Important update

The 5th Annual Female Founder Award is now closed.

Thank you to everyone who participated and supported this important initiative, championing women in business.

Please join us as we celebrate female entrepreneurship at the 5th Annual Female Founder Award Ceremony, where we’ll announce this year’s winner!

The event takes place on 12th December at 2:00 PM CET and will be broadcast live on our UBS GWM LinkedIn page. Don’t miss this inspiring moment!

2025 Finalists

Portrait of Anouk Moll

Anouk Moll

Company: Klear AI

Location: United Kingdom

Our mission is to fundamentally redesign the core infrastructure of European capital markets, driving efficiency and scalability in the equities sector. Receiving the UBS Female Founder Award is a significant milestone. It grants us visibility from the largest European bank in the equities market and underscores a powerful commitment: to amplify female founders and foster diversity in a market that has historically lacked diversity across all levels of decision-making.

Portrait of Carolina Almeida Cruz

Carolina Almeida Cruz

Company: Cmore Sustainability

Location: Portugal

Winning the UBS Female Founder Award 2025 would be a transformative milestone for me and my co-founder, Carina Abreu, and for the entire C-MORE team. It would amplify our mission to democratize access to ESG, sustainability, and risk intelligence for the 99% of businesses that remain underserved. We are building something cutting-edge — new financial and risk metrics such as Return on Saving and Return on Intelligence — tools that are like adding a new letter to the alphabet, expanding the vocabulary companies use to measure value, resilience, and impact. This recognition would accelerate our journey to become the AI-native intelligence layer for a more transparent, efficient, and equitable global economy.

Portrait of Christina Qi

Christina Qi

Company: Databento

Location: US

Winning the Female Founder Award validates our mission to democratize access to institutional-grade data - proving that modern infrastructure can replace the systems holding the industry back. For the 20,000+ researchers, developers, and firms building with Databento, this recognition proves that diverse founders are defining the future of financial infrastructure - not just participating in it.

Portrait of Lehar Gupta

Lehar Gupta

Company: MetricsLM

Location: United Kingdom

Winning the Female Founder Award 2025 would accelerate MetricsLM’s mission to build global trust in AI at a critical moment of regulatory transformation and enterprise adoption. It would open doors to enterprise and insurance pilots for our Compliance Passport, TrustScore and Intelligence Scan, and amplify the impact of Responsible AI Trust (RAI) as the neutral governance backbone. As a woman founder building core digital infrastructure in a space where female leadership is rare, this recognition would elevate my voice, unlock strategic partnerships, and prove that women can lead innovation, governance and systems at the frontier of technology.

Portrait of Libby Leffler

Libby Leffler

Company: First

Location: US

Recognition from UBS validates what we've known all along: wealth protection should be accessible, straightforward, and empowering for everyone. This award accelerates our mission to bring modern financial planning tools to the next generation

Portrait of Marla Sofer

Marla Sofer

Company: Knomee

Location: US

Winning the UBS Female Founder Award 2025 would be a powerful validation of our belief that personalized financial advice begins with understanding the human behind the portfolio. This recognition would amplify Knomee’s mission to deepen the already strong relationships advisors work so hard to build by giving them richer, client-driven insight at the moments that matter most. It would open doors to global partners and expand our ability to support millions of individuals navigating life transitions with clarity and confidence. With UBS’s support, we can help make truly personal, values aligned advice accessible at scale

Portrait of Morin Sarenio

Morin Sarenio

Company: AI Light

Location: Israel

Winning the Female Founder Award 2025 would be far more than personal recognition, it would be a catalytic moment for our company’s mission. At AI Light we are building the trust and authenticity layer the digital world urgently needs, protecting people and brands from manipulation across images, videos, and online identities. This award would amplify our voice, expand our reach, and help accelerate our fight against misinformation and synthetic media harm. It would give us the platform to scale our impact, open doors to new partners and markets, and empower us to lead the next wave of responsible AI innovation

Portrait of Natalya Thakur

Natalya Thakur

Company: Knova Finance

Location: US

Winning the UBS Female Founder Award would affirm that building financial infrastructure differently (e.g. quietly, rigorously, and with purpose) matters. At Knova, we’re unifying traditional and digital asset systems so institutions can operate with clarity, trust, and real-time precision. After years of deep R&D solving one of finance’s hardest infrastructure problems in creating a true multi-asset system, this recognition would help us accelerate partnerships with institutions ready to modernize how assets move. For me, it would underscore the importance of female leadership in shaping the next era of global finance through durable systems and technology that actually works. It would also stand as proof that women can lead at the intersection of technology and capital markets, not just by fitting into existing systems, but by rebuilding them for what comes next.

