FINANCE & FUNDRAISING
FOR FEMALE FOUNDERS
To say I’m passionate about teaching founder finance and fundraising would be an understatement. I went and did a PhD to better understand the factors that influence fundraising success.
Drawing on 25+ years in finance and a decade working with startups, I help female founders understand finance and fundraising through my research, workshops and teaching. I also share ideas and encourage learning through my podcast, book club and Teen Venture Lab.
Hi, I'm Dr. Ira Philip
Meet Dr. Ira Philip
I help female founders understand finance and fundraising through my PhD research, workshops and teaching. I also share ideas and encourage learning through my podcast, book club and Teen Venture Lab.
I bring over 25 years of finance experience. My background spans wealth management, corporate controlling, strategic leadership and CFO roles. For more than a decade, I’ve worked in the startup ecosystem.
My PhD explored the factors that influence fundraising success. I put those findings into practice through my Founder Capital Journey workshops.
I teach at universities and founder programs, continue my research and offer tailored coaching and advisory support. My goal is to help founders understand their numbers, build stronger businesses and navigate their capital journey.
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WORK WITH ME
Workshops
My signature Founder Capital Journey workshop brings my research on how founders prepare for, navigate and access capital into practice. Using the Founder Action Guide, participants apply what they learn to their own business and develop practical next steps.
Additional workshops and masterclasses cover startup finance, fundraising, investor readiness and liquidity.
1:1 Coaching
Strategic coaching for founders who want greater clarity and confidence as they navigate the Founder Capital Journey.
Coaching begins with a focused six-session program tailored to your business, funding goals, and current stage. Together, we strengthen your financial understanding, assess your investor readiness, and develop practical actions to prepare for and access capital.
Teaching
Practical finance and fundraising education for founders, future founders and non-finance leaders.
I teach in university programs, accelerators and founder programs, combining 25 years of finance experience, more than a decade in the startup ecosystem and ongoing research into how founders prepare for and navigate fundraising.
Teen Venture Lab
Teen Venture Lab introduces young people to entrepreneurship through hands-on learning — from identifying a problem and developing an idea to understanding business models, finance, and pitching.
The goal is to give young people the opportunity to experience entrepreneurship, not just learn about it.
“My work with Ira has focused on my new retail business idea here in Berlin. While my business is not in the conventional ‘start up’ space, I have found Ira very supportive and knowledegable on how to ensure the business is set up for financial success as well as helping me to grow into my own as a Founder and new business owner. Her feedback and recommendations are always clear, forward facing and actionable. I’ve enjoyed the work we’ve done together very much.”
Jacqueline Routier, Entrepreneur in the making
BUILDING STRENGTH. BUILDING LEADERS.
For more than 25 years, finance has shaped how I think about businesses and decision-making. More than a decade working with founders has shaped how I teach. And now, my research into how founders prepare for and access capital is adding a new dimension: bringing evidence and new insights into the way I teach startup finance and fundraising.
Competitive Olympic weightlifting brings another perspective. It has taught me the value of discipline, practice, resilience, and consistent progress: principles that carry directly into entrepreneurship and leadership.
Across my teaching, research, coaching, and sport, the philosophy is the same: build the foundations, practice the process, and develop the strength to perform when it matters.
Hi, I'm Dr. Ira Philip
BOOK A FREE DISCOVERY CALL
For over 25 years, I've built my career in finance while serving in leadership, strategy, and board roles across a variety of organizations. Alongside my professional work, I have taught at universities, accelerators, and executive programs, drawing on academic foundations in both finance and work psychology.