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FEM START | Next level

13 May 2026
  • PLNT
13:30 - 16:00
  • Community

Ready to move into financing?

FEM-START Next Level is the in-depth program for women founders who are further along in their growth and want to prepare themselves for raising capital. In this track, you work toward investability by sharpening your positioning, developing a solid funding strategy and building the acuity and confidence to conduct conversations with funders convincingly.
Together with other ambitious founders, you’ll delve into how funders decide, what forms of funding are appropriate for your stage, and how to position your company convincingly for a successful application. At the same time, you will build active connections with the broader funding landscape, from banks and funds to investors, and test your story in realistic settings.
After participating, you will be concretely prepared: you will have a clear positioning story, a clear funding strategy and know the next steps needed to raise capital.
Conditions for participation
  • Active Chamber of Commerce registration
  • Company with concrete growth ambition
  • Deliberate choice to raise capital (in the foreseeable future)
  • Clear business case and first form of validation
  • Willingness to actively work toward investability

✔ Participation is free
✔ Applications close April 6

Please note: in order to attend the workshop at PLNT, please sign up for the entire 5-module program. More information about FEM-START can be found here!

What can you expect during the program?

Online modules

You will have access to online modules in which you will learn how financiers look, what forms of capital are appropriate for your stage and how to position your business investably.

Develop

You’ll hone your story and presentation from an investor perspective so you’re prepared for real conversations about funding.

Grow

Thanks to exclusive partnerships with A&O Shearman, KPMG Meijburg & Co and angel investors, participants will have access to high-quality legal, tax and investment insights that contribute to investable growth.

The program

The kick-off of FEM-START Next Level. In this kick-off, you’ll meet other women founders who, like you, are focused on funding and build a strong peer community.
You sharpen your growth goal and funding ambition, get clarity on the rules of the capital game, and position yourself and your company for the next phase. Thus, from day one you set focus, direction and commitment on your route to investability.
In this module you lay the financial foundation for your financing strategy. You will gain a clear understanding of what type of financing is appropriate for your growth phase and ambition, and what financiers expect from your figures, market potential and risk assessment.
You will learn how financiers look at balance sheet, cash flow and results, how to convincingly substantiate your market and how to translate your funding needs into a clear, professional story. This is how you make the step from insight to a financially sound and fundable proposition.

Practical info:

Thursday, April 9

walk-in: 15:30
16:00 – 18:00
(followed by networking drinks!)

Location: Titan – Saturnusstraat 95, The Hague

In this module you lay the financial foundation for your financing strategy. You will gain a clear understanding of what type of financing is appropriate for your growth phase and ambition, and what financiers expect from your figures, market potential and risk assessment.

You will learn how financiers look at balance sheet, cash flow and bottom line, how to convincingly substantiate your market, and how to translate your funding needs into a clear, professional story.

This is how you move from insight to a financially sound and fundable proposition.
Practical info:

Thursday, April 16

walk-in: 1:30 p.m.
2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Location: Rabobank The Hague – Bezuidenhoutseweg 5, The Hague

In this module, you will sharpen your value proposition and pitch from a customer and funder perspective. You will learn how to validate assumptions, achieve a strong problem-solution fit and build your story logically, sharply and convincingly.
You will develop a pitch that not only inspires but also shows why your venture is fundable, laying a solid foundation for the investor interviews in the following modules.
Practical info:

Tuesday, April 21

09:00 – 10:30 a.m.

Location: Online

In this module you step into the world of financiers and experience how investors think, ask questions and make decisions. You will practice your pitch and positioning in realistic investor interviews and learn to deal with critical questions and follow-up questions.
Through direct feedback from experts and peers, you test your story, sharpen your delivery and build the confidence to conduct conversations with funders professionally and convincingly.
Practical info:

Wednesday, May 13

walk-in: 1:30 p.m.
2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Location: PLNT – Langegracht 70, Leiden

The Investment Readiness Finals consist of two parts: deepening and reviewing.
We start with an exclusive workshop carousel by A&O Shearman and KPMG Meijburg, in which participants get practical insights on legal, tax and angel investing, precisely the prerequisites investors look out for in the phase leading up to funding.
Selected founders then pitch their companies to investors and experts, who review them for investability, strategy and rationale.
At the end of the Finals, one Investor Readiness Award is presented to the founder who is most ready for the next step toward funding.
We will conclude with the presentation of certificates and networking drinks.
Practical info:

Thursday, May 20

walk-in: 1:30 p.m.
2:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Location: YesDelft – Molengraaffsingel 12, Delft

In addition to the regular modules, we organize four digital coaching sessions. These sessions are non-binding and designed for questions, further deepening and honing your next step toward growth and capital.

Dates & times

– Monday, April 13 – 3 p.m. | Overall
– Monday, April 20 – 3:00 p.m. | Investor readiness
– Monday, May 11 – 3:00 p.m. | Customer and growth story
– Monday, May 18 – 3:00 p.m. | Pitches

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