One of Germany’s most successful entrepreneurs Valarie’s been named one of the 50 most influential women in the German tech scene by Handelsblatt. Since 2003, Bures-Bönström has been best known as the co-founder and partner of the fitness studio chain Mrs.Sporty. In order to perfect the Mrs.Sporty training concept, she developed the so-called Pixformance station, a digital training device based on software for functional training. In 2019, Bures-Bönström started the start-up Etone Motion Analysis GmbH, the company behind the VAHA brand, an interactive fitness solution for the home, which has already received an investment in the double-digit million range. VAHA was awarded the Red Dot Award in the Product Design category in 2021 [9] and received the highest awards at the ISPO Award 2021: “Gold Winner” and “Product of the Year”. Valarie recently joined well known European VC, XAnge as Partner and Head of DACH.

Carla’s mission is to create a society in which women have equal opportunities to drive innovation and shape the future for good. Before joining Auxxo as Head of Platform she gained experience at several startups, NGOs and co-founded amelia, a growth accelerator for female young professionals.

Julian is a Partner at Drake Star, advising on M&A and Growth Equity Fundraising. Before joining Drake Star, he was a Partner at GP Bullhound from 2012 to 2023. Julian is a seasoned expert in M&A and has extensive experience on the buy and sell-side. He has advised on over 50 technology M&A and Growth Equity transactions. Before joining GP Bullhound, Julian founded Pure Equity Advisors, a boutique M&A firm, which GP Bullhound later acquired. Julian also worked as a Managing Director at Corporate Finance Partners, focusing on Internet, media, and technology sectors.

Alina, a former Chemical Engineer turned Impact Investor, is driven by her passion for creating a positive impact. At Ananda Impact Ventures, she invests in companies working to fuel impact on a global scale. As the Co-founder of Kleiderly, she revolutionised textile recycling into plastic alternatives. Championing Women of Colour in entrepreneurship through Founderland, Alina’s accolades include Forbes 30 under 30 and features in publications such as Wired, Vogue, and TEDx. More recently, she became an Obama Foundation Leader.

Melina is Principal and VP of Impact at AENU, a ClimateTech VC fund investing across Europe and the US. Prior to AENU, Melina was setting up a $5M Fund for the Alfred Landecker Foundation as its Managing Director and helped build the World Economic Forum’s COVID Alliance for Social Entrepreneurs. Before working in impact VC, Melina worked in diplomacy and built an international non-profit.

Pauline Paquet has been a part of the European tech ecosystem for over a decade. She began her journey as an entrepreneur, followed by a consulting stint at Wavestone, and later managed Startup Support at Paris&Co, France’s leading incubator. There, she coordinated support services available to over 1000 startups across 14 sector-specific incubators. Since 2019, Pauline has led the Startup Success Platform at the European VC XAnge, a team of 4 people (and growing) dedicated to supporting portfolio entrepreneurs with their growth challenges. Pauline has a unique view of the entrepreneurial journey and in depth knowledge about every stage of the startup growth curve from pre-seed to Series B and beyond. Her position has helped her build unique and lasting relationships with founders across Europe and has enabled XAnge to accelerate the growth of their portfolio companies.

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