Munich Startup: What motivated you to found the company?
Catherine Leser, co-founder and CEO of Penzilla: I’ve always had the dream of founding my own company at some point. In my family, there are mainly doctors who are also entrepreneurs in a certain way. That has certainly influenced me.
On the one hand, I find it fascinating and motivating to build something from scratch myself. You have so much freedom in shaping the product, the corporate culture and the general approach, but above all, of course, there’s enormous pressure. But I like it, this being under power.
On the other hand, it has always been important to me to work for a good cause. That is, to really make a difference and change something socially with my own work.
The topic of occupational pension provision is one that concerns us all and will concern us much more intensively in the future. The company pension scheme (bAV) is a charming building block of occupational pension provision that should not be neglected. In most setups, it is a win-win situation for employer and employee. The employer saves money, and the employee gets a gift of money for retirement. Who says no to that? Of course, that’s a very simplistic way of putting it now, but most of the time that’s exactly how it is. The reason why bAV is not used more is, on the one hand, the way bAV is communicated and, on the other hand, that its introduction can cause an enormous amount of work for the employer. That’s where we come in with Penzilla.
Trust the intuition
Munich Startup: What do you wish you had known before you started your first startup?
Catherine Leser: How important focus and saying no is. We get so many great ideas, opportunities, and more from outside. But in order to deal with something and really move forward, you can’t work on many construction sites at the same time. Sometimes you have to leave an opportunity behind. Sometimes that hurts, but it has to be done.
There have been numerous moments so far when I have realized that my intuition has put me on the right path. You definitely have to learn to trust your own abilities and your own assessment.
Munich Startup: How is your company financed so far?
Catherine Leser: We closed our pre-seed funding round in the second half of 2023. This allowed us to add incredibly strong and experienced individuals to the extended team, who will support us with advice, action and of course their network.
Munich Startup: When and where do you get the best ideas?
Catherine Leser: Brainstorming with my husband in the evening on the couch or on the playground with my kids.
Munich Startup: What are your 3 favorite work tools?
Catherine Reader:
- My notebook: old-school but classy
- Slack: Fast and transparent communication is particularly important to us at Penzilla, especially because of our hybrid work model
- Miro: Super collaboration and brainstorming tool
Catherine Leser: “Keep the message short”
Munich Startup: Your top tips for pitching?
Catherine Leser: Think beforehand about the message you want to send to the other person. Keep it short and simple, no more than three points. After that, you can structure your presentation.
And: Know your customer, investor, et cetera. Do research and make sure your pitch comes across as individualized as possible.
Munich Startup: Does it seem like a good time to startup right now? Why?
Catherine Leser: Yes, always. Of course, there have been rosier times, but if the idea is good and sustainable and you’re burning for the topic, I’m sure you can do anything.
Munich Startup: What technology or industry would you focus on for your next startup?
Catherine Leser: We plan to continue Penzilla for a long time and make it really big. Therefore, a next foundation is not foreseeable for the time being. Basically, I’m a big fan of making seemingly dry and supposedly “boring” topics accessible and appealing. Especially with such topics, there are no limits to creativity, and you can achieve a big impact even with small changes.
Even more start-up events, also for female founders
Munich Startup: What do you think could be improved in Munich as a startup location?
Catherine Leser: We feel very comfortable in Munich! But even more start-up events would be great. We would also like to have female founder events that are also good for mothers to attend.
Munich Startup: Which founder would you like to meet in person? And what would you ask him or her?
Catherine Leser: Hanno Renner. Because: similar target group, same challenges in sales, also founded out of Munich. I think our setup is very similar.
Anna Alex. I got to meet her over ten years ago because we had the same employer. That was before she started her first company. Since then, she’s developed tremendously and is also a mother. You can only draw courage and strength for your own path from such personalities.