Female Founders Rise Show

Hosted by Emmie and Mae
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Honest Talk From Female Founders. Each week, Emmie Faust and Mae Yip break down what it actually takes to build a business - funding, growth, burnout, parenting, and everything in between. Regularly joined by founders, investors and operators who've either raised a million, made a million or raised millions. Just the conversations female founders need, every week. Brought to you by Female Founders Rise - a community of 11,000+ female entrepreneurs.

Episodes

  1. 11h ago

    From B2B SaaS to Fashion Tech: The Serial Founder Who Exited 33 X & Is Doing It All Again | Vic Peppiatt

    She raised just under $5 million, built a B2B SaaS company powering brands like eBay, Facebook, Netflix and Sephora, and exited in 2022 - delivering a 33X return for her earliest investors. In this episode, Emmie and Mae sit down with third-time founder Vic to unpack the exit playbook most founders never see. From building Phrasee (language models before ChatGPT existed) to hitting the $10M ARR sweet spot that makes a SaaS business sellable, this is a masterclass in building with the exit in mind. Then Vic flips the script and shares what she's building next: Hey Savi, a B2C fashion tech startup that just partnered with PayPal to launch the UK's first agentic commerce platform. She opens up about the candid conversation she had with her husband — "I can make us rich, you look after the kids" — and why she's betting on consumer tech after a decade in B2B SaaS. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: → How Vic turned a £5M raise into a 33X exit → Why she built Phrasee to sell from day one — and what that actually means → The $10M ARR sweet spot that makes a B2B SaaS business sellable → What angel investors really look for (from someone who's been on both sides) → Why Vic is pivoting from B2B SaaS to B2C fashion tech with Hey Savi → Inside the PayPal partnership: the UK's first agentic commerce platform → The "I can make us rich" conversation: navigating partnership and parenting as a founder → The moment the exit process nearly broke her — and what kept her going KEY MOMENTS: → 00:00 - The hat trick: made, raised, and exited for a million → 01:29 - 33X returns: one angel turned £12,500 into £900,000 tax-free → 02:16 - Building to exit vs waiting to be approached → 03:49 - Angel investing: what Vic looks for now → [+] - Hey Savi: Vic's B2C pivot and the PayPal partnership → 15:53 - "I can make us rich — you look after the kids" → 19:05 - Best investment: believing she could do it → 19:40 - The exit process nearly broke her → 20:08 - Eat that frog: her one piece of advice for every woman founder RESOURCES & MENTIONS: → SEIS tax relief scheme → Vic on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriapeppiatt/ → Hey Savi x PayPal — UK's first agentic commerce platform: https://heysavi.com/ → Download the episode playbook: https://femalefoundersriseshow.com/ ABOUT THE SHOW: Honest talk from female founders who've made a million, raised a million, or exited for a million. Hosted by Emmie Faust and Mae Yip. New episodes every week. CONNECT WITH US: → Join Female Founders Rise Free: https://femalefoundersrise.com/ → Emmie on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/emmiefaust → Mae on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/mae-yip-9017b238 → Download the episode playbook: https://femalefoundersriseshow.com/ → Female Founders Rise Show on Instagram: https://instagram.com/ffr.show

  2. Jul 6

    The Entrepreneurial Mindset: What It Is & Do You Have It?

    Hosts Mae & Emmie unpack the five mindset traits that separate those who think like an entrepreneur from those who don't. Not everyone is cut out for it and most people don't know which side they're on. Do you actually have the entrepreneurial mindset? And do you even know what it is? Drawing from their own journeys, from Emmie running a major Google event with zero prior experience to building Female Founders Rise using nothing but Google Forms and LinkedIn, this episode is a candid, no-filter look at what it really takes to build a business. The 5 traits every entrepreneur needs: Growth Orientation - The belief that you can learn and figure things out rather than being born with a fixed set of skills. "I can do that, and I will find a way." Resourcefulness - Making the most of what you already have. Your network, your existing skills, free tools - start there. "What DO I have and what can I make use of?" Comfort With Ambiguity - Being okay with uncertainty. Something always goes wrong. It's not a bug - it's the job. "When you're in a high, don't get too excited. When you're in a low, remember tomorrow something good will probably happen." Bias to Action - Executing before you feel ready. "Perfectionism robs you of joy. You just gotta ship it." Feedback beats perfection every time. Resilience & Reframing - You get knocked down constantly. The founders who make it are the ones who keep getting back up - and who surround themselves with other founders who get it. This episode is for every female founder in the messy middle who needs to hear: you're not alone, the struggle is normal, and the mindset you're building right now is your greatest asset. Connect with us:  → Join Female Founders Rise Free: https://femalefoundersrise.com/  → Emmie on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/emmiefaust  → Mae on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/mae-yip-9017b238  → Download the episode playbook: https://femalefoundersriseshow.com/  → Female Founders Rise Show on Instagram: https://instagram.com/ffr.show

