{"id":104802,"date":"2024-09-24T08:23:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-24T06:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cms.munich-startup.net\/?p=104802"},"modified":"2024-10-28T13:44:17","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T12:44:17","slug":"tina-ruseva-women-in-tech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms.munich-startup.net\/en\/104802\/tina-ruseva-women-in-tech\/","title":{"rendered":"Tina Ruseva: \u201cTransformation requires learning and collective collaboration\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Munich Startup:<\/em> Did you start the business alone or with partners?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tina Ruseva:<\/em> Alone, and always looking for partnerships. At Mentessa, I'm excited to be working with my husband for the first time, in a family-run business. He officially joined as a co-founder with the 2022 financing round, but has always been my biggest fan and supporter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Munich Startup:<\/em> What motivated you to start the company?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tina Ruseva<\/em>: Between my startups, I returned to the corporate world for a few years. I was shocked by how little communication there was\u2014between different functions, but also between departments and hierarchical levels. Such silos not only create inefficiencies, they also degrade the corporate culture and inhibit innovation. As a founder, I knew that creating something new requires exchange and collaboration with experts. Transformation also requires learning and collaboration within a collective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even large corporations today rely on this culture of dialogue to avoid being pushed out of the market in times of rapid change. It also makes the world of work fairer, for example, for women. This is precisely where I wanted to make a difference. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tina Ruseva: \u201cYou can\u2019t achieve anything great alone\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Munich Startup<\/em>: What would you have liked to have known before you started your first company?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tina Ruseva: <\/em>I wish I'd known earlier about the driving force of good, productive working relationships. Because you can't accomplish anything great alone. By that, I don't mean the strategic, upward-oriented "networking" that's so prevalent today, but rather the interactions between people and the social integration within a team. Connection creates commitment and opens doors where they would otherwise remain closed. For a long time, I also wasn't aware of how I was perceived outside as a woman in tech, as a woman in leadership, or as a "female founder." To be honest, I'm glad about that, because it allowed me to pursue my goals authentically. Ultimately, that's what matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Munich Startup:<\/em><\/strong> <\/strong>How has your company been financed so far?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tina Ruseva: <\/em>We were bootstrapped for the first two and a half years until we reached a turnover of 500,000 euros. Then in 2022 came a pre-seed round from Eleven Ventures (VC)<\/a> as well as 2023 a major EU funding for EIT Digital<\/a>A good mix of financing sources makes us flexible and resilient in the face of change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good mix of financing sources <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Munich Startup:<\/em> When and where do you get the best ideas?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tina Ruseva: <\/em>When I'm out walking the dog. There, I usually meet other dog owners who have nothing to do with my profession and who open up very interesting new perspectives for me. Exchanging ideas outside of the bubble is very important for creativity and problem-solving. The same thing happens with books from other disciplines. That's why I enjoy reading a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Munich Startup:<\/em> What are your 3 favorite work tools?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tina Ruseva:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n