Aiga Senftleben, Billie: Founding During Pregnancy and B2B Buy Now, Pay Later

About this episode

Aiga Senftleben has proven that starting a family and starting a company can indeed be combined. The trained lawyer co-founded Billie during her pregnancy – a FinTech startup that transfers the "Buy Now, Pay Later" concept known from B2C into the B2B sector.

From Lawyer to FinTech Founder

Senftleben's path to entrepreneurship wasn't linear. She discovered her fascination for founding companies during her professional career. Her experiences at PayPal and another German FinTech startup were decisive, where she gained valuable insights into the startup world.

These prior experiences paid off: "We were able to avoid numerous mistakes in our own founding," Senftleben explains. The knowledge from established companies and the startup scene helped the team appear more professional from the start.

Billie: B2B Buy Now, Pay Later as a Business Model

Billie has focused on a specific problem: While "Buy Now, Pay Later" solutions are already widespread in the B2C sector, corresponding offerings for business customers were missing. This is where the company comes in, offering flexible payment solutions to businesses.

The positioning is paying off: With total funding of 130 million USD and around 150 employees, Senftleben rightly calls her company a "half unicorn." These impressive figures show that the market for B2B payment solutions holds enormous potential.

Pregnancy and Founding: A Special Challenge

One of the most remarkable aspects of Senftleben's story is the timing of her founding. Co-founding Billie during pregnancy was certainly a special challenge that she successfully mastered.

This experience shows that professional ambitions and family plans don't have to be mutually exclusive – even though it requires additional planning and organization. Senftleben has created an inspiring example for other female founders.

Learnings and Networking

Senftleben has drawn important lessons from her founding experiences. Networking plays a crucial role for her – both for business development and for personal exchange with other founders.

Her advice to other founders is based on practical experience and shows how important it is to learn from others' mistakes before starting yourself.

Differentiation from Competition

In a competitive FinTech market, Billie must position itself clearly. The focus on the B2B sector and the specific needs of business customers helps differentiate from established players.

The question about the relationship with Klarna is also interesting: While both companies operate in the payments sector, they seem to serve different market segments.

Pride and Future

Senftleben shows particular pride in what has been achieved – and rightly so. From idea to "half unicorn" is an impressive journey that she and her team have completed.

Her story shows that successful foundings can take various forms and that personal circumstances like pregnancy don't have to be an obstacle to entrepreneurial success.