Alma Growth Hacks | The Funding Formula: Secrets of successful founders with Andrea Sommer
Raising funding can feel like an uphill battle - but it doesn’t have to be.
In this session of Alma Growth Hacks, we're joined by Andrea Sommer, Founder of Hive Founders, to discover the key strategies, mindsets and habits that set top founders apart and gain practical insights to help you raise smarter, faster and stronger.
Drawing on her experience supporting early-stage founders, Andrea will share what actually moves the needle when raising capital.
This session will cover:
What separates the founders who raise fast and successfully from the rest?
How do you tell your story so investors listen - and act?
The habits and mindsets that make fundraising less intimidating and more strategic
The session will close with a live Q&A, so bring your real questions 🔥
Whether you’re preparing for your first raise or already in the middle of one, this session will give you practical insights to fundraising.
Andrea is a commercial strategist, entrepreneur, advisor, and investor with global expertise in emerging technology, innovation, investment strategy, and strategic growth. She has built and scaled four technology businesses across hardware and software in addition to consulting for technology brands including Microsoft in the US, South America and Europe.
As the CEO and Co-Founder of Hive Founders, a mission-driven network supporting 5,000+ women and non-binary founders worldwide, to launch, fund, and scale their companies, Andrea also trains new and emerging investors to make more intentional investment decisions. She actively leads Womankind Ventures; a global angel investment group focused on increasing funding for female and non-binary founders and teaches Entrepreneurial Finance at the Bates Center for Entrepreneurship & Leadership.
Proudly featured in numerous press publications including TechCrunch, The Financial Times, Forbes, Medium and Thrive Global, as well as The MBA Entrepreneur and The Start-Up Mum, Andrea was previously Director of Strategic Initiatives Europe at Avanade (Accenture & Microsoft), leading growth, optimization, and M&A projects. She holds a BA from Reed College and an Executive MBA from London Business School, splitting her time between the US and UK.
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About the Alma Community
Alma Angels is Europe’s largest diverse and active investment community on a mission: Generate $1 trillion in women-led wealth by 2050. Since 2020, our non-profit organisation has brought together and trained over 600 angel investors who have invested into 250+ women (co)founders building tech or IP-rich ventures with global ambitions. These companies have gone on to raise more than $300m to date and are valued at $1.6 billion. In 2025, Alma received the “Rising Star Angel Group of the Year” award by the UK Business Angels Association.
Alma Angels is committed to training 10,000 angels and backing 10,000 women founders by 2035.