After celebrating International Women’s Day 2020 with some of Luxembourg’s leading figures in March, it’s time to zoom in on a female leader who is changing the future of female investment; StarTalers very own Gaëlle Haag.
With studies showing that women invest 40% less of their earnings when compared to their male counterparts, StarTalers is set to provide the women of Europe with an online financial coach and robo-advisor that allow them to enter the investment world while investing sustainably.
Pair this with the flourishing environment that Luxembourg provides to technological start-ups and the future of female-led investment is set to accelerate the world’s move towards a more sustainable economy.
Entering the next phase
By the end of 2019, Gaëlle and her business partner Thierry Smets secured the first round of funding that will ultimately lead to StarTaler’s hopeful app launch by summer 2020. However, the phase that StarTalers is entering now may be the most interesting of all.
As we enter into the year’s second quarter, the launch of StarTalers digital investment advice offering in the French and Belgian markets is only the beginning of what Gaëlle and her team plan to achieve over the next 12 months.
The investment made by the Luxembourg Stock Exchange and a group of female business angels as well as a Belgian Seeder Fund allowed StarTalers to grow its team to include two full-time employees; a Lead Developer who will act as its CTO and a Head of Marketing whose in-depth ‘growth hacking’ skills will secure StarTalers eventual introduction into the wider European investment market. However, with a growing team to lead, Gaëlle is conscious of not losing sight of her creative vision, while keeping herself grounding in the investment industry where she built her early career.
“One thing I was told early on in my entrepreneurial career is that you actually have two hats: the ‘manager’s hat’ that calls for you to work in hourly shifts, and the ‘maker’s hat’ that finds it more productive to work in half-day blocks to allow you to achieve your creative purpose. Both are fundamentally different so it’s important have a clear approach of how to handle both.”
Selecting sustainability
When it comes to selecting the securities that will be included in StarTalers’ selection of investments, Gaëlle’s numerous years of experience in the industry means that the company is already one step ahead.
“There are two things that destroy performance in the long run: emotions and cost. We work on the emotions by having a behavioural approach. While with cost, our aim is to invest as much as possible through exchange-traded funds with different markets and thematics.”
These thematics are what make StarTalers sustainability ethos so engaging. In the beginning, these thematics will include aspects such as clean water, gender equality and energy with 50-100 different instruments to cover StarTaler’s initial universe.
From there, each user profile will be built on 7-10 securities to encompass a woman’s investment preferences. With past studies showing that 36% of women believe that financial advisors are less likely to listen to investing ideas from a woman, StarTaler’s mission is set to turn these figures on their heads and pivot the investment industry as we know it today.
No to the status quo
Gaëlle makes no secret of the balancing act that is involved in being the manager, maker and mother, but her vision for unlocking StarTalers’ full potential means that the start-up’s wheels firmly on the road to success.
“If you spread yourself too thin, you won’t achieve anything relevant. You need to be explicit and disciplined because every day counts.”
With StarTaler’s filing with Luxembourg’s regulatory body – CSSF – fast approaching, the need to be explicit is more important than ever. However, as a start-up that is challenging traditional perceptions of investment, Gaëlle has come to realise that while her company is here to challenge some of finance’s male-built behaviours, Europe’s tried and tested regulations are what have allowed the Luxembourg ecosystem to flourish by ensuring security for issuers and investors.
What can we expect next?
With a launch in Belgium and France set to break new ground for StarTalers in 2020, Gaëlle, her team and their robo-advisor Donna are creating the perfect harmony of sustainable investment and inclusivity for European investors.
If you’d like to find out more about StarTalers, you can brush up on recent developments and helpful blog posts by clicking here.
