Women Disrupting Tech

The solar panels going up on rooftops everywhere are solving one problem, and quietly creating another.This episode is for female founders, women in tech, and anyone building at the intersection of sustainability and deep technology.Host Dirkjan talks with Andjela Bozinac, co-founder and CEO of Renovo Recycling. Andjela is building a modular, chemical-free system that uses Physical AI and robotics to deconstruct end-of-life solar panels and recover high-value materials like aluminum, silicon, and glass.Andjela's path combines mechanical engineering, intellectual property thinking, and a black belt in Taekwondo. She applies the same discipline she learned on the mat to building deep tech: showing up anyway, treating failure as feedback, and designing not just for what works in the lab, but for what gets adopted in the real world.In this episode, you'll hear:Why solar energy is scaling fast while quietly creating a waste problem we don't know how to handle yetHow Renovo's "vending machine in reverse" approach recovers materials without crushing or chemicalsWhy getting technology to work is only 30% of the journey — and what the other 70% actually requiresHow to sell urgency in deep tech without selling the futureWhy regulation in climate tech is a market, not a barrierWhy now is the moment for women to enter AI and robotics, while the rules are still being writtenAndjela also shares hard-won lessons from her first startup, TreeBlock, and how shifting from building the solution to building the right path to adoption changed everything about how she runs Renovo.Chapters: 00:00 Introduction03:00 Andjela’s Founder Journey06:02 Engineering Background and Its Impact on Entrepreneurship08:40 Lessons from Previous Ventures: TreeBlock Experience11:38 The Problem of Solar Panel Waste and Recycling Challenges14:38 Identifying the Core Issues in Solar Panel Recycling17:34 Innovative Solutions for Solar Panel Deconstruction20:20 Modular Systems and Their Advantages in Recycling21:19 Targeting Solar Installers: A Strategic Approach23:51 Current Status and Future Plans for Renovo Recycling24:02 The Role of AI in Physical Recycling27:18 Preparing for the Solar Waste Surge30:23 Fundraising in Deeptech34:50 Convincing Stakeholders of Urgency37:38 Regulatory Support and Compliance39:04 Expanding Beyond Solar Panels40:58 Practical Insights for Founders45:30 Empowering Women in Tech49:37 Building a Supportive Funding EcosystemConnect with Andjela Bozinac and Renovo Recycling LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bozinac-andjela24/ Website: https://www.renovo-recycling.it/ Renovo on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@renovosrlCheck out the show notes on https://womendisruptingtech.blog/2026/05/28/episode-154/Women Disrupting Tech on Substackhttps://open.substack.com/pub/womendisruptingtech/p/episode-154?r=2v0lts&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=trueEnjoyed this episode? Follow Women Disrupting Tech on Spotify so you never miss a conversation with the women and ecosystem builders shaping the next generation of technology.

Most fertility apps look at your past cycles and make a prediction. Sabrina Nowicki built something different.Sabrina is co-founder of Cyclisity, the digital companion to Taking Charge of Your Fertility — the bestselling book written by her aunt, Toni Weschler. What started as an annual lunch celebrating her first period became a mission to bring body literacy to women worldwide — and to build an app that teaches you to read your own body instead of outsourcing that knowledge to an algorithm.What you’ll learnThe 3 biomarkers at the heart of the Fertility Awareness Method and why each one tells you something differentWhy the 28-day cycle myth is holding women back — and what stress, travel, and lifestyle really do to your cycleWhy Sabrina’s husband, a trained physician, was never taught any of this in medical schoolThe data privacy risk most women don’t know about when using free health appsWhy self-funding was a values decision, not just a financial oneChapters 00:00 The Influence of Family Legacy on Innovation 03:08 Understanding the Fertility Awareness Method 06:10 The Basic Principles of the Fertility Awareness Method11:53 Cyclisity: The Role of Education About Women's Health14:47 Challenges and Learning Curves in Fertility Awareness17:55 The Importance of Personalization in Health Apps 20:47 The Future of Women's Health Research 23:58 Data Privacy and Women's Health 29:44 Protecting User Data and Future Studies 32:21 Impact of Roe v. Wade on Privacy 35:05 The Advantages of Low-Tech Tracking 38:01 Self-Funding and Business Strategy 41:10 Leveraging Complementary Skills in Founding 44:09 Designing for Correct Use and User Experience 46:57 The Evolution of Cyclisity's Name 50:23 Empowering Female Founders through Investment📋 Full episode notes + Sabrina’s bio: [link to blog post]Connect with Sabrina:🌐 cyclisity.com📱 TikTok & Instagram: @wanderingSabrinaThe book behind the app:📖 Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler → https://amzn.eu/d/0cX3icbHIf this episode made you think differently about your body or your health data, hit follow so you never miss a new episode.

