings were under €15M, compared to €215M for males, and only 2% of global venture capital funding went to all-female founder teams, whereas 15% went to mixed-gender founding teams.
We are pleased to announce this year’s five finalists for the Female Founder Challenge, who have been selected to advance in the competition and attend VivaTech, taking place in Paris from May 22 to 25, 2024!
But who are the women set to participate this year?
Daria Stepanova Co-Founder and CEO of AIRMO
Daria has been immersed in satellite technology for years as an engineer, refining her skills at Sputnix, before she spent six years at German Orbital Systems, eventually rising to the position of Chief Technology Officer.
Daria had a vision: to make a tangible impact on climate change. She co-founded AIRMO, a space tech startup for climate change, the company is leading the charge in climate action through satellite technology designed to monitor greenhouse gas emissions. AIRMO provides a comprehensive solution for real-time monitoring and analysis of methane and carbon dioxide emissions worldwide. Daria and her team’s work isn’t just about technology but about driving meaningful change for the planet.
Pamela Pardini CEO and Co-founder of Bionirs
Pamela attended the Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, where she pursued studies in Physical Sciences and did a PhD at the same institution from which she graduated. In October 2020, she co-founded Bionirs.
Bionirs specializes in effectively and non-invasively identifying lesions for early breast cancer screening, while also providing metabolic information related to the type of lesion detected. This innovative approach not only enhances the emotional experience of receiving a breast cancer diagnosis but is also designed with the comfort of women in mind.
Alyssa Emmungil Co-founder and CEO of HappyPal
A graduate of HEC Paris with a Master of Science in Management & Business Administration, supplemented by a Bachelor in Law and another in educational sciences, Alyssa combines a passion for entrepreneurship with a strong sensitivity to social issues and equal opportunities. After her initial experiences in business development, particularly in the field of professional training, she developed the ambition to create a company at the heart of social progress in the world of work.
Combining SaaS, fintech, and a mobile app, Happypal has set itself the mission to make employee benefits clear, accessible, and flexible. Happypal personalizes benefits at an individual level to suit the situation and specific needs of each employee, while enabling Employee Representatives Committees (CSE) - at a collective level - to shape the offer in the image of their unique values and commitments.
Albane Dersy Co-Founder and COO of Inbolt
Albane, the co-founder and COO of Inbolt, brings to the table a diverse and extensive background, graduating from HEC Paris and Polytechnique. Her professional journey encompasses strategy consulting, mergers, and acquisitions within specialized industry teams, granting her a deep understanding of the field. In addition to her leadership responsibilities at Inbolt, she actively advocates for gender equality initiatives within the tech industry
Albane founded Inbolt in 2018. Through the introduction of the GuideNOW system, Inbolt equips industrial robots with the capability to elevate their intelligence through real-time adaptive guidance based on AI and 3D vision technology.
Flore Lestrade in Veeton Co-Founder and CEO of Veeton
Flore started her career with a master's degree from Sorbonne University in Metaphysics, Phenomenology, and the History of Philosophy. Following this, she pursued a master's degree in Management at HEC Paris and later completed her studies in entrepreneurship at Ecole Polytechnique. After achieving her educational milestones, Flore decided to establish her own company.
Veeton offers fashion brands an innovative alternative to conventional photoshoots. Using just a single packshot image, their platform harnesses AI technology to generate a vast array of high-quality photos instantly.
Don't Miss the Finale!
These five finalists will present their ideas onstage to a panel of leading venture capitalists and investors during VivaTech 2024. Come join us and find out which of these women revolutionizing the world of tech will be named this year's Female Founder Challenge winner. The finale will take place on May 23rd on VivaTech Stage 1.