The Impossible
Welcome to the Eighty-six edition of Unstoppable Founders!
👑 #Unstoppable Female Founder
Poppy Gustafsson is the co-founder and former CEO of Darktrace, one of the UK’s most prominent AI cybersecurity companies. With a background in mathematics and finance, she helped turn Darktrace into a global leader in autonomous cyber defense. The company scaled rapidly and became one of the few British tech unicorns to go public on the London Stock Exchange.
As CEO, Poppy led the company through rapid growth, international expansion and a successful IPO. She became a key voice in the sector, frequently speaking about the geopolitical implications of cybercrime, AI’s role in security, and the urgent need for collaboration between governments, companies, and individuals.
Key achievements and highlights:
Co-founded Darktrace in 2013 and grew it to over 1,500 employees with nearly 5,000 global customers, including Coca-Cola and the NHS.
Led Darktrace to IPO on the London Stock Exchange in 2021, reaching a £1.7 billion valuation on its debut.
Championed the use of AI in cybersecurity, positioning Darktrace as a pioneer in autonomous threat detection and response.
Oversaw the company’s global expansion into the US, Europe, and Asia, with offices in over 40 countries.
Built one of the most gender-diverse companies in the cybersecurity industry, with 40% female staff compared to the industry average of 15%.
Awarded an OBE in 2019 for services to cybersecurity.
Appointed as the UK’s Minister of State for Investment in 2024 and granted a life peerage as Baroness Gustafsson.
Poppy has always been focused on impact over image. Navigating geopolitical risks, countering misinformation, or addressing systemic gender imbalance in tech, she has consistently taken a pragmatic, forward looking approach to everything she’s done.
📣 #TheRant
The Impossible
There’s a group of individuals who actively choose to take the road less travelled, the people who see the world from a completely different perspective. Those that have an innate ability to think big and in unconventional ways. They defy societal norms, are not held back by structural limitations and tend to be the people who go on to leave their mark in the world in a very big way. They see opportunity where most see challenges. They almost thrive on being told something can't be done, motivated by the opportunity to prove someone or something wrong.
Their views are always fresh, energetic and most of the time hopeful for a better future. They do not conform to traditional ways of thinking or doing things, they not only 'color outside the lines' they are blissfully unaware that there are even lines and a box. I always find myself drawn to these types of people, likely as I feel a bit of my rebel self reflected in them.
I’ve encountered several people who embody this mindset over the past few weeks and each of them has left me so inspired. So this is simply a thank you, to everyone who has made a conscious effort to not fit in, but to stand out. To not go with the flow, but against the grain. To build something everyone told them was impossible. Keep having conviction in your thinking, in your ideas and what you're building. The world needs more of you!
‘It always seems impossible until it’s done!’ - Nelson Mandella
💰#HypeCorner
This is where we cover funding rounds raised by female founders and their teams across Europe. With less than 2% of VC funding going to female led startups, the HypeCorner is simply our way of congratulating and celebrating these founders!
🇫🇮 Julia Sabitova Co-founder & COO of CloEE
🇮🇹 Giorgia Palazzo Co-founder of Tuduu
🇫🇷 Sarah Bouleau Co-founder & COO of Stairling
🇳🇱 Alena Valovaya Co-founder & CMO of Finom
🇮🇪 Dr. Simone Seiter Co-founder of Priothera
🇩🇰 Isabel Álvarez-Martos & Deby Fapyane, Co-founders of Cellugy
🇧🇪 Claire Cherelle Co-founder & Chief Regulatory Officer of Axiles Bionics
🇬🇧 Chang Lu Co-founder & CSO of OutSee
🇬🇧 Wynter Karo & Alice Parmiter Co-founders of Pimentae
🇳🇱 Sofia Hidalgo Co-founder of AIko Health
🇫🇷 Amira Erokh Co-founder of Ever Dye
🇪🇸 Mireia de Mas Romeu Co-founder of Ocean Ecostructures
🇬🇧 Nadya Yaremenko & Alberta Asafo-Asamoah Co-founder of Liquify
Huge congratulations to these founders and their teams. Wishing you all continued success!
🎤 Events for founders
🇩🇪 {Berlin} Pearl Wealth Summit hosted by The Evangelistas, Scéal & AUXXO Female Catalyst Fund. Pearl is your shortcut into the world of female-led investing. A transformative one-day summit for women with capital. Secure your spot!
🇬🇧 {London} Sifted Summit is back 8th & 9th of October, bringing together 3,000 founders, startup and scaleup operators and investors to celebrate the resilience of the ecosystem and how its leading players are preparing for the long-haul.
🇫🇷 {Paris} unlockVC (formerly WVCE) is hosting its annual Summit from the 13th - 15th of October. This year unlock vc are bringing 30 exceptional female founders to meet 400+ active female investors - Applications are now open until 1st August!
👑 UNSTOPPABLE FOUNDING MEMBERSHIPS Now available! Inside the Community Hub you’ll gain access to the resources, networks and capital you need to build and scale your business. From helping you secure capital to building traction, everything you need as a female founder, all in one place!
☀️ Have a wonderful weekend! ☀️
Jen
PS- Are you a female founder just getting started and not quite how to structure your go to market, build your brand frameworks or what to expect from the fundraising process? Get in touch!