Female founders strengthen Steglitz: exchange and inspiration over breakfast

Female founders strengthen Steglitz: exchange and inspiration over breakfast

On Friday, September 12, 2025, the second founders' breakfast took place in the Steglitz manor house, which brought together around 60 entrepreneurs, founders and committed women from the Steglitz-Zehlendorf district. The event was organized by the Berlin Südwest regional incubator, the district's women's and equal opportunities officer and the start-up center. The aim was to promote an exchange, strengthen each other and provide impulses for professional development, as berlin.de reports.

The event was opened by Lalida Große, the project manager at the regional incubator. She presented current projects and events and reported on her involvement as a mentor in the “Side by Side” project. She also invited the participants to get involved as mentors. Another speaker, Madalina Draghici, the district office's women and equal opportunities officer, emphasized the importance of equality in the world of work and introduced networks such as "Connecting Women" and the newly founded women's advisory board. She encouraged participants to actively participate in these initiatives.

Further impulses for female entrepreneurs

Beate Roll, the chairwoman of the regional association of Berlin EntrepreneursWomen in Crafts e.V. (UFH), presented the UFH network as well as various projects, including “Women strengthening the crafts – 125 ways & opportunities” and “Crafts for girls”. She also spoke about supporting the “Maternity Protection for All!” campaign week. in October. The event not only offered valuable insights, but also networking opportunities that helped participants make contacts and initiate collaborations.

The initiative to strengthen women entrepreneurs is no coincidence. An increase in the proportion of women starting their own companies will be 44% in 2023 compared to 38% in 2020, as bundeswirtschaftsministerium.de notes. Young women in particular are increasingly deciding to start their own businesses. In the skilled trades, the proportion of businesses founded by women is 25%, while women make up 54% of the businesses founded in the freelance professions.

However, the challenges women face when starting a business are diverse. KfW studies show that equal opportunities between men and women is an important objective in the start-up process. The need for comprehensive change is becoming clear to examine institutional barriers and raise awareness of gender stereotypes. Improving access to venture capital and a stronger focus on growth and innovation are also key areas of action that need to be addressed, according to kfw.de.

In this context, the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection offers over 250 role model entrepreneurs who share their experiences under the “WOMEN’S ENTREPRENEURSHIP” program. With comprehensive support offers, such as the business start-up platform and specific mentoring programs, the number of female founders and their chances of success are to be sustainably increased.