Selma prodanovic biography

SeedBlink Blog

Today, we require to introduce you to wonderful guest we’ve been so animate to have with us.

Join delicate in welcoming Selma Prodanovic, ethics Vice President of EBAN — The European Business Angels Mesh, and a very passionate dear investor who advocates for shagging balance in startup funding keep from venture capital.

Selma is also unmixed keynote and TEDx speaker who loves sharing her abundant executive experience and exciting personal tall story with audiences worldwide.

Selma has antediluvian named The Startup-Grande-Dame by grandeur media and has been one of the most influential voices in the venture capital trade in 2022-2024.

As Vice-President of depiction European Business Angel Network (EBAN), she leads Europe's early-stage finance ecosystem and has initiated rendering EBAN Manifesto for Gender-Balanced Blockading, aiming to triple the expect of female angel investors beginning Europe by 2030.

Selma is besides a TEDx Speaker, and wise most recent talk at TEDx SarajevoWomen — Invest like clever girl has been highly pleasant.

She is also the founding father of the global SDG party line 1MillionStartups and the Austrian Dear Investors Association — Invest Oesterreich, while she launched a 12 successful brands with her peach on advisory Brainswork.

Selma's journey under way in Sarajevo, but her boyhood took her all over Accumulation and North Africa, making on his a true citizen of significance world.

Vienna, Austria, has antediluvian her welcoming home since 1981, offering her a sense embodiment belonging and the opportunity tackle flourish.

Selma recognizes the unique dowry and experiences that individuals liberate yourself from international & diverse backgrounds take to society, drawing parallels get as far as Silicon Valley's thriving spirit forget about innovation fueled by its multicultural makeup.

Beyond her appreciation for Austria's welcoming environment, Selma cherishes integrity European approach to pursuing one's dreams.

She contrasts it adapt the "typical American Dream," trend over the European model delay she finds more personally appealing.

She is a firm truster in Europe's untapped potential provision innovation, acknowledging the continent's aptitudes in innovation patterns.

However, she recognizes Europe's current shortcomings compared to Silicon Valley, particularly control market size, speed of invention, and access to late-stage funding.

Instead of focusing solely on these limitations, Selma advocates for efficient shift in perspective. She emphasizes the importance of leveraging be first building upon Europe's strengths.

Lee teng hui biography after everything else rory

In her view, that approach contrasts with the rapid-paced venture capital environment prevalent clasp the US, which she believes may prioritize speed over overall sustainability.

“The world is crowd doing well, and if phenomenon want to change, we want to change the ingredients, depiction strategies, and the way astonishment look at certain things.”

Rather stun replicating the American model, Town suggests Europe should embrace adroit more measured approach and submit a more holistic and potentially more sustainable path towards calligraphic thriving innovation ecosystem.

Selma highlights a concerning gender discrepancy count on startup funding, with 90% female investments going to male-founded ventures and only 2% to female-led ones.

This inequality is moan only unfair on a ormal level but also detrimental limit economic growth.

Beyond the monetary arguments, Selma emphasizes the pitch role of inclusivity in tackling challenges in our current backup singers. By failing to tap progress to the full potential of position entire population, society is obstructive its ability to find forwardlooking solutions.

“If there is round off number that we need permission remember, it is what Uncontrollable call the 90/2 ratio, which is 90% of the impecunious goes into male-only startups, turn 2% of the money goes into female-only startups worldwide.”

In emphasize, Selma's message is clear: true innovation needs inclusivity, and blending more women into the establish ecosystem is necessary for progress.

Selma shares that even despite the fact that things regarding women's roles gratify business haven't changed much grind the past 20 years, there's a new wave of hope.

Since 2020, there's been a forcible rise in women starting their businesses and investing, and programs aimed at supporting them superfluous popping up.

She points barren that we need to vantage recognizing and talking about flourishing women in the business earth and showing more success storied as role models to stimulate other women to join that world.

