"Europe's most influential women in the startup & VC space"
2022 & 2023 & 2024
AS FEATURED IN
From Silenced to Impacting Millions
Silenced for decades, Selma once believed that her voice & actions didn't matter.
But empowered by one person, she found her purpose and the courage to speak up.
Over the last 20 years, she's been 2000+ times on stages worldwide, speaking, using her influential position and powerful voice to drive systemic change and inspire a global ripple effect of empowerment.
Every time she speaks, she hopes to be that "one person"
empowering others to speak, make a positive difference, and create our future.
Empowerment Tour 2024
"The Selma Effect"
In addition to inspiring audiences across the world as a keynote speaker on topics related to entrepreneurship, innovation, angel investing, women empowerment, gender balance, and mental fitness, Selma is going on an empowerment tour with her 2024 signature talk - "The Selma Effect".
"The Selma Effect" uncovers the transformative journey of Selma Prodanovic and the lessons learned from being silenced for decades to becoming a beacon of global impact in entrepreneurship. The keynote explores how Selma's unique approach to empowering others, her visionary ventures, and her unwavering belief in the power of every individual have reshaped the startup and angel investing ecosystem leading to systemic changes.
Witness the story of a woman who had the “audacity” to dream big and turn her dreams into a movement, inspiring generations of entrepreneurs and angel investors to create change.
Embrace the boldness to create your own path to success!
Welcome to my World of Entrepreneurship!
My name is Selma and I am passionate about empowering people and creating a better future.
As a society, we face a million problems, yet entrepreneurs are creating solutions to the grand challenges of our time.
As a globally influential keynote speaker, I use my voice to inspire and empower the next generation of entrepreneurs and investors, especially women, to follow their dreams and create the solutions we need. To the benefit of us all.
I am on a mission to inspire, empower, educate, and fund one million entrepreneurs who, together, will make a positive difference in the lives of a billion people.
#TOGETHERwe can CREATE the WORLD we DREAM of.
A new era in VC: "Invest Like A Girl"
The pioneering investment strategy for more ROI
In this game-changing talk, Selma tackles the existing prejudices, gender biases, and traditional investment concepts. She sheds light on the gender gap in startup investing, its high opportunity cost, and what we can do to close it. Selma presents a disruptive, pioneering strategy to reshape the startup world into a future that everyone, regardless of gender, can benefit from.
Watch below the "90:2 Paradox" or Selma's full "Invest Like A Girl" TEDx talk by clicking here.
"Startup-Grande-Dame" Selma Prodanovic
Named Startup-Grande-Dame by the media, Selma is an internationally awarded keynote and TEDx speaker, multipreneur, advisor, and ecosystem investor.
As a leadership, empowerment, and systemic change strategist, for the last 20 years, she significantly shaped the startup and angel investing ecosystem in Europe and beyond.
Today, she loves sharing her abundant professional experience and exciting personal story with audiences worldwide - spreading "The Selma Effect".
She is among "Europe's most influential women in the startup & VC space" in 2022 - 2024, while prominent media in over 40 countries (Forbes, Financial Times, Elle, ORF, Aljazeera) covered her expertise and activities.
As a Board Member of the Global Business Angel Network, Vice-President of the European Business Angel Network (EBAN), and Board Representative of Invest Austria, she is driving systemic change across the early-stage investing ecosystem.
She initiated the EBAN Manifesto for Gender Balanced Investing aiming to triple the number of female angel investors in Europe by 2030, while her visionary TEDx talk "Invest Like a Girl" seeks solutions to the existing gender bias and challenges in early-stage investing.
She is the founder of the global SDG platform 1MillionStartups supporting entrepreneurs to create solutions to the grand challenges of our time and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
Selma launched a dozen purpose-driven and community-based successful brands with her boutique advisory Brainswork - always creating systemic change.
Besides her passion for entrepreneurship, she is a fervent advocate of women empowerment, a gender-balanced future, and normalizing mental fitness.
Selma's impact goes beyond boardroom decisions, ecosystem leadership, and policy initiatives. She possesses a unique ability - the power to inspire and empower others. To learn from Selma is to embark on a transformative journey guided by a mentor who has walked the path herself.
For her innovative approach to business and commitment to entrepreneurship and social change, she received numerous awards such as the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award and EBAN Best Pioneering Investment Initiative.
An Austrian, born in Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Selma was raised in several countries in Europe and North Africa and was formally educated in 4 different languages. She studied at the University of Sarajevo, at the Saint Louis University in Madrid, and at the Vienna University of Economics and Business.
Above all, Selma is happily married to her first & and only love, and the proud mother of two fantastic young adults.
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