Female Founders Lounge by Science & Startups - Engineering Relationships: The Founder Skills No One Trains
You can have the best product, the smartest pitch, the cleanest tech and still lose the company because you couldn't have one hard conversation with your co-founder.
Relationships are not soft. They are the operating system founders build on. And in the AI era, when anyone can ship a feature in a weekend, the founders who win are the ones who build trust faster, ask for truth louder, and stop performing nice.
For three hours we engineer better relationships with co-founders, role models, experts and ourselves. 50% inspiration, 50% practice. You leave with one feedback script you can use the next day, and one outside-brain perspective on a real challenge you're carrying right now.
What we'll work on
Why relationship-building is the unfair advantage in the AI era
Co-founder, investor, and client relationships without losing yourself
Practice speaking uncomfortable truths so they land instead of bruise
Live problem-solving: bring a current challenge, leave with at least one outside perspectives
Programme
18:00 · Arrival & grounding A short guided meditation to land out of the workday, into the room.
18:20 · Founder Story Slot Three relatable role models share two concrete tools each from their daily practice. Not their highlight reel. The actual stuff they use.
18:50 · Interactive Exercise 1 — Critical Feedback Practical training on speaking uncomfortable truths without collapsing into harmony. You leave with one script you can run on Monday.
19:25 · Interactive Exercise 2 — Challenge-Solving Bring a real current challenge (co-founder search, hard investor conversation, client situation). The group becomes your outside brain.
20:00 · Open networking With the speakers, the community, and the new people you just told the truth to.
21:00 · Closing
Venue
We're hosted by AI Nation Campus, one of Berlin's most active hubs at the intersection of technology, science, and entrepreneurship. Drinks and light snacks are being served. The space does the rest.
Who this is for
Female-identifying founders building science-driven companies. Women considering founding. And male allies who want to be part of changing the system or face similar problems.
Bring your hard questions. Leave the small talk at the door.
Why these evenings work
Since October 2022, we've run 15+ Female Founder Lounges. Over 680 founders have come through. We're rooted in Science & Startups, the joint startup service of FU, HU and TU Berlin, in Europe's #1 startup capital.
We don't do celebrity panels, we do relatable role models, one or two steps ahead of you, who still remember being exactly where you are. We don't do passive listening, we do skills you walk out with.
Logistics
The event is free of charge. We ask you to RSVP only if you genuinely intend to be there, spots are limited and there's usually a waitlist.
Code of conduct: no harassment · respect always · be on time · phones away during exercises · constructive over harsh · no pitching or recruiting · make room for quieter voices · look out for each other · tell Katja or Marta (the hosts) if anything feels off.
About Us
Female Founders Lounge by Science & Startups is a Berlin-based event series for female founders who turn scientific ideas into scalable companies (and those who plan to do so) and learn the skills to actually thrive in the startup arena.
Since 2022 we bring together relatable role models, hands-on skill training, and a collaborative community to strengthen the European founder ecosystem. Open to women and allies who want to learn, share knowledge, and co-create a more innovative, diverse, and fair startup landscape in Europe.