Portrait of Wafa AlObaidat

Wafa AlObaidat

Company: Playbook

Location: Bahrain

I’m honored to be named a finalist for the UBS Female Founder Award 2025. At Playbook, we help women executives around the world accelerate their careers through education, mentorship, and networking. From masterclasses and expert-led workshops to global events and one-on-one guidance, our goal is to give women the tools and connections they need to grow professionally and expand their impact. Being recognized as a finalist is meaningful because it highlights the work we’re doing to build a global ecosystem for women leaders. It’s a reminder that initiatives supporting women in business are essential, and that the efforts of our community—from members to mentors—are driving real change. This recognition motivates us to keep scaling Playbook, connecting more women with the resources, opportunities, and networks they need to succeed on a global stage.

Portrait of Sheri Atwood

Sheri Atwood

Company: SupportPay

Location: US

To be named a finalist is deeply meaningful—not just for me as a founder, but for every parent, every adult child, every family quietly navigating the emotional toll of money across households. I built SupportPay because I lived this pain: the sleepless nights, the silent resentment, the constant anxiety that comes when love and money collide. Traditional financial tools assume money lives in a single household, but that’s not the reality for modern families. We support aging parents. We split expenses between parents. We loan money to friends and relatives and carry the invisible weight of keeping everyone afloat—all without structure, support, or transparency. SupportPay exists to change that. We are creating a new category that acknowledges this overlooked truth: families are financially intertwined, and without the right tools, that reality leads to conflict and breakdown. We bring order to the chaos. Transparency where there’s confusion. And trust where there’s been tension. This recognition fuels our mission to end family fights over money—by giving families, across all structures, the clarity and compassion they deserve.

Portrait of Jean Neo

Jean Neo

Company: Hupo

Location: Singapore

As women we continue to break barriers and redefine norms and prove how diversity in the boardroom to the marketplace does make a difference. Just like those who went before us, it's what we have to do for the women of today and tomorrow.  Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “You must do the things you think you cannot do.”

I'm humbled and also extraordinarily surprised to be the only female finalist this year representing Asia Pacific. The genesis of our success at Hupo was in leveraging AI in creating highly localized solutions for the learning and coaching needs of frontline employees to level-up in client conversations. Especially employees across Asia, who don't speak English. Winning this award validates that innovative, impactful solutions that are inclusive, accessible, and empowering for everyone, can come from anywhere, everywhere.

Portrait of Shakirat Animashaun

Shakirat Animashaun

Company: Enricher Fintech

Location: Nigeria

Nothing feels like walking startup journey with likeminds, it's no doubt a lonely road. In a world where female founders attract insignificant percentage of startup funding and support, UBS female founders support is capable of transforming female founder startups to making global and sustainable impacts. I'm indeed excited to be a finalist and looking forward to learning and sharing with other female startup founders and possible collaborations

Portrait of Shir Chorev

Shir Chorev

Company: Deepchecks

Location: Israel

Winning the Female Founder Award 2025 would be a profound affirmation of our mission at Deepchecks: ensuring that AI systems are safe, fair, and trustworthy for everyone, especially the weakened and vulnerable communities most harmed when AI fails and discriminates.

This recognition would give our work a powerful platform, helping us accelerate the adoption of a true AI Trust Layer across industries.

For me personally, it would highlight the importance of female leadership in deep tech, and the impact we can have when technical excellence is matched with a commitment to equity and societal responsibility

What's in it for you

Rewards

A prize will be awarded to the winner and a 'Rising star 2025' will be recognised. All finalists will be given the opportunity to join 'Project Female Founder 2026', a year-long, global investor readiness, networking and mentorship program, that arms early-stage female founders with fundamentals to support their access to aligned capital. With partners Fortuna, Coralus, and Live True, the program consists of an investor readiness and pitch program, followed by access to the Coralus network to help build an ecosystem of support. Finalists will receive mentoring from UBS advisers, access to experienced entrepreneurs, venture capital firms and others in a global community, allowing you to build your regional and international contacts.

Cash prize

The winner will receive USD 10,000 to support their founder journey. A special award will also go to the 'Rising Star of 2025'.

Mentoring

Receive mentorship from a UBS senior leader and access to female-focused VCs and investors. Companies above USD 50 million can connect with Growth Entrepreneur Network.

Project Female Founder

Join Project Female Founder, a year-long program for investor readiness and networking. Access to global Coralus network of female entrepreneurs to connect and share your best practices.

Global profile

Access speaker and publicity opportunities to gain recognition. Build your global profile through this prestigious award, either as a winner or finalist.

Jury

The following individuals will lead the selection process and decide on the winner of Female Founder Award 2025 based on the following categories: diversity, financial track record, growth potential and leadership. 

