<p>In this episode of Women Disrupting Tech, I talk with Philipp Omenitsch, co-founder of Sequel, creator of PitchLeague.ai and The Founder Files, and former startup CTO, about what actually gets funded in venture capital.</p><p>Philipp has analyzed 17,000+ pitch decks through the Founder Files. This conversation cuts through fundraising advice and looks at patterns in the data.</p><p><strong>You&#39;ll learn:</strong></p><p>- Why prior startup experience is such a strong funding signal.</p><p>- How investors think about risk, scale, and returns.</p><p>- What pitch decks really need to do at early stages.</p><p>- How technical ownership and team signals build trust.</p><p>- Why pay gaps also affect who gets to invest.</p><p>We also explore Philipp&#39;s work at Sequel, where professional athletes invest in startups, and what that reveals about pay gaps, investing power, and who gets to allocate capital in venture capital.</p><p>Whether you&#39;re raising your first round or building toward it, this episode helps you understand the funding system you&#39;re stepping into with data, not just advice.</p><p><strong>Chapters:</strong></p><p>01:52 – Introduction to Philipp Omenitsch and Sequel</p><p>04:31 – Democratizing access to venture capital</p><p>07:09 – Barriers to accessing venture capital</p><p>10:09 – The Founder Files and pitch deck analysis</p><p>12:45 – Gender disparities in startup funding</p><p>15:36 – The importance of prior experience</p><p>18:09 – Investment decisions in venture capital</p><p>20:30 – The impact of diverse founding teams</p><p>23:08 – The importance of diversity in startups</p><p>26:01 – Leveraging data for female founders</p><p>28:47 – The role of technical co-founders</p><p>30:41 – Investing in female founders</p><p>32:03 – Communication styles of female founders</p><p>33:40 – Key components of a successful pitch deck</p><p>34:58 – Empowering athletes in investment decisions</p><p>37:33 – The performance mindset of athletes </p><p>40:04 – Lessons from startup experiences </p><p>44:13 – Building successful pitch tools</p><p><strong>More information and show notes</strong> </p><p>Connect with Philipp on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippomenitsch/</p><p>Read about key lessons, magic moments and practical takeaways in the show notes: https://womendisruptingtech.blog/2026/02/05/episode-138/</p>