“I don’t need to be an expert on any of these topics… that’s what I have my colleagues for.” — Izzy SayersWhat if the real obstacle for female founders isn’t a lack of knowledge, but the idea that they have to know it all themselves?This episode is for female founders and women in tech who want to scale without needing to know everything themselves.Host Dirkjan talks with Izzy Sayers, who leads the Emerging Giants team at KPMG Netherlands. Izzy helps startups and growing companies tackle tricky challenges like tax, finance, risk, and expanding internationally—areas that can make a big difference to a company’s success.Izzy didn’t follow a typical path into tech. Her history degree turned out to be her “secret weapon”—not because it made her a technical expert, but because it taught her to ask good questions, connect ideas, and bring the right people together. This approach also helped her handle imposter syndrome, focusing on where she adds value instead of trying to know everything.In this episode, you’ll hear:• Why knowing when to outsource is one of the most underrated founder skills• How to recognize the moment when complexity starts slowing you down• What post-COVID networking has cost the startup ecosystem, and how to bring serendipity back• Why women in tech often stay in the facilitator role, and what it takes to step forward• How safe spaces help female founders ask the questions that actually move them forwardIzzy also talks about getting ready for motherhood while working in a fast-paced environment, and how this change is teaching her to manage her energy, be more selective, and think long-term.Chapters:00:00 — Introduction05:17 — The history degree as a secret weapon08:12 — Techstars NYC and the intensity of New York11:20 — Transitioning from TNW to KPMG14:05 — Overcoming imposter syndrome in a new role16:18 — When and what to outsource as a founder22:12 — How networking became transactional after COVID25:04 — Strategies for better event attendance33:22 — Safe spaces for women in the startup ecosystem36:21 — Why women stay in the facilitator role (and how to step forward)41:07 — Navigating motherhood and the startup world46:30 — What makes a meaningful connectionConnect with Izzy Sayers and KPMG Emerging GiantsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/izzy-sayers/KPMG Emerging Giants: https://kpmg.com/nl/en/home/industries/private-enterprise/emerging-giants.htmlCheck out the show notes onWomen Disrupting Tech Blog:Substack: Enjoyed this episode?Follow Women Disrupting Tech on Spotify so you never miss a conversation with the women and ecosystem builders shaping the next generation of technology.

