Top 10 European Women Investors in Startup Ecosystem

Women investors play a very important role in the startup ecosystem by promoting diversity and introducing novel outlooks. Their presence in the startup ecosystem as investors can lead to revolutionary transformation by creation of a more equitable and innovative atmosphere. They are breaking stereotypes by entering into the investment space and demonstrating that they too can excel in the field of venture capital and angel investing.

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Women investors in the startup ecosystem serve as exemplars and motivate other aspiring women to come forward and indulge themselves in the startup ecosystem by taking risks, and contributing their expertise and capital to startups. Women investors bring different experiences, skill sets, and perspectives into the investment arena which helps identify niche markets, untapped consumer needs, and strategic business models, leading to significant innovations and data driven decision making.

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Women investors in the startup ecosystem are inclined to invest in women-owned startups. By actively supporting and investing in women entrepreneurs, they empower and encourage women entrepreneurs to develop and grow.

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In the European region the presence of women investors in the startup ecosystem goes beyond just financial assistance; they can offer guidance, networks, and resources, inspiring other women to rise in the startup ecosystem. Women investors challenge the established power structures in the investment domain. Their influence helps in creating a more impartial and balanced environment, where the viewpoints and needs of all stakeholders, including women entrepreneurs, are considered.

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Women investors can bring a unique vantage point for spotting investment opportunities that others may neglect. The presence of women investors in the European startup ecosystem brings essential diversity, vision, and support, creating revolutionary changes and setting examples for other women to rise and grow. By equalising the opportunities, they encourage ingenuity, promote equality, and inspire next generations of women entrepreneurs to come and participate in economic transformation.

Let's have a look at top 10 European women investors who are immensely contributing to the growth and development of startups.

Reshma Sohoni

Reshma Sohoni is a resident of Miami, Florida. She has an  educational background which includes a MBA from INSEAD, France and a bachelor of art/Science degree from university of pennsylvania. She is the managing partner of seedcamp, a European seed fund and she Co-founded the same in 2007. This is a pre series A funding that prioritises supporting European startups with strong leadership guidance, effective technological ideas, mentorship, networking opportunities and potential to grow.

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This entity introduces companies to industry specific experience and long term objectives.  Her notable investments in the startup ecosystem till date were early investments in UiPath and TransferWise (currently known as wise). She has also invested in companies like Revolut, Wefox and Sorare that have achieved unicorn status.

Sonali de Rycker

Mrs. Sonali de Rycker, a qualified venture capitalist, currently resides in London, United Kingdom.  She has completed her MBA from Harvard Business School. She serves as a partner at Accel which she joined in 2008. She mostly invests in consumer internet, software and fintech startups.

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She led Accel's investment into renowned startups like Avito, Lyst, Spotify, Monzo, BeReal, Letgo, Hopin and Sennder etc. She served as a board member in many organisations. She is of Indian origin but currently a British national.

Irina Haivas

Dr. Irina Haivas was previously a healthcare specialist and also a pioneer in European healthcare practice for which she brings a wealth of expertise across Europe. After this she turned into a venture capitalist. She serves as a partner at Atomico and also serves as a board member at HealX, AccuRx, Qatalog etc. She studied Medical at Lasi Medical University in Romania and Freiburg University in Germany as a rotary scholar and was a surgical fellow at Harvard medical school.

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Also has a MSc in international health policy from London school of economics. She mostly invests in infrastructure, AI and software startups. She has worked directly with biotechnology, pharmaceutical and healthcare service provider companies and assisted them in building strategic initiatives considering growth, research and development, merger and acquisition, business models, operational and organisational management etc.

Rana Yared

Ms Rana Yared is a venture capitalist based in London, United Kingdom. She serves as a partner in Balderton capital, where she plays a very crucial role. She has also held a position as a Board Member at Vestwell, TreasurySpring. Prior to her current role, she assumed the position of Managing Director and was responsible for Principal Strategic Investments at Goldman Sachs. Her prolific board involvement includes Ramp and the New York Shipping Exchange.

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She has invested in renowned startups like Lendable, Flywire, iCapital, Tradeweb etc. Her academic background includes a Bachelor of Science degree from the Wharton School and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations, both awarded by the University of Pennsylvania. She also holds a MSc from the London School of Economics. She is basically investing in crypto and fintech startups.

