As far fetched as it may have been, women have marked a pedestal in business. With their overt decisive nature and a passion to succeed, women have made their way to the board room from corner offices. Empowering women in business is Impulse4women.
In this interview with The Enterprise World, Taryn Andersen CEO tells us more about the Impulse4women-
Brief us about the company.
Impulse4women is a Non-Profit Organisation connecting female tech founders and social impact projects (regardless of gender) with investors that can help them take their business to the next level. Our matchmaking platform considers sector, maturity, location and financial need, leveraging investment performance.
What were the initial challenges you faced?
We originally aimed to start in Spain, but in order to access lots of female entrepreneurs we realised that we had to expand further, going to Europe, the USA and Canada. Through networking and contributing as a third party, we closed agreements with public and private international organisations in order to expand our offering. Another early challenge was developing a platform that was adequate for matching start-ups with investors and which could support this process.
Which was that point that triggered the growth of the company?
Impulse4women started to realise in 2017 that there was a gap in the market. Females were not being recognised. We talked to start-ups and told them that we wanted to connect them with investors through a new marketplace. They were delighted to have some help. During COVID, Impulse4women saw there was opportunity for growth in March/April 2020 when we received lots of questions and responses from start-ups that we were in contact with, or that we had helped.
How have the company graphs changed since the foundation? Can you share a few statistics?
Impulse4women have built an ecosystem of 10000 start-ups led by females in the technology sector, as well as by both males and females in social impact. The is aiming to reach 1400 investors.
What is the reason behind your company’s long-standing success?
When joining our platform, start-ups and investors are required to fill out a comprehensive form that enables us to match them effectively, avoiding time-wasting in mismatched criteria.
The Products/Services
What are the products/services the company focuses on? How are your services different from those in the market?
Our business functions both online and offline. Impulse4women offer Webinar Sessions, Podcasts, Mentoring Sessions, Pitching Sessions, Online and Offline Events and Grants communications, collaborating with public and private organisations to give start-ups in our platform the best chance of success.
Impulse4women really care about giving visibility to and leveraging investment in female technology entrepreneurs and social impact projects. Impulse4women service is free for start-ups, enabling them to access networking opportunities with top investors and industry experts, as well as our events.
Additional platforms connecting start-ups with investors have emerged since our inception. However, we have a global reach and specifically support females in technology and social impact projects (regardless of gender).
Finally, we know and understand female needs, concerns and strengths, and have talked to many women in order to learn about the differences in what needs, concerns and strengths they have based on the country they are coming from, and how investors are different in different countries.
How do you decide to take the company a step further in terms of your products/services?
We are experiencing exponential growth in the industry, globally. The market needs a way for investors to easily find technological female start-ups and social impact projects. For 2022, we are preparing academic courses for females aspiring to become investors, which will be provided through our website, with more courses being added in the near future. We are aiming to grow our platform on both sides so we have an even more diverse platform of start-ups and investors in order to improve success rates.
Leadership
Can you please brief us about your professional experience?
I began working in private banking in 2000. In 2011, I created Pluribus United Foundations along with 15 private foundations in order to work and create synergies between them. I changed paths to pursue the mentoring of businesses through Startup-Bootcamp. IN 2016, I began a position as Investor Relations Director at THCAP Venture Capital. Impulse4women was born from combining my passion for mentorship with investment.
What are the key achievements of your entrepreneurial journey?
I am seeing the impact of the work we do at Impulse4women. Startups have obtained investment through the connections made on our platform. We are seeing the benefit of the mentoring sessions we provide which help start-ups to avoid mistakes and grow quicker.
How do you look after your employees? What makes your team unique?
Our employees are valued. We give them opportunities to learn and get involved in projects of all kinds. Being a start-up, there is an opportunity to get involved in all aspects of the business (working with clients, legal documents, marketing), no matter what your principal role may be. Our employees are engaged with the project and we are giving back to them.
Is there any special experience with your clients you would like to highlight?
Rather than a special experience, it is a special relationship. We understand what they need and what they are looking for. We want to give them the opportunity to take the next step in their entrepreneurial journey. We listen to our clients and give them what they are asking for. From my professional background as an investor, we really know the weak points as well as the strengths of the sector, and understand what we need from the start-ups in this way. We give them this add-value.
Constant vigilance- a need or a strategy? Please share your views.
It is a need, because if you are not checking what you are doing in the short term, you will be going off track from your objectives and you will not know it until it is too late. The strategy is important but helps to build the project, we need to constantly check the strategy, where we are currently, and where we are going.
It’s a rat-race out there. How do you cope with that?
That’s a good question! I believe that it is good to have competitors. It means that what you are doing makes sense and is relevant. I see competition as a positive thing. Competitors push you to figure out how to give more value to your offerings in order to be the best in the market.
