Interview with Anna-Sophie Hartvigsen, Co-Founder at Female Invest: Europe’s Largest Financial Education Platform for Women

Headquartered in Copenhagen, Female Invest is an EdTech platform and community which, through approachable subscription-based e-learning, empowers millennial and Gen Z women by increasing their understanding of personal finance and investing. We aim to close the gender investment gap by providing a space in which women can acquire the skills necessary to control their own capital and obtain financial independence.

Members gain access to an online universe of content, courses, webinars, video tutorials, articles, easy-explainers and live events: all designed to empower women to take control of their finances and underpinned by Female Invest’s message of “Get your S.H.I.T. together – (salary, home, investments, taxes).”

An example of a popular concept is the F*** U Fund, which is a savings account that Female Invest suggests its members set up. The F*** U Fund empowers women to be able to say F*** U to something that no longer serves them – such as a job they no longer want. It gives women the financial padding that they need when choosing to make a change.
 
 
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How did you come up with the idea for the company?

 
At a time when 70% of stocks are owned by male investors (1 in 5 British women admitting to having never held stocks), and female workers retiring with around £70,000 less in their pensions than men (Nest survey – Oct 2020), Female Invest aims to close the gender investment gap by providing a space in which women can acquire the skills necessary to control their own capital and obtain financial independence.

We (Camilla Falkenberg, Emma Due Bitz and Anna-Sophie Hartvigsen) came up with the idea for Female Invest in 2017, inspired by our own experiences of attending personal finance educational events at which women were largely absent, and our subsequent discovery of the unaddressed gender disparity in investments and savings.
 

 

How has the company evolved during the pandemic?

 
Being a previously event-based business, we took all of our events online. Regardless of climate, women want somewhere to go for advice, support and resources. Female Invest has members across 55 countries and to date, more than 45,000 women have attended live events staged by Female Invest (both in-person and online, in the wake of Covid-19) where women are taught how to invest with a starting fund of as little as £400.

We have continued to provide content and educational resources to our members throughout the pandemic, continuing our mission to educate and empower women about their financing and investing opportunities.
 

What can we hope to see from Female Invest in the future?

 
As Europe’s largest financial educator of its type for women, and following financing from the Danish state investment fund in December 2020, our priority for 2021 is to further expand our presence within the UK, with our British membership having grown 1,000%+ during 2020. We have other exciting milestones coming this year so keep an eye out!