  3. Jun 30

    Married Co-Founders, AI, and the Pivot That Raised $1.3m with Emily Kucharksi

    Emily Kucharski was a director at WPP and Publicis. Then she went on maternity leave, taught herself to code, and co-founded an AI company with her husband. They have since raised over $1.3 million for Wholesum, an AI-native enterprise platform that helps organisations make sense of unstructured text data. In this conversation, Emmie and Mae dug into the fundraising playbook Emily built over three years, why her initial venture's "failure" became the single biggest asset in her raise, and what VCs actually mean when they talk about 100X growth. They also unpacked the AI trust gap - 86% of companies are adopting AI, but only 6% are seeing meaningful benefits - and the copilot-versus-autopilot framework. The second half of the episode goes deep on what it is like to co-found with your spouse: how Emily and her husband protect their personal life, why married co-founders statistically outperform, and the legal and emotional guardrails every founding team needs. Topics covered   - How a failed parenting platform led to a $1.3M AI raise   - Building an investor network before you need it   - Why enterprise sales signal "100X" to VCs   - The AI trust failure: 86% adoption, 6% results   - Copilot AI vs. autopilot AI - and when each makes sense   - Married co-founder dynamics: boundaries, trust, and legal agreements   - Three AI tasks every founder should automate right now Download the episode playbook: https://femalefoundersriseshow.com/ Find out more about Wholesum: https://wholesum.tech/ Emily on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-kucharski/ Links & Resources: → Join Female Founders Rise Free: https://femalefoundersrise.com/  → Emmie on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/emmiefaust → Mae on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/mae-yip-9017b238  → Female Founders Rise Show on Instagram: https://instagram.com/ffr.show

  4. Jun 23

    How I Raised £1M From Angel Investors: My Six-Step Playbook

    Mae raised nearly £1M from over 15 angel investors and most of it came through cold outreach. One LinkedIn DM landed her £250,000. Another cold email brought in £75,000. In this episode, she walks Emmie through the exact six-step playbook founders ask her about the most: how she prepared, where she found angels, what she said, and the parts nobody posts on LinkedIn. If you're fundraising right now - or about to start - this one covers the full picture. The rejections. The "Dear First Name" mass-email disaster. The emotional toll. And the surprise that changed everything: for most of her angels, the pitch deck barely mattered. The conversation came first. What's inside: Mae's six-step angel fundraising playbook (Prepare → Admin & Legal → Momentum → How to Find Angels → Hustle → Set Expectations)How to get SEIS/EIS advance assurance and why it makes you instantly more investableWhy the "grandma test" matters more than your pitch deckCold outreach that actually works: emails, LinkedIn DMs, and what to sayAngel syndicates, networks and collectives explained (and which ones to approach)How to vet an investor with one question so you stop wasting timeWhy a "no" isn't a no forever - and how to keep doors openThe reality behind big funding announcements (spoiler: it's usually small, bitty rounds)Hosted by Emmie Faust, serial entrepreneur, angel investor and founder of Female Founders Rise. Links & Resources: Download the episode playbook: https://femalefoundersriseshow.comJoin Female Founders Rise (free): https://femalefoundersrise.comSEIS/EIS advance assurance: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/venture-capital-schemes-apply-to-use-the-seed-enterprise-investment-schemeFounderCatalyst: https://foundercatalyst.comDocSend: https://www.docsend.comAlma Angels: https://www.almaangels.co.ukConnect with us: Emmie on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/emmiefaustMae on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/mae-yip-9017b238Female Founders Rise Show on Instagram: https://instagram.com/ffr.show

  5. Jun 16

    From Side Hustle To Building A Fashion Empire w Eshita Kabra, Founder of By Rotation

