Female Founders Brunch with Dr. Gerda Frank

On July 4, 2025, the Female Founders Brunch brought together an engaged group of women for an open and inspiring exchange with Dr. Gerda Frank.

Dr. Gerda Frank brings extensive experience in transforming research into successful businesses. Over the course of her career, she has been involved in multiple deep-tech ventures, was co-founder of the KIT spin-off Prio Optics, served as CFO of INERATEC, and has supported numerous spin-offs and start-ups as a mentor and sparring partner. These roles represent important chapters within a much broader professional and entrepreneurial journey, shaped by diverse responsibilities, continuous learning, and long-term engagement with innovation-driven organizations.

At the brunch, Dr. Frank shared these experiences in a deeply personal and reflective way. Rather than presenting a linear success story, she spoke about her life path, the decisions she made along her professional journey, and the steps that gradually led her to where she is today. She reflected on pivotal moments, changes in direction, and the mindset required to move forward — especially when outcomes are uncertain. Her story illustrated how entrepreneurial roles often emerge over time and through opportunity, curiosity, and the willingness to take responsibility.

A central theme of the discussion was networking. Dr. Frank emphasized that networks create opportunities long before they become visible and that building, maintaining, and actively using networks is a critical success factor — particularly for female founders. She encouraged participants to view networking not as self-promotion, but as mutual support, trust-building, and long-term relationship development.

Beyond her role as a speaker, Dr. Frank is also actively supporting the exist Women program at KIT as a mentor. Her engagement goes far beyond individual events: she contributes her experience, challenges perspectives, and supports founders in developing confidence and clarity in their decisions. In doing so, she acts not only as a role model for aspiring founders, but as a true source of inspiration and momentum for the wider female founder ecosystem.

The Female Founders Brunch is part of the exist Women programme within DeepTechHub, which promotes female founders and aims to strengthen a collaborative and supportive start-up community. Participation is open to all women interested in entrepreneurship.

Thank you, Dr. Gerda Frank, for your openness, your continued mentorship, and your commitment to strengthening the ecosystem for female founders.