Own your story: Personal branding for women entrepreneurs

In the entrepreneurial world, founders are expected to communicate their vision, expertise and achievements confidently. However, research shows that women often engage less in self-promotion and present their accomplishments more cautiously than men. Combined with unconscious gender biases in entrepreneurship, this can affect their visibility, networking, fundraising and career opportunities. This event aims to provide practical tips on personal branding and effective communication from experts and female founders.

What to expect:

An engaging session combining research-based insights, entrepreneurial experiences and practical advice. The keynote speaker will share reflections based on her interactions with numerous women founders, followed by a panel with two female founders from different sectors sharing their experiences and suggestions. The event will conclude with a networking apéro.

Agenda

17:30   Welcome and introduction
17:40   Keynote on personal branding and unconscious gender biases – Patricia M. Montesinos

18:10   Panel discussion – Alexandra Cetatoiu from CC Cardio and Alina Russ, ex-founder of Lola’s Kitchen
19:00   Networking apéro

About the keynote speaker and the panelists

Patricia M. Montesinos, MBA, is a serial entrepreneur, startup coach, and mentor to senior women through the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) EmpowerHer programme. She is the initiator and Founder & President of FE+MALE Think Tank, a Zurich-based nonprofit transforming research into evidence-based initiatives that advance gender diversity in entrepreneurship. With extensive international experience across industries and countries, Patricia is also the author of Female Entrepreneurs and Investors: We Dare, but We Do Not Match!  a call to action to bridge the gap between entrepreneurial ambition and access to capital.

Alina Russ is a Zurich-based entrepreneur and marketing strategist who founded and grew Lola’s Kitchen from scratch to more than 37,000 customers, raising CHF 1.5 million in funding and using social media as a key growth driver. Today, she advises companies and organisations on marketing and social media and shares her entrepreneurial experience as a guest lecturer at Swiss universities, including HSG and FHNW.

Alexandra Cetatoiu is the co-founder of CC Cardio and a PhD candidate in Bioengineering at Politecnico di Milano, where she researches computational approaches for complex congenital heart diseases. She holds a Master’s degree in Medical Sciences from Brown University and is developing CC Cardio’s catheter-delivered heart pump for patients with single-ventricle conditions. CC Cardio won first prize at the Boldbrain Startup Challenge 2025.

This event is part of the Innosuisse Entrepreneurship Training organised in Ticino by USI Startup Centre in collaboration with SUPSI.

Register here: https://www.events-startup.usi.ch/increase-diversity