Women at the helm: 8 German startup and scaleups thriving under female leadership

Germany’s workforce is marked by a significant presence of women who contribute their exceptional skills and qualifications to various industries. While making strides in Germany’s startup scene, these innovative women are also paving the way for new employment opportunities.

According to the country’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, self-employed women in Germany are also employers, with over 3.4 million individuals under their employment and providing training for approximately 100,000 young individuals.

As decision-makers, they play a crucial role in shaping the future of the country. Progress is continually made in Germany, with 29 per cent of executive positions now held by women. Moreover, women are at the helm of 757,000 small and medium-sized companies in Germany. 

Research indicates that companies with diverse management teams tend to be more successful and innovative, and this is evident in notable startups and scaleups in Germany that have reached remarkable growth under women’s leadership.

We’re therefore excited to shine a spotlight on some of them and showcase their remarkable success stories.

Vaayu

Founder(s): Luca Schmid, Namrata Sandhu

Founded in 2021, Vaayu is a real-time carbon footprint measurement, monitoring, and reduction software for merchants. Co-founded and led by Namrata Sandhu with CTO Luca Schmid during the COVID-19 pandemic, Vaayu uses machine intelligence to simplify and automate carbon management calculations for businesses. 

Sandhu, with over 17 years of international experience in sustainability, has been a key figure in enhancing sustainability efforts for companies like Zalando and Arcadia Group. Her leadership at Vaayu paved the way for businesses to adopt more sustainable practices.

Clue

Founder(s): Hans Raffauf, Ida Tin, Mike Lavigne, Moritz von Buttlar

Established in 2012, Clue is one of Europe’s largest and most successful FemTech companies. Clue’s female health app aids women in tracking menstrual and fertility cycles accurately, securing over $47.8M (€44M) in funding over a decade. 

Stepping up as co-CEO in 2021 and CEO in 2023, Audrey Tsang has led Clue to serve over 12 million users across 180 countries. Audrey’s background in product leadership at companies like Pinterest and HotelTonight has contributed to Clue’s success in providing science-backed solutions for menstrual health. 

Under her leadership, Clue continues to empower millions of women worldwide.

XbyX®

Founder(s): Monique Leonhardt, Peggy Reichelt

Pioneering midlife female health solutions, XbyX® offers plant-based products to alleviate symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. 

Co-founded by Peggy Reichelt and Monique Leonhardt in 2019, XbyX® aims to educate and liberate women from the stigma surrounding menopause, catering specifically to women over 40 in the German market. 

Reichelt, a certified food coach and seasoned entrepreneur, brings the necessary nutrition expertise to XbyX® and ensures the development of effective and holistic solutions for women’s health. 

Meanwhile, Leonhardt’s experience in online marketing and brand building executes Reichelt’s vision of promoting healthy ageing and well-being.

theblood

Founder(s): Isabelle Guenou, Miriam Santer

theblood empowers digital B2C healthcare with its non-invasive menstrual blood tests as the company makes individualised health reports to help women understand their health better. 

Supported by accelerators like Grace Accelerator, theblood is led by a dedicated team seeking to enhance women’s health awareness. 

Guineou and Santer, who are listed as Forbes 30 Under 30, crossed paths in Berlin while pursuing postgraduate study in marketing communication. The idea for theblood originated from their personal struggles with female healthcare issues. 

Today, theblood’s mission is not only to bring a working product to market but also to start a real change within the female healthcare system. 

Hatchmate

Founder(s): Katharina Benzing

Founded in 2020, the Hatchmate app fosters professional growth through social video networking and connecting talented individuals with opportunities. Founded by Katharina Benzig, Hatchmate focuses on facilitating collaborations and job placements in the hopes of aiding SMEs in post-COVID recovery. 

Benzig’s background as a senior C-suite executive business partner and International Marketing MBA drives Hatchmate’s mission of encouraging individuals to pursue fulfilling careers. As a platform for both talent and companies, Hatchmate bridges the gap between skill and opportunity to produce a more inclusive and dynamic workforce.

Leapsome

Founder(s): Jenny Podewils, Kajetan Armansperg

Co-founded by Jenny and Kajetan von Armansperg, Germany’s leading platform for performance management & employee engagement Leapsome is chosen by forward-thinking companies worldwide. 

Leapsome empowers over 1500 global CEOs and HR leaders to drive employee productivity and development. 

The company has raised significant funding since its inception in 2016, including €54.40M in a Series A round in 2022. 

Podewils’ previous experiences in strategic and digital transformation roles in media and tech companies led her to enable companies to establish feedback and learning cultures. 

Under Podewils’ leadership, Leapsome continues to shape the future of people management and organisational success for companies such as Spotify, Trivago, and Babbel.

inne

Founder(s): Eirini Rapti

inne builds a hormone-based mini lab for women to provide convenient and accurate natural contraception solutions. Founded by Eirini Rapti in 2017, the Berlin-based inne uses biochemistry and technology to enable women to understand their fertility and overall health. 

Serving as CEO, Rapti’s managerial experience in networks across Southeast Asia and Northern Europe combined with knowledge of global healthcare has shaped inne’s mission to provide reliable and accessible contraceptive options. 

Focusing on innovation and user experience, inne continues to empower women to make informed choices about their reproductive health.

ZkSystems

Founder(s): Amine Ünal, Diana Rees

Founded by two women, Amine Ünal and Diana Rees, Berlin startup ZkSystems enables easy entry into Equipment-as-a-Service for industrial manufacturers. 

With the company’s software, machine manufacturers can go from being sellers to being service providers as they can rent out their devices instead of selling them. The used data is encrypted and stored unalterably in the blockchain to ensure that billing is correct and transparent. 

The company’s CEO Rees is a serial entrepreneur who has founded two startups previously to ZkSystems, while CTO Ünal has consulted multiple Fortune 500 companies on innovation and integration projects. 

Now, the company already counts large companies such as Lidl, one of the largest grocery chains in Europe, and Daimler as customers.