encourageventures

What encourageventures does

encourageventures e.V. is a Berlin-registered non-profit association (eingetragener Verein) founded in June 2021 that operates a network connecting female business angels and investors with female-founded startups across Europe. The organization runs a platform-plus-program model: the core product is a closed Member Area built on WordPress with an Airtable CRM backbone that allows registered investor and startup members to network, message, search profiles, book events, and access knowledge resources. Wrapped around the platform are the Start-up Academy (for early-stage founders), the Business Angel Academy (for investors), a Success Tandems mentorship scheme, regional hubs across nine-plus European cities (Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, NRW, Paris, Salzburg, Southwest, Vienna), annual flagship events branded Courage, the FemaleCapital capital-routing sub-brand, and challenge/award programs including the Founder Challenge and the Female Founders ACT NOW Award – African Challenge. A 2023 partnership with ImpactNexus adds ESG and impact reporting tooling to portfolio startups.

Monetization is non-commercial: the organization is funded by membership contributions, corporate sponsorships (PwC, Bethmann Bank, Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank, Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank), and donations, rather than fees on transactions. It serves two primary segments — pre-seed through growth-stage startups with at least one female founder seeking capital, mentorship, and visibility, and female investors and business angels seeking curated deal flow, co-investment opportunities, and educational resources. Governance sits with Co-Chairs Nina Stegmann and Ina Schlie, and operational leadership with Co-CEO Dr. Heike Wemhoff while Co-CEO Vanessa Fischer is on parental leave. The network claims over 60 top-tier female managers and executives and was publicly credited with quintupling its investor count within 100 days of launch.

Name

encourageventures

Legal name

encourageventures e.V.

Website

https://encourage-ventures.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

encourageventures e.V. is a Berlin-based non-profit network connecting female business angels with female-founded startups across Europe through a membership platform, regional hubs, and educational programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Angel Investor Network

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200), Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC), Entrepreneurship, Startup Incubation & Pitch Programs (EDAMAKAK), Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB)

Keywords

• Female investor network
• Business angel community
• Startup investment network
• Founder support programs
• Angel investor education

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: encourageventures operates as a non-profit association (e.V.) that connects female investors with female founders. Revenue appears to come from membership/sponsorship contributions, donations, and facilitation of investments between members.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

encourageventures is a non-profit association (e.V.) that runs a closed Member Area networking platform plus a bundle of structured programs connecting individual female business angels with female-founded startups across Europe. Offerings include the Member Area, the Start-up Academy and Business Angel Academy educational programs, Success Tandems mentorship pairings, Regional Hubs in nine-plus European cities, an annual Courage conference, the Founder Challenge, and the Female Founders ACT NOW Award. The platform does not execute investments itself but facilitates introductions, mentorship, and deal flow between members.

Product overview

encourageventures is a non-profit association and female investor network serving as a platform connecting female founders with female business angels and investors. The core product is the Member Area / Member Network Platform, a closed online community where registered members can network, message, search profiles, book events, and access knowledge resources. Supporting the platform are educational programs — the Start-up Academy (for early-stage founders) and Business Angel Academy (for investors) — along with a mentorship program called Success Tandems, Regional Hubs across European cities, and annual flagship events branded Courage. The network also runs the FemaleCapital initiative for routing female capital to startups, plus challenge/award programs including the Founder Challenge and the Female Founders ACT NOW Award – African Challenge. A partnership with ImpactNexus provides ESG and impact reporting tools to startups. Programs like the Business Angel BootCamp and Business Angel Class provide structured training for new investors. The offering functions as a platform-plus-programs model, with the digital member network at the center and bundled educational, mentoring, event, and award programs as complementary modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Member Area / Member Network Platform Closed, registered-member networking platform for female founders and female business angels where members can network, message, search profiles, book events, and access knowledge resources from the startup and investor world.
• Start-up Academy Monthly educational program for early-stage to pre-seed and seed startups, providing free access to online training sessions, masterclasses, and workshops on topics such as fundraising, financial planning, marketing, sales, and legal, delivered by network members.
• Business Angel Academy Educational program for business angels covering deal flow, deal making, female investing topics, sector deep dives, and networking formats including coffee talks, panels, lunch & learn sessions, and fireside chats.
• Success Tandems

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ImpactNexuscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 December 2023ESG and impact reporting partnership offering startups in the encourageventures network access to ImpactNexus software for sustainability measurement, goal setting aligned with SDGs, and transparent reporting to investors.
• managerohnegrenzencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership for the Female Founders ACT NOW Award - African Challenge, jointly organized to promote female entrepreneurship in Africa and provide investment opportunities for encourageventures network investors.
• Business Angels Netzwerk Deutschland (BAND)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman business angel network partner for encourageventures, supporting the startup investor ecosystem.
• Verband deutscher Unternehmerinnen (VdU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation of German female entrepreneurs partnering with encourageventures.
• UnternehmerTUM / WomenStartupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunich-based startup platform partnership supporting female entrepreneurship.
• La French Tech Paris-SaclayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench Tech ecosystem partner expanding encourageventures reach to France.
• herCAREERminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCareer networking platform for women partnering with encourageventures.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Portfolia: Network and venture platform for women investing in female-founded companies. Comparable target audience (female business angels) and network-based model, though US-based and operates as a for-profit fund platform.
• Female Founders Fund: US-based early-stage venture fund focused exclusively on female-founded companies. Most direct comparable in mission and product (capital + community for female founders), though operates as a for-profit fund rather than a non-profit network.
• All Raise: Non-profit organization that cultivates female venture investors and founders. Closest structural peer given the non-profit, community-driven model targeting female investors and founders, though US-focused and now dissolved.
• The Helm: US-based venture fund and community backing female founders across stages. Comparable as a community-driven female-founder investment platform, though operates as a for-profit fund with a different geographic focus.
• Springboard Enterprises: US-based accelerator network for women entrepreneurs building high-growth businesses. Comparable as a platform connecting female founders with capital and mentors, though focuses on growth-stage rather than pre-seed/seed.
• Business Angels Netzwerk Deutschland (BAND): Germany's national business angel network and direct partner of encourageventures. Comparable as a national angel network structure, though BAND is broader (gender-neutral) and operates more as an industry association.
• Verband deutscher Unternehmerinnen (VdU): Germany's leading association of female entrepreneurs and is a direct partner of encourageventures. Comparable as a membership-based organization supporting female business owners, though broader in scope than venture investing.

Broad incumbents

• BBG Ventures: US-based early-stage VC fund backed by Comcast Ventures focused on female founders. Comparable in mission focus on female founders, though operates as a traditional fund with larger check sizes and broader institutional backing.
• Atomico: Major European VC firm founded by Skype co-founder Niklas Zennström. Comparable as a European venture investor with stated focus on diversity, though orders of magnitude larger and operates as a traditional for-profit fund.

Regional players

• Female Invest: Nordic investment community for women covering investing, business, and personal finance. Comparable as a female-focused investor community and education platform, but serves a different (Nordic) geography and covers broader financial topics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/encourageventu1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/encourageventures
• Instagraminstagram.com/encourageventures

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about encourageventures