“Just getting started” is about taking the good, the bad and the ugly experiences of 30 of our female founders, wrapping them up into an advice burrito, and inspiring you to follow in their footsteps to dedicate your career to fighting the climate emergency. There’ll be plenty of actionable advice, looking at:

– How they got started
– How they found a cofounder
– How they got a good idea
– How they combine parenthood with startup life

But there’ll also be the why. Why have these smart, determined, mission-driven women dedicated their careers to building a company to fight the climate emergency?

And our why? Since 2021, 38 out of 64 of our invested startups have female founders. But, we have so much more to do: the highest percentage of women on a Venture Builder cohort has never been higher than 36%. We are working towards 50%. That’s just not a vanity metric, it’s what’s required by the climate emergency which is disproportionately affecting women and deepening inequality.

We have surveyed 30 female founders across our programmes, ranging from funded founders of startups valued in the millions of pounds, to the new members of our latest cohorts who are just beginning their journey. You will also find the stories of three female founders highlighted in particular, Natalia Dorfman, Chloe Donovan, and Joyeeta Das.

These are their stories, their perspectives, their lessons. We hope they inspire you so that one day you too can be what you see here.