These 5 Munich female founders you need to know

Barbara Prähofer from Exomatter: She co-founded the startup in 2022. Searching for new materials is challenging for R&D departments, as they still often rely on trial-and-error methods in the lab. With the help of computer simulations, Exomatter wants to change that. In our Women in Tech interview, we asked Barbara Prähofer about her motivation for founding: “I founded my first company in school as part of a student project, and since then I’ve had the entrepreneurial spirit inside me. What motivated me to co-found Exomatter is that with our groundbreaking technology, we have great leverage to strengthen the innovation power of companies, because 90 percent of all innovations are based on materials.” (Photo: Exomatter / Team Schnurrbart)

Gesa Biermann from Pina Earth: She founded Pina Earth in 2021 together with Florian Fincke. The startup has been developing certified climate protection projects since 2021 with the goal of creating future-proof forests throughout Germany. Founder Gesa Biermann has been active in sustainability for around ten years, completed her doctorate at LMU in environmental sciences, and finished her master’s in Sustainable Resource Management at TU München. What does she wish for from the Munich ecosystem? In her interview, she says: “More diversity! In funding rounds, over 80 percent is still raised by male teams. I’m convinced that diverse teams benefit from different perspectives, whether it’s about their innovation capacity or empathy. The same applies to the circle of investors.” (Photo: Pina Earth)

Catherine Leser from Penzilla: The founder wants to revolutionize occupational pensions with her startup Penzilla, which was founded in 2021, and make a social contribution to closing the pension gap. The software of the company, which she founded together with her husband Christoph, takes over the administrative burden for employers around occupational pensions. Catherine Leser says in the Women in Tech interview in response to the question about her motivation: “I’ve always had the dream of founding my own company one day. […] On the one hand, I find it fascinating and motivating to build something from scratch myself. […] On the other hand, it’s always been important to me to work for a good cause. So really to make a difference and bring about change in society through my own work.” (Photo: Penzilla)

Kira Schilling from My Event Pass: The startup founded in 2020 revolutionizes access to cultural events in the city by offering access to cinemas, concerts, theater, and museums with a simple culture subscription. Currently, My Event Pass is available in Munich with over 2,200 events and more than 440 locations. In the Women in Tech interview, she reveals, among other things, her top tip on pitching: “A pitch must always be targeted. It’s essential to ask yourself who you’re standing in front of and how you can both benefit from each other. Authenticity and a clear understanding of what connects both sides are decisive. The right investor is ultimately not just a capital provider, but must also be a good fit for the team in terms of content and personality.” (Photo: My Event Pass)

Co-Founder_CTO_Sara-Marquart-03-Picture_ Planet A Foods

Sara Marquart from Planet A Foods: The startup wants to sustainably transform food production. To do this, the Ph.D. food chemist developed the world’s first cocoa-free chocolate ChoViva together with her brother Maximilian Marquart, which has up to 90 percent lower CO2 footprint compared to conventional chocolate. When asked if now is a good time to found a company, she says in the Women in Tech interview: “It’s always a good time to found a company, because there are so many opportunities to advance our society as a whole.” (Photo: Planet A Foods)