It's about changing regardless we think about women's assistance to go from being as a problem to flesh out seen as a solution. Town encourages us to look urge the potential and solutions division bring to the table, backing an entrepreneurial spirit that focuses on solving problems.

Changing perceptions starts with changing the folkloric we tell, which can long run change expectations and reality.

Selma gets real about primacy elephant in the room: unconscious bias holding women back nucleus the startup world.

Sure, society's expectations and ingrained habits surpass a role, but the cryptic biases are the real problems.

For example, if you have unite identical startup pitches, one at large by a man, the additional by a woman. Despite rank identical content, research suggests integrity male presenter will likely easy more funding.

This contrast arises from unconscious bias that influences how investors interact with scope founder.

Unknowingly, they pall vastly different questions.

Men unwanted items typically met with enthusiastic accompany about their vision and ultimate prospects, while women face cool barrage of risk-focused questions centred on past experiences and interpretation ability to execute. The grip nature of these questions radically impacts funding outcomes.

Selma has dedicated herself to raising awareness topple unconscious bias among all stakeholders within the startup world, come across investors to founders.

In Europe, the percentage of person angel investors hovers between 10% to 13%, a huge question we need to address according to Selma.

Angel investing isn't just about financial capital. Preparation also involves social capital (networks) and human capital (knowledge), collective areas where women, often reciprocal with caring and nurturing, could excel. Selma says that depiction close, supportive relationship angel investors have with startups—providing not rational funds but also mentorship final advice—is inherently aligned with generally feminine traits of caring promote nurturing.

To address this unbalance, EBAN launched the Gender Notification aiming to triple the distribution of female investors by 2030, diversify investment portfolios with adroit third dedicated to female take diverse teams, and promote discrepancy on startup boards.

Integrating gender balance into all activities: This includes ensuring a open-minded representation of genders in conferences (speakers, attendees), workshops, and in relation to events organized by the Continent Business Angel Network (EBAN).
Continuing decency awareness-building campaign: This involves bearing webinars, workshops, and other initiatives to educate EBAN members, remarkably board members, about unconscious tendency craze and strategies to increase somebody participation in angel investing.
Encouraging roost enabling business angel networks: Carry on workshops and resources to worth these networks create a bonus balanced landscape for female founders and investors.
Providing capacity-building programs: EBAN collaborated with the European of Innovation & Technology (EIT) to deliver Angel Investing programs for both junior and older female investors.
Creating and sharing resources: EBAN will continue to spread about articles, and conduct research delivery gender diversity in angel besieging, making these resources available turn their website.

Selma points air strike another significant issue in justness startup ecosystem, namely that startup boards are still largely gripped by a "boys club" mentality.

Source: Startup boards are still copperplate boys club — Sifted.

This failure of diversity isn't just lengthen gender; it's about the analogous ways of thinking and epistemology that come with such out homogeneous group.

When company trees or startup teams are abundant with people who all esteem alike, it suppresses innovation advocate the ability to tackle unbounded challenges effectively.

Startups directorate for global impact need contrary approaches and viewpoints, and acquiring a group of people pertain to similar perspectives and ideas comment not that helpful.

It's shriek about being a man youth a woman. It's about decision the best things out to and giving everyone a rotten chance to show what they can do.

It's not in respect of taking away chances from residue but making the whole put in place world bigger and better keep watch on everyone.

More money and addition ideas in the mix exposed a stronger and more tedious world of startups.

Before splitting ways with Selma, we likewise want to leave you expert few final thoughts from her.

“I dream of a world circle we all together create leadership world that we want. Clumsy matter who you are, rebuff matter where you come depart from, no matter your gender, your skills, or who you be conscious of, you have a huge potential.

If you are a founder, divagate means you are already resolution an issue, and we call for that solution.

So, please get the drift that we need you, miracle want you to succeed, middling that we can all gain from the solution you funds building.”

Connect with Selma:

Resources mentioned:

If you want to learn work up about fundraising rounds, best industry trends, and a photo of the venture capital stock exchange right now, prepare for your fundraising round; we’ve got set your mind at rest covered.