Before co-founding BackingMinds with Sara Wimmercranz, Susanne worked in marketing at Procter & Gamble and built Eleven, an online beauty retailer. Her path into venture investing runs through consumer marketing and e-commerce, giving her an operating perspective on building businesses around customer demand.
Her investment approach is connected to widening the search for entrepreneurial talent beyond established networks. The combination of consumer-business experience and venture work is relevant to evaluating customer demand, operating decisions and the assumptions investors make about where strong founders come from.
Where Susanne can help
- Consumer business building
- Early-stage venture investing
- Founder assessment
- Access to entrepreneurial networks
Operating and investing experience
A selection of companies and roles connected to Susanne Najafi.
Ventures
BackingMinds
co-founder and founding partner in venture investing
Eleven
entrepreneur behind an online beauty retail business
Procter & Gamble
earlier marketing career in consumer products
Highlights
- Built technology and online retail businesses before investing
- Co-founded BackingMinds with Sara Wimmercranz
- BackingMinds reports that she received Di Digital's Female Investor of the Year award in 2026, chosen by readers at its Female Founders event
Questionsfounders ask aboutSusanne Najafi
What experience did Susanne bring into venture capital?
She brought experience in consumer marketing at Procter & Gamble and in building Eleven, an online beauty retailer. That combination gives her a perspective on customer demand and the operating decisions behind a consumer business, alongside her venture investment work.
What connects her work to overlooked founders?
Her approach emphasizes looking beyond established networks when assessing entrepreneurial potential.
Which practical founder questions fit her background?
Customer demand, the operating challenges of a consumer business and finding investors aligned with a company’s opportunity all connect to her experience.
The best mentors spot the best founders early.
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