Ophelia Brown

Ophelia Brown is the co-founder, managing partner and board member in Blossom Capital, based in Londan, United Kingdom. She is a renowned venture capitalist. Cultivate capital was also founded by her. She prioritises three main sectors for investment which are financial service, digital health and Ecommerce.

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She graduated from New College, Oxford with a BA in classics and also has a MBA from INSEAD. She has invested in startups like Checkout.com, Localyze, pigment, Tines etc. In the past years she supported numerous investments in Navabi, Blaze, socialbaker, peoplevox,  Wise, onefinestay, Megapack etc. Previously she was an associate at index ventures. Currently she resides in London.

Sophia Bendz

Sophia Bendz was previously an angel investor and later she became a venture capitalist. She is based in Stockholm, Sweden and still considered as a successful angel investor. She completed graduation from Stockholm University. She serves as a partner at Cherry Ventures. She is very passionate about assisting early stage startups. She has also made more than 40 angel investments.

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In the initial stages of her career she has served as a marketing director at Spotify and contributed largely to the growth of Spotify the studio platform. She also plays a specific role of innovation advisor to the prime minister of Sweden. She has also served as advisor in different startup companies. She has remarkably invested in startups like a Swedish NFT gaming startup Goals, a carbon capture startup of France namely Carbo Culture and a fintech company based in Sweden namely Juni etc.

Evgenia Plotnikova

Ms. Evgenia Plotnikova currently resides in London, United Kingdom and serves as a partner at Dawn capital. She completed Master in Finance and Strategy from SciencesPo Paris and was a student at the Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania. She has also served as board member at companies like ReachFive, Zivver, Bryter etc. She has invested in Granulate, Soldo, Dataiku etc.

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She is an expert in sourcing, due diligence and execution of investments and also responsible for implementing these in B2B software and Fintech across Europe. She was also a venture capitalist at Atomico. Before becoming a venture capitalist she served as an investor in numerous sectors in different regions. She has also contributed to a huge number of startups by assisting a number of entrepreneurs in research work and operational works.

Ashley Lundström

Ms. Ashley Lundström is based in Stockholm, Sweden. She typically focuses on early stage startups. She is a general partner at EQT Ventures. Her passion to invest in industries seeking major structural changes and industries owned by mission driven individuals made her different from others. She has also invested in Codesandbox, Instabee, Anyfin, SingleEarth etc.

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She has a degree in chemistry from University of California, BA from University of San Diego, MS from University of Zurich and management from Stockholm school of economics. She is the first female partner of EQT Ventures which she joined in 2015.

Julia Hawkins

Julia Hawkins is a European investor and serves as a general partner at LocalGlobe and Latitude with typical focus on health. She is based in London, United Kingdom. She completed Academic qualifications in Social policy and Administration from The London School of Economics and Political Science. For investment purposes she has chosen various industries like fintech sector, mobility sector and creative industries etc.

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Her major investments in the healthcare sector include companies like Oxford Nanopore, YuLife, CoMind, Heartility etc. Her only objective is to assist unique, thoughtful and ambitious founders to make healthcare services available and accessible to mankind with the use of the latest technology. 

Hannah Seal

Hannah Seal Resides in London, United Kingdom and currently serves as a partner at Index ventures, a multi stage international venture capital firm based in London and San Francisco. This European investor is based in London, United Kingdom. She has completed a Bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Cambridge.

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She also serves as a board member in numerous entities like Remote, Fonoa, Beauty Pie Ltd., SeedLegals, Multiverse,  etc. She is a renowned investor who invested in Beamery, BeautyPie, Multiverse, Remote, SeedLegals, Tiney, Fonoa, Loctax etc, startups and also assisted various startups in setting up and scaling their businesses. She has keen expertise in the field of retail, telecom and transportation industries.

Which are Top 10 European Women Investors in Startup Ecosystem ?

Reshma Sohoni, Sonali de Rycker, Irina Haivas, Rana Yared, Ophelia Brown, Sophia Bendz, Evgenia Plotnikova, Ashley Lundström, Julia Hawkins, Hannah Seal are the Top 10 European Women Investors in Startup Ecosystem.

Which Startups is funded by Evgenia Plotnikova ?

Granulate, Soldo, and Dataiku is funded by Evgenia Plotnikova.