How do you build the next generation of global gold standards in women’s health, and why is it one of the biggest economic opportunities of our time?In this episode, Carmen van Vilsteren — healthcare innovation leader, angel investor, and one of the Netherlands’ most experienced medical device executives — shares her mission to fund and coach seven female founders toward creating seven new gold standards in healthcare.Having spent decades at Philips developing cardiovascular imaging systems now used every second of every day in hospitals worldwide, Carmen is done advising from the sidelines. She’s getting her hands dirty — investing, coaching, and building the ecosystem that women’s health has always deserved.We dive deep into what it actually takes to create a global gold standard in healthcare, why women’s health represents a $1 trillion untapped economic opportunity, and how Carmen is shifting the conversation from niche issue to societal imperative.By listening, you'll learn about:The Seven Gold Standards: From microsurgery robotics to advanced breast reconstruction — why these innovations are poised to reshape global healthcare.The $1 Trillion Market Failure: Three times more money is spent on solving erection problems than on all women’s health issues combined. Carmen explains why that’s not just a gender issue — it’s an economic one. How to Build Credibility with Doctors: The three-level key opinion leader strategy that gets medical innovators from prototype to global adoption.Angel Investing as a Multiplier: How strategic early-stage investment helps female founders reach the inflection points that unlock serious venture capital.Shifting the Advocacy Language: Why framing women’s health as an economic opportunity — not a fairness issue — is the most effective way to move male-dominated Venture Capital.Connect with Carmen van Vilsteren:Connect with Carmen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmen-van-vilsteren-a069a49/ Resources mentioned:Fe+Male Tech Heroes: https://femaletechheroes.com/FemTech NL: https://www.femtechnl.com/Borski Fund: https://borskifund.comHealth Holland: https://health-holland.comCarmen's co-authored publication in The Lancet titled ‘Why investing in women's health is a societal imperative’: ⁠https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00404-6/fulltext⁠Chapters:00:00 Introduction and Background in Tech and Healthcare03:57 Why Healthcare Became Carmen’s Passion07:24 Development of Imaging Systems for Cardiovascular Applications09:07 What Goes into Developing a Global Standard14:43 Carmen’s Ambition to Fund Seven Global Healthcare Standards17:01 Innovations in Preclinical and Clinical Imaging19:08 The Role of Acceptance and Credibility in Healthcare23:07 The Seven Golden Standards in Healthcare32:50 Changing the Healthcare Ecosystem and Gender Balance40:39 Women’s Health as a Societal Imperative44:21 Engaging Men in Women’s Health Advocacy49:24 Impact of Women’s Health on Society and Personal Life54:00 Angel Investing and Supporting Female Founders58:35 Paying Forward and Building a Support Ecosystem01:10:47 Netherlands as a Global Center for Women’s Health01:17:08 Vision for the Future of Healthcare and Innovation01:21:32 Advice for Female Founders and Investors01:22:48 Connecting with Carmen on LinkedInAbout Women Disrupting Tech: Hosted by Dirkjan Hupkes, Women Disrupting Tech features female founders, tech leaders, and women in STEM who are building the next generation of technology. We provide the actionable strategies and proven frameworks female entrepreneurs use to succeed.👉 Subscribe to Women Disrupting Tech on Spotify and Apple Podcasts for weekly insights from women reshaping the industry.

What if three wall plugs could transform how night nurses care for an entire nursing home floor?Femke Delissen is the co-founder of PAVA, a Dutch startup using a combination of Wi-Fi sensing technology and AI to help nurses in elderly care work more efficiently — without cameras, without wearables, and without sacrificing the privacy and dignity of residents.In this episode, Femke shares how she and her co-founders turned an AI master’s project in Amsterdam into a full-time startup, why they’ve stayed committed to healthcare despite the temptation of faster markets, and what top-level sports taught them about building a resilient founding team.You’ll hear about:How Wi-Fi signals through a wall plug can tell a nurse whether a resident is asleep, in the bathroom, or wandering a hallway — without a single cameraWhy Femke calls elderly care a “double problem” — and why solving it requires both technical innovation and a moral compassThe “first save” moment that proved their system worked, during a live night shift at their first paying customerHow all three founders’ sports positions still define how they lead todayWhat female founders get wrong about the funding journey in healthcare (hint: investors need numbers before they’ll listen to your vision)Why Femke says she’d “lose faith in society” if they pivoted to energy savings just because it was easierWhether you’re building in healthcare, navigating slow decision cycles, or looking for proof that you don’t always need a breakthrough invention to solve a real problem — this episode is for you.About Femke DelissenFemke Delissen is the co-founder and commercial lead of PAVA, a remote monitoring startup for elderly care based in the Netherlands. She holds an MSc in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Amsterdam and studied at UC Berkeley. Before going full-time on PAVA, she worked in a student-led consultancy at Sustainable Students Consultancy. She played hockey for HGC, at the highest competitive level in the Netherlands.Connect with Femke and PavaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/femke-delissen/PAVA Website: pava.aiPAVA on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pava-ai/Chapters00:00 Introduction02:40 From Education to Entrepreneurship09:38 Introducing Pava: Revolutionizing Elderly Care11:04 Addressing the Challenges in Healthcare14:57 Innovative Solutions: Wi-Fi Sensing Technology20:41 Personalized Care Through Data25:29 The Future of Monitoring: AI and Beyond31:51 Passion for Healthcare: A Personal Journey37:53 Navigating the Healthcare Landscape44:48 Funding Challenges in Healthcare Startups51:51 The Influence of Sports on Entrepreneurship57:12 Learning Through Community and CollaborationConnect with Women Disrupting TechSubscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube so you never miss an episode.