Sie Ventures

🚀 Another incredible year of Catalyst is almost behind us, and as we take a moment to reflect, we’re overflowing with gratitude for the transformative impact of our Catalyst V cohort. From improving the lives of women with undiagnosed endometriosis, to empowering young people on their journey to financial freedom, to cutting down on plastic waste and making quality healthcare more accessible—these founders have embodied the spirit of innovation and impact at the core of Sie Ventures. 🔥 So, what’s next? With the new year on the horizon, we’re gearing up to open applications for Catalyst VI. Whilst we’re not officially kicking things off just yet, we know some of you are ready to lace up those fundraising skates. ⛸️ If you (or someone you know) are keen to join an ecosystem dedicated to supporting underrepresented founders on their investment journeys, we’ve got you covered—check out how we help founders get investment-ready and feel free to apply early right here: https://lnkd.in/esxwFN_G 📸 Here's a throwback to an extra special Catalyst V workshop, where Felix Martinez, Principal at Seedcamp, pulled back the curtain on how investors really think about founders. We can’t wait to see who joins us for Catalyst VI!

🎉 Announcing the Winner of the Sie Catalyst x Marriott Harrison Prize! We are thrilled to share that Sie Catalyst Cohort V company, Joey, is the winner of the Sie Catalyst x Marriott Harrison Prize! 👏 Co-founded by the dynamic duo Sasha Nagarajah and Dr Abhinav Bhansali, Joey is revolutionising the way parents access healthcare for their children by connecting them directly to child health experts via chat. 🧑⚕️👩⚕️🩺 As the winners, Joey will receive 5 hours of pro-bono legal support over the next 12 months, provided by our esteemed legal partners at Marriott Harrison. 👏 Congratulations, Joey! We are excited to support your journey and look forward to witnessing your continued success. 🚀

To recap this week at Sie Ventures Lots of great news and planning for 2025🚀🚀 We celebrated Growth Investor Awards 2024. It was really moving to hear the speech from Lydia Finnegan Goldman Sachs sharing the importance of investing in female entrepreneurs! Well done Lydia, this was truly one of the best speeches I’ve heard in a while! Thank you for having us Benjamin Storey & Barclays We joined our partners HSBC Innovation Banking and Marriott Harrison who hosted Women in Enterprise Software breakfast discussing how to navigate M&A. What a great morning Daisy Divoká Fran Spooner Alex Hazell Juliet Rogan Sydney MacGregor I was delighted to participate a discussion with Roderick Beer Chris Adelsbach Elisabeth Ling sharing our insights and journeys angel investing, organised by HBS Alumni Angels of the UK Sthembile Nkabinde Even more excited about next week as Invest in Women Taskforce has some great news to share!

🚀 Last week, we partnered with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to host an unforgettable Impact Bootcamp! We spent 20+ hours with 22 incredible female led startups ranging from healthtech pioneers to future-of-work innovators. The goal? Equipping them with the tools and insights to catalyse their fundraising journey—and wow, did they rise to the challenge! We were blown away by the sheer talent, ambition, and collaborative spirit in the room. The founders’ willingness to share openly and support one another was a true testament to the power of community. It’s moments like these that remind us why we do what we do: empowering founders to grow, thrive, and move one step closer to successful fundraising. We’re so proud of these outstanding startups and can’t wait to see where their fundraising journeys take them next. ✨ To all our Sie founders: keep pushing boundaries, keep supporting one another, and keep aiming high. We’re rooting for you every step of the way! 

✨ Catalyst V: A Journey To Remember Last week, we wrapped up Catalyst V with a special closing breakfast, celebrating the incredible progress and spirit of our founders. From pitch deck transformations to newfound confidence, our Catalyst founders are ready to tackle fundraising with renewed energy and a strong tribe of founders to support them in this endeavour. 👉🏽 By The Numbers: 💡 15 hours of workshops and community-building socials  ⏰ 28 hours of one-on-one Office Hours  🤝 168 hours of focused mentorship  ✍️ Termsheets signed and cheques written  🚀 Countless moments of insight, growth, and inspiration ☀️ To our mentors and advisors: Thank you for your unwavering support. Your expertise, whether shaping commercial models, refining pitches, or providing strategic clarity, has been invaluable. You’ve been true allies, sounding boards, and champions, empowering our founders to step confidently into investor conversations with compelling stories and strong narratives. ☀️ To our Catalyst founders: Your resilience, determination, and growth have been nothing short of inspiring. We can’t wait to see the continued momentum and hear about all the wins on your fundraising journeys. Here’s to Catalyst V. Here’s to future triumphs, bold steps, and seeing more female and mixed gender teams get funded! 💸 🚀 If you're planning to fundraise in the next 6-12 months, you can apply for Catalyst VI today! https://lnkd.in/gpHHDx-x #SieTheFuture #BuildTheFuture

