Meet Our New Program Lead: Renate Crollini

We’re excited to officially welcome Renate Crollini as the new Program Lead of Tech Ready Women’s Female Founder Startup Program (FFSP).

Renate brings deep lived founder experience, a strong technical background, and a refreshingly practical approach to building startups. In her first conversation with us, she shared what drives her as a founder, the lessons she’s learned along the way, and why supporting women right at the beginning of their startup journey matters so much.

A founder who isn’t afraid to have a go

When asked what kind of founder she is, Renate didn’t hesitate. She describes herself as someone who’s not afraid to try, make mistakes, ask questions, and keep going.

That resilience has been shaped by a career spanning engineering, large infrastructure projects, sustainability consulting, corporates, not-for-profits, and startups across multiple countries. From construction sites to boardrooms, Renate has seen first-hand how big ideas often fail without the right practical foundations.

From seeing the gap to building the solution

Renate’s founder journey began by noticing the same problem everywhere: bold sustainability commitments, but no practical infrastructure to turn them into action.

As climate and ESG expectations increased, she saw the pressure being pushed down onto smaller suppliers and businesses often without the time, resources, or knowledge to respond. With advances in technology making new approaches possible, Renate and her co-founder decided the best way forward was to build the solution themselves.

That experience deeply informs how she now supports other founders.

Why clarity beats complexity

One of Renate’s strongest beliefs is that complexity stalls progress. If founders can’t clearly articulate the problem they’re solving, how they’re solving it, and why it matters, nothing moves forward, whether that’s customers, partners, or investors.

Her approach focuses on helping founders translate messy, complex challenges into clear decisions and actionable next steps. As she puts it: “At the end of the day, you either have a result or an excuse.”

Why FFSP...and why now

Renate said yes to leading the Female Founder Startup Program because it’s one of the few programs that genuinely meets women where they are.

Rather than overwhelming founders with theory or inspiration alone, FFSP provides structure, clarity, and practical guidance right at the start when the journey feels confusing and uncertain. It’s the program Renate wishes she’d had when she first entered the startup world.

And for her, supporting women founders goes beyond business. It’s about advocacy, community, and creating pathways for more women to build meaningful, sustainable ventures.

What founders walk away with

For women considering FFSP, Renate is clear about the outcomes:

• clarity on their idea and the problem they’re solving

• confidence in their decisions

• a realistic, practical pathway forward

• and the ability to move from thinking and talking to taking action

Not perfection but progress.

Her message to women sitting on an idea is simple: jump in, believe in yourself, and figure it out as you go.

We’re thrilled to have Renate leading FFSP and supporting the next cohort of women founders as they take their first steps.

👉 If you’re curious about the Female Founder Startup Program, now is the time to explore what’s possible. LEARN MORE HERE.