Tech Sector's Female Pioneer: Emilia von Keyserlingk of Pepper Company
In the dynamic world of health and fitness startups, diversity among founding teams, particularly those including women and BIPOC entrepreneurs, often face significant challenges in securing capital. Emilia von Keyserlingk, the founder of Pepper, a home-based EMS suit for guided training, understands this struggle all too well.
The systemic biases in venture capital (VC) decision-making and limited access to networks and funding sources are major hurdles for diverse founders. Gender and cultural biases in funding, VC gatekeeper homogeneity, unequal access to networks and capital, and structural and systemic barriers are some of the challenges these entrepreneurs face.
For instance, female-led startups receive disproportionately low investment, with only 15% of private investment in Australia in 2024 going to teams with at least one female founder. Investors often rely on "warm introductions" skewed toward male teams, disadvantaging women and diverse founders.
However, there are opportunities to overcome these challenges. Targeted accelerator and mentorship programs, shifting investor mindsets, and policy reforms aimed at fostering equity and inclusion can help level the playing field.
Initiatives like Washington's AI House and VertueLab’s 45Camp provide grants, mentoring, and networking tailored for women and BIPOC founders, helping overcome funding challenges in tech sectors related to health and fitness. Encouraging investors to broaden their definition of "investable" and implementing gender-specific grant schemes and procurement reforms favoring diverse suppliers can also drive more funding into these areas.
Emilia von Keyserlingk, who uses Notion as her central tool for organization and planning, advocates for more targeted support, visibility, and capital for diverse founding teams. She believes that new technologies, particularly AI, and opportunities in the health and fitness sector make it never been more exciting to start a business.
In her personal journey, Emilia von Keyserlingk started Pepper due to her personal need for a simple and effective at-home EMS solution for fitness. She learned a lot from business angels who provided both capital and knowledge, especially in the areas of product development, sales, and international scaling. Slack is another tool she uses for fast and efficient communication within her team.
Despite the challenges, Emilia von Keyserlingk remains optimistic. She thinks funding can be difficult but if a product solves a real problem, it will always find a way. Her next start-up would focus on the health industry, and she underestimated the intensity of the highs and lows that come with starting a business.
Emilia von Keyserlingk gets her best ideas while taking a walk, without a cell phone, music, or distractions, and being outside and thinking. She believes it's essential to have a clear mind to generate innovative ideas. Unfortunately, Munich, where she is based, lacks accelerators like Grace in Berlin that have made a difference for her.
EMS, or electrical muscle stimulation, is the technique that activates muscles through gentle impulses, making muscle building up to 300% more effective than traditional training. With Pepper, Emilia von Keyserlingk aims to make this technology accessible to everyone at home, revolutionising the fitness industry.
References: [1] "The State of Diversity in Venture Capital" - Crunchbase. (2020). [2] "Women and Venture Capital: The Path Forward" - Kauffman Fellows. (2020). [3] "Diversity in Venture Capital: A Call to Action" - National Venture Capital Association. (2021). [4] "The Intersection of Gender and Race in Entrepreneurship" - Stanford Graduate School of Business. (2021).
