Body positivity, sexuality, circularity, fashion and technology: women-led startups are driving change towards a more inclusive and sustainable world.
Are women-led startups a rare exception or something more? Figures from Unioncamere tell us that in Italy there are more than 1.3 million businesses led by women and that, over the past five years, they have grown at a considerably faster rate than those led by men: +2.9 per cent against +0.3 per cent. This is also happening in the technology sector, despite the evident gender imbalance among students enrolled in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) faculties: women account for just 32 per cent, compared to 68 per cent for men. There are, of course, still significant obstacles to overcome. To cite one example, the health emergency saw a slowdown in the creation of these businesses, demonstrating that women were particularly penalised in the world of work. With this factor also in mind, the Piano nazionale di ripresa e resilienza (Pnrr) allocates over 400 million euros to support female entrepreneurship, through a combination of grants and subsidised loans.
LifeGate Way, the group's subsidiary that connects inherently sustainable startups, has met many women who have brought startups to life — and today we want to shine a light on them. We are telling the stories of ten that interpret sustainability through the eyes and needs of women, because innovation, technology and science must serve the wellbeing of everyone. Women-led startups that draw their strength from artificial intelligence, chemistry and IT, but also from kindness, care, freedom and the pursuit of personal wellbeing. The entrepreneurs who lead them are very different from one another, but they share something in common: setting stereotypes aside, they harness their power to innovate and inspire others, giving the world a push towards the values they believe in.
By women, for women. When Chiara Marconi and Federica Tiranti founded Chité, they addressed all those who do not see themselves reflected in the lingerie available on the market and are looking for a quality product that adapts to their own body. Because the styles are standardised and dictated by fashion trends, yet every figure is unique. Tech innovation allows Chitè to meet this need by offering high-end slow couture lingerie in an entirely new way. Users can personalise styles by entering their measurements into a 3D online platform. The pieces are then made by Italian corset-makers working in the Piedmontese district — a choice that also aims to support a profession on the verge of disappearing. The materials are certified and silk is replaced by polyester satin, removing the need to source supplies from abroad. Chitè also works to raise awareness within its community on issues such as gender equality, body positivity and love for one's own body.
Valentina Dell'Arciprete, Chiara Maggio and Serena Moro, together with Paolo Meola, set themselves a goal: to make the sex and pleasure industry more sustainable. Lubricants, condoms and sex toys are highly polluting, as they are made from non-recyclable plastic materials. The lack of strict regulation also allows the use of cheap materials of dubious quality and safety for both the body and the environment. Their answer is Green Vibes, an online marketplace selling sex toys and products related to psychosexual wellbeing made from low-environmental-impact materials such as jade, glass and plant-based bioplastics. They also consume little energy and use only rechargeable batteries. High-quality products, then, that meet strict safety standards, last longer and generate less waste. This women-led startup also demonstrates an awareness of the social dimension of sustainability: the supply chain is carefully monitored and adheres to the principles of fair trade. Under the banner of the keyword "sextainability", Green Vibes guides users on a journey of self-discovery and an exploration of their own desires, as well as the impact of their choices.
Mining and fashion, the solidity of marble and the lightness of fabric. Two worlds that seem poles apart. Bringing them together is Fili Pari, conceived by Francesca Pievani and Alice Zantedeschi. Starting from marble dust obtained from the waste of quarrying activity, this women-led startup has patented Marm more, a microfilm used to treat fabrics, making them waterproof, windproof and breathable, as well as resistant to abrasion and flames. A decidedly unconventional material for the textile sector, to be used in creating ethical and versatile garments that respect the principles of the circular economy, turning waste into opportunity. To take this principle to its fullest expression, a recycled nylon collection has also been launched. The garments' colouring is natural and derives from the type of marble cut in the quarry, which can be white, black, green or pink.
