The villa turned out to be overflowing with people! I guess we all really wanted to get to know each other and we honestly thoroughly enjoyed talking to everyone, meeting new people, dancing, and, of course, enjoying the ridiculous amount of food that our Russian hosts and our Italian "chef" Davide Guidotti had prepared so that no one would go hungry.
As many of you know, the second pilot of the FMS startup game was announced to start on July 7, and the team invited the women who signed up for the game to meet in person. Meeting gamepreneurs in real life seemed surreal but so exciting! And It’s so happened that just days after the event was announced, it gained a lot of attention from the Malta startup community, and we invited local entrepreneurs to the party as well.
People kept on signing up for the Villa Warming Party, and it became clear that it turns into a big unofficial networking event (stay updated for more of these). Everybody got tired of online meetups during the pandemic (duh) and was happy to get together offline. Nothing beats a party by the pool, gals!
And look at that sea view!
Our Digital marketer, Alexandra, welcomes the ladies who signed up for the game. So many questions!
Guests keep arriving, bringing food and drinks. Here are Kurt Farrugia and Brian Camilleri from Malta Enterprise, the country's economic development agency, attracting new foreign direct investment and supporting the growth of existing businesses.
Kurt brings a huge bottle of champagne. “Do you support more women in startups?” we ask. “Of course I do!” says Kurt posing to be photographed with the poster.
So many interesting people are here: Kurt Farrugia, Brain Camilleri, Adrian Galea, Stella Friaisse, Elizabeth Pulo, Matthew Caruana, David Sciberras, Alexandra Sciberras Nadia Pace, Anthony David Gatt, Stefania Roa Tellez Ditrani Seychell, Anna Sharko Giselle Borg Olivier, Viktória Sebők, Eveline Smet, Magda Goraj, Martine Waltier, Sabine Roiss, Lars Langenstueck Nicolas Garzotto, Fabianne Ruggier, Patrick Soetens, Jonathan Mifsud Michele Ionio, and others. We stopped counting at some point.
It’s getting crowded inside so the people are moving to the terrace. Fresh air and ice-cold wine enliven the people more, and bursts of laughter come now and then.
The villa is packed, people are sitting in groups talking and joking, and some are moving from one group to another networking to make new friends.
Once it gets too hot, we head straight for the pool. For the next few hours, we’re busy chatting and watching David Sciberras having fun trying to saddle an inflatable flamingo.
Time flies fast and it's now 7 pm. "Let's take a group photo!", screames the guy in the yellow T-shirt. About 45 people (others were busy eating) come together and shout "Yay!".
The party goes on until midnight. “What a great event!” says one of the guests. “It’s such an energy boost after this COVID time! So many interesting people and conversations!”
Here are some warm messages Violetta received the next day :) Thank you, guys and gals! Until we meet again!
Want to join the aspiring female entrepreneurs and build your own startup with Fe/male Switch? Apply for the official launch of the not to miss out! Don't wanna wait and ready to start learning now? Join our Startup School and get access to cutting edge startup knowledge.
With love,
Fe/male Switch Team