Portrait picture of Jennifer Povlitz

Jennifer Povlitz – UBS

Vice Chair GWM US

Alice Page - UBS

Chief of Staff to the President Global Wealth Management

Marianna Mamou – UBS

CIO Office – Head Advice Beyond Investing

Yin Yan portrait

Yin Yan – UBS

UBS Next Investor

Martin Grinberg

CEO, Digital Smart Group & Vanguard Software Factory 

Location: Spain

Martin is an Entrepreneur, Advisor, and Investor with a strong track record of founding and scaling companies. He specializes in internationalization and business expansion, and is passionate about connecting people, fostering collaboration, and supporting entrepreneurs in the tech space.

Jonathan Paul

CEO & Co-founder Adatos

Jonathan is the co-founder of Adatos, a remote sensing company that uses AI to analyze satellite data for carbon projects and agriculture. He is a former banker, he has invested in over 10 startups and founded a hedge fund focused on climate-related investments.

Chaitanya Hiremath

CEO, Healthpoint Ventures

Location: USA

Chaitanya Hiremath is a seasoned entrepreneur with a strong focus on innovation and technology. He has led successful ventures across various industries, earning recognition from Forbes 30 Under 30 and Entrepreneur Magazine's Top 25 People in Tech for his contributions to AI-driven solutions and business leadership

Picture of Anieke Lamers

Anieke Lamers

Operating Partner at Borski Fund

Location: Europe

Anieke Lamers is an Operating Partner at Borski Fund, a gender lense VC fund based out of Amsterdam. She is a VC shapeshifter: from VC investor to founder, operator, and back into VC and VC coach. Besides being an Operating Partner at Borski Fund, a 50M fund in Amsterdam investing Seed-Series A in female founders accross Europe, she runs The VC Coach, where she coaches emerging fund managers and VCs across Europe, combining hands-on experience with sharp strategic insight. She's passionate about reshaping venture capital into a more inclusive, human-centered industry.

Andrea Fritschi

Managing Partner & Chief Investment Officer of Tenity

Andrea Fritschi is Chief Investment Officer at Tenity, a leading global FinTech venture platform. She brings over 20 years of experience spanning institutional investing, entrepreneurship, and venture capital. Andrea began her career at Swiss Re and BlackRock, focusing on private equity and VC strategies worldwide, before founding and leading startups in health tourism and FinTech ESG. At Tenity, she drives the institutional growth of the VC platform and its global FinTech footprint.

Michal Smida

CEO, RockawayQ

Location: Czech Republic

Michal is the CEO of RockawayQ, an investment division of Rockaway Capital focused on accelerating the digital and AI transformation of manufacturing companies across Europe – and globally. Previously, Michal founded a FinTech company Twisto, a “buy now, pay later” payments solutions that served over a million customers across CEE. Acquired for USD 100+ million by Zip Co in 2021. He currently serves as a non-executive director at Dodo and Malcom Finance.

Portrait picture of Dennis Le

Dennis Le

Director, OpenSpace

Location: APAC

Previously, he was at Roland Berger and Analysys Mason.
Dennis represents the firm as a member of the Vietnam Private Capital Agency.
He holds a CEMS Master's in International Management from the London School of Economics and HEC Paris and a Bachelor's of Business Administration from the National University of Singapore.

Portrait picture of Jenny Atout Ahlzén

Jenny Atout Ahlzén

Co-founder and Partner, Arcan Impact

Location: MENA

Jenny is a Co-Founder and Partner at Arcan Impact, an ecosystem enabler providing capacity building programs and strategic consulting, advisory and research on impact investing and innovation finance. Prior to Arcan Impact, Jenny co-founded Amam Ventures, a gender lens impact fund in the Middle East. She has deep experience in investment management and, she has been featured among the top  women in VC in MENA. Jenny is passionate about supporting tech-enabled companies committed to equal opportunities and empowering more women towards the front as business owners, managers, and employees. Prior to co-founding Amam, Jenny worked as an Investment Principal at Silicon Badia, a VC fund investing in tech-enabled ventures and also worked closely with BeyondCapital, a Jordanian ecosystem enabler. She also has operational experience with SMEs and tech startups. Prior to VC, Jenny was the Head of Asset Management at Awraq Investments. Jenny is a Chartered Financial Analyst, and is the Vice Chair at the microfinance institution Vitas Jordan. 

Partners

Tenity

Location: Global

European Women in VC

Location: Europe

RockawayQ - logo

RockawayQ

Location: Europe

Openspace Capital - logo

Openspace Capital Pte Ltd

Location: Global

Anthemis - logo

Anthemis

Location: Global

Arcan Impact - logo

Arcan Impact

Location: MENA

Rules

By participating in the competition for the Award, applicants accept and agree to abide by these Official Rules and represent and warrant that they meet all eligibility requirements. Additionally, applicants agree to accept the selection decisions of UBS as appropriate, final, and legally binding.

Download a PDF copy of the Official Rules.