It is mainly women who look after vulnerable relatives, by tradition and natural inclination. It is mainly women who must choose between caring for a relative and pursuing their own career, often sacrificing the latter. And the partners of VillageCare are women — a startup that serves as a compass for caregivers: its founders Silvia Turzio and Paola Casalino and operating partner Jennifer Della Lucia. Working with businesses, VillageCare offers corporate welfare packages that allow employees to organise the best possible services for their dependent relatives, relieving them at least in part of bureaucratic and logistical burdens. The benefits are tangible in terms of workplace productivity and — more importantly — peace of mind. VillageCare also works with insurance companies, through tailor-made policies for caregivers. In doing so, it occupies a little-explored space in Italy, where the health service is focused on particularly serious cases and, for all other situations, individuals must bear the costs of private care themselves.
Despite the number of female university researchers in STEM fields being significantly lower than that of men, even in predominantly technological areas there are women-led startups capable of achieving great results. One such example is Bi-rex, founded by two researchers from the Politecnico di Milano, Greta Colombo Dugoni and Monica Ferro, which produces plastic polymers from waste products of the agrifood industry. From the processing residues of beer, rice and citrus fruits, cellulose is extracted for use in, for example, the packaging industry, or in the production of paper napkins and tissues; from crustacean and insect shells, chitin is produced — a biopolymer used in water treatment, in the production of bioplastics and in organic farming. The sustainability potential is considerable, given that cellulose and chitin are normally obtained through energy-intensive, impactful chemical processes that consume virgin raw materials and use substances harmful to the environment. By contrast, the process proposed by Bi-rex is versatile and eco-sustainable, thanks in part to the use of non-toxic, reusable solvents created specifically by the startup.
Arianna Pozzi, an entrepreneur from Pescara born in 2003, wants her fashion tech startup to cater to the tastes and attitudes of young people like herself. A generation constantly connected, accustomed to using apps to innovate the world of fashion, discovering new inspirations, new styles and new products — ideally with an eye on sustainability. Gaia my friend positions itself as a trusted friend that recommends the right outfit based on the user's mood and the clothes already in their wardrobe, helping garments last longer and moving away from the logic of throwaway fashion. At the same time, it offers subscriptions featuring items available for purchase on the most popular marketplaces, as well as on the websites of young, ethical, made-in-Italy brands. The app works by mirroring the classic dynamic that develops between friends determined to express their personality through their look. In this case, the best friend (Gaia, as the name suggests) is supported by a community that can in turn offer its own feedback — all while blocking hate speech and cyberbullying from the outset.
From Sicily's citrus groves to collections that travel the world. Orange waste from the food industry is transformed into cellulose, then spun and woven to create sustainably minded fashion pieces, thanks to a patented process developed by Orange Fiber, a women-led startup headed by Enrica Arena. The choice of Catania as the company's headquarters and production facility, along with the strong identity of the starting raw material — citrus fruit — reflects the startup's and its founder's deep roots in the local territory. The process is a textbook example of upcycling: giving value to resources that the old linear economy would consider merely as waste to be disposed of. And there is more. For fashion houses, the orange-based fabric becomes a valid alternative to synthetic fibres derived from fossil fuels. An opportunity not to be missed, at a time when the entire fashion sector is being called upon to reduce its enormous environmental impact.
The figures from Openpolis tell us something else interesting: that girls are typically so conditioned by social expectations that they have little confidence in their own abilities in scientific disciplines. This shapes both their results and their life choices. There is another women-led startup, Hacking Talents, working in the field of human resources specifically to support people who are defining (or redefining) their professional lives. It does so through an ecosystem that connects professionals with companies, based on values such as collaboration, kindness and intergenerational exchange. What sets it apart from ordinary recruiting platforms is that Hacking Talents uses technology to steer talents in the right direction. Starting from a self-assessment test of one's skills and aptitudes, users can access tailored training programmes on a range of topics (leadership, personal branding, entrepreneurship, digital, transitional coaching), delivered by the platform's partners. Hacking Talents is a very young venture — it was founded in December 2021 by Federica Pasini, Teresa Baldini and Nadia Lorini — but it can already count on an extensive partner network and significant media attention.
