As a female founder, I aimed to solve a problem that bothered me, not to change the world. But often, that’s how change starts—by daring to do what others haven’t.

Anastasia is one of Germany's youngest founders, at just 20, she launched FeMentor, Europe's first reverse mentoring platform, aimed at placing more women in leadership positions and promoting female empowerment.

Anastasia is also a TEDx speaker, author of "(Ge)Gründet - Start-Up-Szene uncovered", and has received multiple awards, including the B.Z. Berliner Helden Prize and FemTec Award. Through FeMentor and her work as a journalist and speaker, she is driving change for women in the corporate world.

In this interview, Anastasia shares with us her journey as a female founder and shedding light on the importance of creating platforms like FeMentor to bridge gaps and empower women to take control of their careers with confidence.

 

1. You started your career at a very young age. What motivated you to become an entrepreneur so early in life?

I think it's important to mention at this point that I didn't originally want to become a startup founder. I only founded a company because I had an idea and a solution to a problem. Namely, to create a platform for women to find a mentor - regardless of their generation.

Looking back, I can say I was incredibly naive. But I don't see that as negative or weak at all. On the contrary, it helped me because it made me more relaxed in my approach and I think that played a part in my success.

What motivated me to set up FeMentor back then was a problem. I saw that there was a lack of women not only in the start-up world, but in all sectors and especially at management level. Instead of complaining about it, I decided 1. to found my own company, i.e. to be more of a woman than a founder, and 2. to empower other women to go their own way with my start-up.

2. What should readers know about you? Apart from being the founder of FeMentor?

As a female founder, you are often associated with your startup, but almost all female founders in my surroundings are so much more. Of course I'm a founder and I love what I am doing, but I've also built up a personal brand that is still there even after selling a startup.

That would also be my tip to all aspiring female founders: build a name for yourself alongside your startup. Because no one can take that away from you. If I had to introduce myself further, it would be: I am a TEDx speaker, author of "(Ge)Gründet - Start-Up-Szene uncovered" and love to bake in my spare time. Instead of yoga, I bake cheesecake ;)

3. What inspired you to create FeMentor, and what specific gap in the market did you aim to fill with this platform?

When I founded FeMentor, I didn't even know many of the terms. I didn't know that I could find a co-founder online, nor did I know how to approach investors. I wasn't looking for a gap in the market and yet I found one because something was bothering me. I think that's always the best reason to start a company: find something that really bothers you and do it better. That's what I did with FeMentor. It was important to me to build a platform for all bad ass women out there and to promote equal opportunities at the same time. I didn't just want to have a say, I wanted to make a difference. We have now been on the market for 5 years and I am increasingly aware of the change we are bringing about.

4. What were some of the biggest challenges you faced when launching FeMentor, and how did you overcome them?

Setting up a company is also accompanied by constant problems. Sometimes it's a customer, a technical problem or a fire somewhere else that needs to be put out immediately. The biggest problem at the beginning was that I was one of the youngest female founders in Germany in 2019 and there were just 15% female founders in Germany at the time. I had to make myself heard, knock on a lot of doors and understand that nobody was waiting for me and my idea.

5. How has FeMentor helped in placing more women in leadership positions and promoting female empowerment in the corporate world?

We give women a voice, a platform and role models. Many women lack all three of these things. It's worth its weight in gold to have someone you can talk to on an equal footing, someone you can learn from, but who also takes you seriously. We women often suffer from being perfectionists. We only start when we are 110% ready.

With FeMentor, we see more women taking the courage to go for what they want with the help of their mentors or mentees. whether it's a raise, founding a startup or deciding not to get promoted. They decide for themselves. And for that you need help from time to time, which we are happy to provide.

6. What are your future goals for FeMentor, and how do you plan to expand its reach and impact?

In 2019, we started with 50 women and one idea. 5 years later, we have over 5,000 mentors, twice as many mentees and are operating worldwide. I think we are at a point where we can just take a deep breath and say: thank you! But there's certainly a lot more things to come ;)

7. What advice would you give to aspiring female founders, who are just starting out there?

Take your time. We always read about the successes of others on LinkedIn and other platforms. Nobody talks to the 9 out of 10 startups that fail. You can make mistakes, try things out and your first startup doesn't have to be a mega success. Looking back, I would have liked to have taken a little more time, gained professional experience and lived it. I'm super grateful for everyone, but I would have been happy if one of the successful founders had told me that beforehand.  

 

Thank you Maxie for the Interview and insights, we are proud to have you as a Grace mentor!