Munich Startup: What motivated you to start your company?
Catherine Leser, co-founder and managing director of Penzilla: I’ve always had the dream of starting my own company one day. My family is mainly made up of doctors, who in a certain sense are also entrepreneurs. That certainly shaped me.
On the one hand, I find it fascinating and motivating to build something from the ground up. You have so much freedom in shaping the product, company culture, and general approach, but of course also enormous pressure. But I like being under that tension.
On the other hand, it’s always been important to me to work for a good cause. To really make a difference and create change in society through my own work.
The topic of occupational pensions is an issue that affects us all, and especially in the future will be of much greater importance. Occupational pension schemes (bAV) are a valuable component of occupational pensions that shouldn’t be overlooked. In most setups, it’s a win-win situation for employers and employees. The employer saves money, the employee gets money as a gift for retirement. Who would say no to that? Of course, that’s a simplification, but that’s usually how it is. The reason why occupational pension schemes aren’t used more is, on the one hand, how they are communicated and on the other hand, the fact that implementing them can create enormous work for the employer. That’s exactly where Penzilla comes in.
Trust your intuition
Munich Startup: What would you have liked to know before your first founding?
Catherine Leser: How important focus and saying no is. We get so many great ideas, opportunities, and much more from outside. But to finish something and really move forward, you can’t work on many projects at the same time. You have to let some opportunities go. That sometimes hurts, but it’s necessary.
There have already been numerous moments where I noticed that my intuition put me on the right path. You definitely have to learn to trust your own abilities and your own judgment.
Munich Startup: How has your company been financed so far?
Catherine Leser: We completed our pre-seed financing round in the second half of 2023. This allowed us to bring incredibly strong and experienced personalities into the expanded team who support us with advice, action, and of course their network.
Munich Startup: When and where do you get your best ideas?
Catherine Leser: Brainstorming with my husband in the evenings on the couch or at the playground with my kids.
Munich Startup: What are your three favorite work tools?
Catherine Leser:
- My notebook: old-school but classy
- Slack: fast and transparent communication is especially important to us at Penzilla, especially because of our hybrid work model
- Miro: great collaboration and brainstorming tool
Catherine Leser: “Keep the message short”
Munich Startup: Your top tips on “pitching”?
Catherine Leser: Think in advance about what message you want to convey to your audience. Keep it short and simple, no more than three points. You can then structure your presentation based on that.
And: know your customer, investor, etc. Do your research and make sure your pitch comes across as personalized as possible.
Munich Startup: Does it seem like a good time to start a company right now? Why?
Catherine Leser: Yes, always. Of course there have been rosier times, but if the idea is good and sustainable and you’re passionate about the topic, I’m sure you can achieve anything.
Munich Startup: What technology or industry would you bet on for your next startup?
Catherine Leser: We plan to continue running Penzilla for a long time and make it really big. So another startup isn’t in the cards for now. In general, though, I’m a big fan of making seemingly dry and supposedly “boring” topics accessible and appealing. Especially with such topics, creativity knows no bounds and you achieve great impact with even small changes.
More founding events, including for female founders
Munich Startup: What could be improved at the Munich startup location in your view?
Catherine Leser: We feel very comfortable in Munich! But more founding events would be great. Female founder events that are also easy for mothers to attend would be nice.
Munich Startup: Which founder would you like to meet in person? And what would you ask them?
Catherine Leser: Hanno Renner. Because: similar target group, same sales challenges, also founded in Munich. I think our setup is very similar.
Anna Alex. I was able to meet her over ten years ago because we had the same employer. That was before her first founding. Since then, she has made an incredible development and at the same time is a mother. You can only gain courage and strength for your own path from such personalities.
