Startup Stories: Female Founders Edition
Feel the startup groove
Are you thinking about founding your own company? Do you want to meet inspiring female founders? Are you curious about how it is to be a female founder in a male-dominated industry? Then join our Female Founders Event – free of charge! You will get the chance to meet four inspiring female founders and get a chance for a personal exchange during our fireside chats.
Why?
Of all company founders in Switzerland, only approximately 20% are female and the percentage for science- and tech-based startups is even lower. We want to show aspiring female founders that there are many inspiring female role models out there.
Who can participate?
Women interested in entrepreneurship and women empowerment who are considering starting their own business or have already founded a startup.
This event is organized together with the University of Zurich, UZH Innovation Hub, BioEntrepreneurship & Innovation (BEI) program, feminno and Impact Hub Zurich and takes place at the University of Zurich at the UniTurm Restaurant followed by an Apéro to connect.
The capacity of the event is strictly limited. If you cannot attend the event, please let us know so that we can give your seat to a person from the waiting list. We will have another Female Founder event happening in fall this year, and are looking forward to seeing you there as well.
We are looking forward to an inspiring event with all of you!
Speakers
Stephanie Huwiler, Co-Founder HERENCIA
Stephanie completed her PhD focusing on the interplay of sleep and cardiovascular function at ETH Zurich. During this time, she got enthusiastic about bridging scientific discoveries with real-world impact. In early 2024, Stephanie together with 3 colleagues co-founded HERENCIA ((currently undergoing incorporation) to create a sustainable ecosystem in Colombia for Alzheimer’s research, healthcare, and social support. Thereby, HERENCIA aims to facilitate innovation to tackle the disease, while also prioritizing compassionate care and community support.
Alex Plaza, Founder Moonchy
Alex established Moonchy driven by her deep passion for nutrition research. This project is rooted in Alex’s long-standing conviction that food can be a powerful form of medicine. The launch of Moonchy was a defining moment in Alex’s professional path, deepening her fascination with cycle syncing and reinforcing her mission to revolutionise women’s health by integrating nutrition with a deep understanding of the female body’s natural rhythms. With a master’s in strategic entrepreneurship, Alex combined her faith in food’s healing properties with a dedication to increasing female founder representation in the startup world.
Sarah Meissner, Founder MindMetrix
After finishing her PhD at the Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology at the Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Sarah joined the Neural Control of Movement Lab at ETH Zürich as a Postdoc in November 2018. Here, she developed a novel pupil-based neurofeedback approach which allows people to volitionally control their brain’s arousal system. In 2022, she founded MindMetrix together with her colleagues where they implement this unique neurofeedback technology in Virtual Reality goggles to revolutionize mental training for athletes. The desire to unveil neuroscientific insights that could be beneficial for all of us has been Sarah’s driving force in her scientific endeavors.