Raising Europe: The Future of Fashion Tech
Tom Guinness (Raising Europe), Phoebe Gormley (FitCollective), Valerie Aelbrecht (AlbionVC)
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Hosted by Raising Europe Podcast
In this episode of the Raising Europe Podcast, Tom Guinness speaks with Phoebe Gormley, founder and CEO of Fit Collective, and Valerie Aelbrecht, VC at AlbionVC, about the realities of building and funding startups as a female founder.
Phoebe recently raised the largest ever pre-seed round by a solo female founder in the UK. In the episode, she shares the journey behind that milestone — including the challenges of fundraising in a space where many investors may not immediately recognise the problem being solved.
From the dynamics of pitching to predominantly male investors, to the importance of persistence, data, and conviction, the conversation offers a candid look at the barriers that still exist — and the progress being made.
Valerie also reflects on how the venture ecosystem is evolving, the importance of representation in investing, and why supporting the next generation of female founders is essential to building stronger companies and a stronger tech ecosystem. Drawing on her perspective as both a VC and a former founder, she shares how lived operating experience can shape the way investors support founders through the realities of building a company.
Following International Women’s Day, it’s a timely conversation on the persistence it takes to build a company — and why backing diverse founders matters for the future of innovation.
- Raising Europe’s Website: https://raisingeurope.com/
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5kcVS2nMQQ3Qf26TGCORGv?si=UNU3r10MRuuXkczYf_5osA
- YouTube: https://youtu.be/bsSGQKRiI_c
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