Innosuisse’s Business Concept course opened the door for me. There is very little publicity about entrepreneurship at university. For me it was a completely new world and all very inspiring.
When founding a start-up, it’s not gender that should matter but instead the idea. The fact that there are still few women entrepreneurs may be due to the fact that women often have less self-confidence than men. But it’s also a question of education. Based on the research results of my doctoral thesis on plant biochemistry, I founded the start-up AgroSustain – which produces biological products to combat mould fungus in agriculture – together with a molecular biologist. We now have ten employees. To successfully set up a start-up and drive it forward, it’s vitally important to work with people who complement each other in terms of their knowledge and experience and on whom you can rely. Starting a company is a rollercoaster ride. You only find that out once the journey has started. Fresh obstacles that have to be overcome keep popping up. But that’s not a bad thing. It means your business is making progress.
As a female company founder you have to believe in what you’re doing. As a woman you may be treated differently to a man. That’s why it’s vitally important that you respect yourself. And gain the respect of others. If a woman has a great idea and believes in it, she should definitely start a company.