    Eshita Kabra is the founder and CEO of By Rotation, the world’s largest peer-to-peer fashion rental app. She built it as a side hustle while working in finance, strategically walked away when the numbers made sense, and has since raised over £5 million - all while navigating the venture capital world as a South Asian woman who was told to "stick to her roots." In this episode, Emmie and Mae sit down with Eshita to talk about: The honeymoon in Rajasthan where she saw textile waste firsthand and knew something had to change How she created a financial model to calculate exactly when to leave her six-figure finance career What happened when her boss told her they could "pretend this conversation never happened" Raising the hardest first million - and why her ex-colleagues became her earliest investors The bias she faced from investors who wanted her to focus only on Indian-specific fashion The UN speech that earned a standing ovation: "Women of color don't need mentorship - they need money" How By Rotation's top lenders are funding IVF, home deposits, and life-changing milestones Integrating pregnancy into her brand - maternity rentals, hiring a chief of staff, and rejecting the pressure to hide it Why fundraising is glamourised and what actually matters: resourcefulness, hard work, and knowing how to spend your own money This conversation is raw, honest, and packed with practical wisdom for any founder navigating startup funding, pitching investors, and building something bigger than yourself. About the Guest: Eshita Kabra is the founder and CEO of By Rotation, the world’s largest peer-to-peer fashion rental platform with over 500,000 users. Prior to By Rotation, she spent six and a half years as an investor in corporate bonds. She has spoken at the United Nations on sustainable fashion and is a champion for women of color in venture capital. Connect with Eshita → https://www.linkedin.com/in/eshitakabra/ By Rotation → https://byrotation.com Connect with us → Join Female Founders Rise Free: https://femalefoundersrise.com/ Emmie on LinkedIn → https://linkedin.com/in/emmiefaust Mae on LinkedIn → https://linkedin.com/in/mae-yip-9017b238 → Download the episode playbook → https://femalefoundersriseshow.com/ Female Founders Rise Show on Instagram → https://instagram.com/ffr.show Listen on Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/51thW8i

  6. Jun 9

    Having a Baby & Running 3 Businesses w Lottie Unwin

    Solo founder. Self-funded. Three businesses. 10-month-old baby. Lottie built Brand Hackers, Upworld, and Up Talent without VC, without a co-founder - and without slowing down. Here's what the juggle actually looks like. In this episode of the Female Founders Rise Show, Emmie Faust and Mae Yip sit down with Lottie to get honest about building a business after a baby - the planning, the personal branding, the 8pm deep work sessions, and why the juggle doesn't have to be a hot potato. → Download the episode playbook: https://femalefoundersriseshow.com/ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 - Intro & meet Lottie: solo founder, three businesses, one baby 2:30 - The three businesses: Brand Hackers, Upworld & Up Talent 5:00 - Going into motherhood with incredibly low expectations (and why it helped) 8:00 - The "exam question": planning for maternity leave 18 months in advance 11:30 - The work schedule that actually works: 9-3 childcare + 8pm deep work 15:00 - Taking your baby to meetings (and closing deals because of it) 18:00 - Personal branding for founders: why you have to post on LinkedIn every day 22:00 - The first 30 days of LinkedIn are brutal - here's how to get through them 25:00 - AI in marketing: why marketers need to be exceptional AI or lose their jobs 29:00 - The biggest mistake founders make with marketing (you're not Red Bull) 32:00 - No mum guilt: how Lottie thinks about being present at work and at home 36:00 - One piece of advice for founders balancing a baby and a business ABOUT LOTTIE Solo founder of Brand Hackers (fractional marketing teams for brands), Upworld (a community of nearly 4,000 startup marketers), and Up Talent (connecting startups with top-tier marketing talent). Entirely self-funded - no VC, no outside investment, just sheer determination. Connect with Lottie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lottie-unwin-she-her-7b577742/ CONNECT WITH US  → Join Female Founders Rise Free: https://femalefoundersrise.com/  → Emmie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmiefaust/  → Mae on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mae-yip-9017b238   → Download the episode playbook: https://femalefoundersriseshow.com/  → Female Founders Rise Show on Instagram: @ffr.show  → Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bl95QZVzrkA

  7. Jun 2

    VC Secrets Unlocked With Rupa Popat

    Emmie and Mae sit down with Rupa Popat - exited founder, angel investor, and VC fund manager with close to $70 million in assets under management. Rupa brings a rare perspective: she's been a founder who failed her first raise, went on to exit her first business to a listed company, backed over 30 companies as an angel, and now runs Arāya Ventures which includes the Arāya Sie Fund, backing only female founders and completed its first close just weeks before this recording.  In this episode they cover the real difference between angel and VC money (and why it matters more than founders think), what genuinely makes a business VC-backable in the current AI landscape, and the three things Rupa would tell every first-time female founder to do before pitching a single investor. There's also a moment that will surprise a lot of founders: Rupa's take on personalising investor emails. Download the free one-page playbook for this episode at https://femalefoundersriseshow.com/ Recorded live at The Fable, London You'll learn: Whether your business is actually VC-backable - and how to know before you pitchWhat gets a VC to open your email when they see 75 pitches a weekWhy you should build your data room before your first investor callHow to use strategic angels to create FOMO with VCsWhat to say when a VC asks your valuation and you don't have an answer yetResources mentioned:  Arāya Signal (Rupa's newsletter for founders): https://arayasignal.com/  Apply to Arāya Ventures: https://airtable.com/appig9dfaVY4inUvw/pagT6NVSWYlpwrcbF/form Araya Sie Fund: https://www.sie.ventures/araya-sie-fund Female Founders Rise: https://femalefoundersrise.com/

