Sciences Po: What led you to make a documentary on women entrepreneurs? 

Nora Poggi: My co-producer Insiyah Saeed and I started this documentary, called She Started It, in Spring 2013. I was covering the tech industry as a journalist and noticed the lack of women. One day I attended a conference by Women 2.0 and discovered top women entrepreneurs who I had never heard of. I thought, how come their stories are not all over the news? Today, women account for only 9% of founders of high-growth firms, and 96% of venture-capitalists in the United States are men, controlling the majority of the money. We decided to tell the stories of women starting their own companies to showcase this entrepreneurial revolution. We followed five young women through the ups and downs of their entrepreneurial journey. We want girls who see the film to know that they can take risks, that failure is okay and that it is worth trying something you are passionate about.

Sciences Po: Sciences Po is a university that pays great attention to gender studies. Would you say that your studies at Sciences Po were what sparked your interest in women’s entrepreneurship? 

Nora Poggi: At Sciences Po I majored in Communication, and my studies at the School of Management and Innovation were a great springboard into creative and media work. It was mostly my discovery of women business founders in San Francisco that sparked my interest in women’s entrepreneurship, but I have always been particularly focused on gender equality issues, including during my Sciences Po years, where incredible teachers gave me the tools to lead me where I am today.

Read more on www.sciencespo.fr

Photo: Sciences Po alumna Nora Poggi