🔥Huge congratulations to our Sie Ventures Community founders who have been named among Founders Forum Group's 100 Women Founders to Watch! We are thrilled to see Dr. Kate Jarvis (Fifth Dimension AI), Abbie Morris (Compare Ethics), Becky Lane (Furbnow), Insiya Jafferjee (Shellworks), Felicia von Reden (Ovom Care), Tess Isabelle Cosad (Béa Fertility), Nina Mohanty (Bloom Money), Dr Helen O'Neill (Hertility), Eloa Guillotin (Beyond Aero) and Peony Li (Jude) recognised for their unwavering drive to break barriers in their industries. From pioneering sustainable AI solutions to reshaping ethical consumerism, femtech, and financial wellness, these founders embody the spirit of change-makers who aren’t just solving problems but redefining what’s possible for their respective industries. The "100 Women Founders to Watch" report highlights some stark realities, with startups founded by women raising just 10% of total VC funding in Europe—and even less in other regions. Our founders, however, continue to challenge these statistics, setting the bar high and inspiring the next generation of women-led startups. 👏 Let’s celebrate these remarkable leaders who prove that investing in women founders isn’t just a good decision—it’s transformative. #SieTheFuture #BuildTheFuture

 ⌛ Only 10 days left until our Impact Bootcamp in collaboration with AWS! ⏳ We’re thrilled to have already selected some incredible female founders for the Bootcamp, building businesses across various sectors - There’s still time to join them!    If you're a female founder raising soon, apply now to be considered for one of the top 20 spots in the bootcamp. You will spend the two days with experienced founders and investors as well as Sie Ventures and AWS teams. You can find some of our facilitators and guest speakers below 👇 Apply here: https://lnkd.in/d9TTXTMK

🚀 Exciting news from our Sie Ventures founders! We’re so proud of these incredible achievements by our portfolio and community companies and the visionary leaders driving them: ✨ Fifth Dimension AI raised a $7M seed round, led by Speedinvest, Seedcamp, and Anthemis Group Female Innovators Lab. They’re pushing the boundaries of AI-human collaboration in the age of GenAI. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eRZekeqv 👗 By Rotation is partnering with Airbnb and celebrating their 5th anniversary with the launch of the 'House of ByRo' pop-up, opening on October 25th, 2024. A major milestone for sustainable fashion! Read more: https://lnkd.in/e3As3MHS 🤖 Oxford Dynamics secured a £1M contract from the UK Ministry of Defence for its cutting-edge GenAI technology, AVIS. What a remarkable accomplishment! Read more: https://lnkd.in/eJpRNuAg 🏆 Compare Ethics took the crown at SaaStock by winning the Pitch competition and €500K! A huge win for sustainability and transparency in fashion. Read more: https://lnkd.in/ezemqy94 Congratulations to all our founders for their dedication, leadership and hard work. We can’t wait to see what’s next for each of you! 🎉 Eshita Kabra (By Rotation), Johnny Morris and Dr. Kate Jarvis (Fifth Dimension AI), Abbie Morris (Compare Ethics), Shefali Sharma (Oxford Dynamics)

✨ Just 2 weeks left until our 2-day Impact Bootcamp with AWS! ✨ On day two, we’re thrilled to feature a powerhouse panel of women investors who are reshaping the venture capital landscape: 🔥 Dinika Mahtani, Partner @ Cherry Ventures 🔥 Maren Bannon, Co-founder & Managing Partner @ January Ventures 🔥 Sarah Drinkwater, GP @ Common Magic Get ready to dive into their insights on the fundraising from angels vs VC and learn the best strategies on when and how to approach them. 🚀 We're in the final stages of selecting the top 20 startups for our upcoming Bootcamp, but there’s still time to be considered. If you're looking to fundraise in the next 6 months, don’t miss your chance to be a part of this exclusive program—apply now! 👉🏽 https://lnkd.in/eKh7TJ4m

We are excited to announce our first speakers for the Amazon Web Services (AWS) & Sie Ventures Impact Bootcamp. You will hear from 👉 Sarah Drinkwater, Founding Partner of Common Magic 👉 Reem Wyndham, Co-Founder and General Partner of Pact 👉 Fran Spooner, Partner at Marriott Harrison 👉 Lauren Ladd, Founder of Shareback 👉Jemima Jones, Investment Specialist at Innovate UK You’ll learn about what gets angels and VCs excited about your startup, how they assess companies and how you can navigate your fundraising journey - what works and what doesn’t work so well. We’ll also explore alternative sources of financing and discuss the differences between ASAs/SAFEs and Priced Equity Rounds, and when to use relevant funding instruments. Is your startup at the pre-seed or seed stage, looking to raise in the next 6 months with at least one female founder? Apply to join us for this exclusive 2-day in-person Impact Bootcamp on November 4th & 5th in London, designed to fuel your fundraising journey! Only 20 startups will be selected. Partnering with Amazon Web Services (AWS), we're offering: 🌱 Tailored workshops to prepare for investor pitches 🤝 Networking opportunities with investors 💡 Practical insights from founders and investors 🚀 Apply today! https://lnkd.in/eKh7TJ4m #StartupGrowth #Bootcamp #FundraisingJourney #FemaleEntrepreneurs #AWS #Startups