  8. May 26

    How To Get To Your First £100K

    Emmie Faust and Mae Yip tackle one of the most Googled questions in the founder world: how do you actually get to your first £100k? Drawing on Emmie's 20+ years in business and Mae's experience scaling her first company beyond that milestone, the conversation cuts through the vanity metrics and gets straight to what actually works. From pricing your services and building founder-led sales, to understanding your marketing funnel and the power of human connection, Emmie and Mae share a practical, honest playbook for hitting that first major revenue milestone. Along the way they challenge some of the biggest myths around paid ads, expensive sales hires, and the shortcut mentality that trips up so many early-stage founders. Whether you are just starting out or have been building for a while, this episode gives you a clear framework for getting to £100k without burning money before you have earned the right to scale. What You'll Learn How to know your numbers - understanding what you actually keep per sale, not just your top-line revenueHow to price your services - and why women consistently underprice themselvesWhy founder-led sales is the fastest, cheapest path to £100kHow to build your founder brand so people know, like, and trust youWhy networking and human connection out performs paid ads at this stageHow to map your marketing funnel and fix the weakest stage firstAbout the Hosts Emmie Faust is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, and founder of Female Founders Rise - a B Corp community of 11,000+ female founders. Mae Yip is the founder of ERIC and has scaled her business past £100k in revenue. Resources Mentioned The Rise Report - the largest grassroots study of female founders in the UKFemale Founders Rise - community of 11,000+ foundersClaude AI FFR Personal Branding ChallengeDownload the one-page playbook for this episode at https://femalefoundersriseshow.com/

    How To Get To Your First £100K

  9. May 19

    Angel vs VC: Why I Chose Angel Investment (And Raised £1M)

    Most founders think VC is the only path. It's not and it might not even be the right one for you. In this episode, Emmie and Mae get into one of the most misunderstood topics in the founder world: angel investment vs venture capital. Mae raised nearly £1M from angel investors after being rejected by hundreds of VC and it turned out to be exactly the right decision for her business. They break down how VC actually works (and why 99% of businesses aren't right for it), the real pros and cons of angel investment, and why getting rejected by a VC doesn't mean your business is bad, it might just mean you're talking to the wrong type of investor. Honest, practical, and no gatekeeping. In this episode: Why VC funding isn't right for most founders and what that actually meansHow angels differ from VCs (it's their own money and that changes everything)The pros of angel investment: flexibility, domain expertise, open doorsThe cons: smaller cheques, slower growth, the hustle of finding themFriends and family funding, the honest takeWhere Mae actually found her angel investorsThe three takeaways every founder needs to hearResources mentioned: SEIS (Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme) — tax efficient investing for early stage UK businesses: gov.uk/guidance/venture-capital-schemes-apply-for-the-seed-enterprise-investment-schemeEIS (Enterprise Investment Scheme) — gov.uk/guidance/enterprise-investment-scheme-introductionFemale Founders Rise Fundraising Accelerator Page: https://femalefoundersrise.com/acceleratorEIS Association: https://www.eisa.org.uk/Melanie Perkins story : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LywX3T5SccGet the episode playbook here: Angel Investment vs VC Funding: What Every Founder Needs to Know.New episodes every Tuesday. Join the Female Founders Rise community — 11,000+ female founders: femalefoundersrise.com

  10. Trailer

    Intro from Emmie & Mae 👋

    Welcome to the Female Founders Rise Show, the podcast for women building businesses, hosted by Emmie Faust (serial founder, angel investor, mum of four, founder of Female Founders Rise) and Mae Yip (founder, angel-backed, and expecting her first baby). Every week they get into the conversations female founders are actually having privately, about money, burnout, parenting, relationships, hiring, growth, and the stuff nobody else is talking about. Joined regularly by founders, investors and operators who've actually done it and are willing to be honest about all of it. Every episode ends with three actionable takeaways and one closing question to every guest: "what's one piece of advice you'd give a female founder ?" No fluff. No polished answers. Just the honest conversation and the practical takeaway. New episode every Tuesday. Part of Female Founders Rise, a community of 11,000+ women building businesses together.

Trailer

About

Honest Talk From Female Founders. Each week, Emmie Faust and Mae Yip break down what it actually takes to build a business - funding, growth, burnout, parenting, and everything in between. Regularly joined by founders, investors and operators who've either raised a million, made a million or raised millions. Just the conversations female founders need, every week. Brought to you by Female Founders Rise - a community of 11,000+ female entrepreneurs.

Information

  • Creator
    Hosted by Emmie and Mae
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Hosted by Emmie and Mae
  • Show Website
    Female Founders Rise Show

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