Estonians Among The Top Women Startup Players In Europe

"We all understand that women are severely under-represented in the tech industry as a whole, in leadership positions, and when it comes to winning funding. Despite a relatively slow rate of change (it’ll take on average 54 years to achieve economic parity in Western Europe), there are a lot of humans out there kicking ass everyday," writes Charlotte Tucker of the EU-Startups team that is 75% female.

The list was put together, keeping in mind aspects of diversity, including age, background, ethnicity and location across Europe. Among the top were three Estonians: founder and CEO of Funderbeam Kaidi Ruusalepp, founder and CEO of Jobbatical Karoli Hindriks and head of Startup Estonia Maarika Truu.

According to Ruusalepp, who is part of a tech female group in Singapore, the aim of the list is to notice and celebrate a minority - female players in tech industry. "It is the list of women who haven't given up in this very masculine industry and who are breaking the glass ceiling," Ruusalepp said.

In Ruusalepp's opinion the women that made it on the list are the ones who see and do things differently, changing the existing industries. At Funderbeam, the global investing and trading platform, Ruusalepp has introduced a new business model of global exchange for private companies. "I know many of the women on the list and all of them could be my role models. They are all gamechangers," she added.

"I am humbled and honoured to be mentioned in the list of such inspiring and powerful European women. I feel especially proud to see 3 Estonian women out of 50 here in the list, congratulations to Kaidi Ruusalepp and Karoli Hindriks! Such shortlists are important and mainly serving as inspiration to other women but also showcasing the talent and diversity we have in EU. As the women in the shortlist are from various backgrounds it also serves as a great platform for connections,​" said Maarika Truu, the Head of Startup Estonia.

Our 100% female team at foundME.io celebrates the success of Kaidi, Karoli and Maarika, as well as all women in the startup sphere, who keep bringing change to the tech industry.

Find the full list of ‘TOP 50: Europe's most influencial women in the startup and venture capital space’ on EU-Startups.

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