PARIS — The countdown has begun. In a few days, Amélie Guicheney, the boss of the electric bike startup Gaya, will return to work after giving birth to her second child in March.
It’s a moment that she awaits with a mix of excitement and apprehension. She knows from experience that it’s important to pace yourself, given medical appointments and the lack of sleep. And like any young parent, she also wants to make the most of her baby’s first months.
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Before going on maternity leave, Guicheney planned her absence meticulously. “The company had to be able to run without me,” she says. She held meetings with her employees to remind them of the startup’s main goals for 2024 and to reorganize her management committee. The aim? To facilitate dialogue and decision making. “Looking back, this prompted me to structure the support functions earlier than I would have done otherwise,” she says.
Unjustified guilt
The subject of motherhood for female entrepreneurs is rarely discussed publicly in French Tech. “It’s not really covered in newspapers. It would’ve been good for me to see other women entrepreneurs who have children,” says Eugénie Pezé-Heidsieck, the cofounder of biotech company Nūmi, who has just given birth to her first child.
Should this be seen as a taboo? “Women don’t speak about it because they think it’ll backfire on them,” says Delphine Groll, cofounder of Nabla (AI for doctors). She says lots of managers internalize a form of guilt because they fear that they will be seen as less productive or less involved in the life of their start-up. But for her, it’s quite the opposite. “I feel much stronger since I’ve had children,” Groll says.
“Motherhood is a weapon against procrastination,” she adds. There’s no time to waste during endless meetings or lunches. Because as soon as you leave the office, a second day begins (bath, children’s meals, bedtime story, etc.).
Support for women managers
For Groll, women need to come to terms with motherhood so that it becomes a “non-issue” with those they deal with. While the issue is hushed up in public, tongues are wagging in private. “At Galion [a club for French Tech entrepreneurs], there’s a group of women entrepreneurs. We often talk about it,” says Claire Cano-Houllier, who has had two children since she co-founded Hiflow, a digital car delivery platform, in 2012.
When she became pregnant for the first time, she asked her investors if they’d ever been faced with this sort of situation. To her surprise, however, they said it was the very first time! “I also told my business partner very quickly, so that we could plan ahead,” Cano-Houllier says.
“One of the first challenges is to help women find solutions when they want to go back to work.”
Pezé-Heidsieck, too, raised the issue with Nūmi co-founder, Eden Banon-Lagrange, as soon as they launched the company. A way of preparing the ground. The researcher then learned that she was pregnant the day after they had closed their €3 million fundraising round, a pivotal moment, when you need to structure the company for the next stage and recruit.
In general, start-up bosses don’t count their hours. So it’s difficult, if not impossible, to take a complete break after giving birth. As a result, they often keep channels open as a precaution. “I used to organize a call with my partners every two weeks,” Cano-Houllier says.
Chilcare, a source of stress
During time off, there’s also a priority to think about: future arrangements for the care of the child — or children. Eléonore Crespo (of Pigment) and Eliane Lugassy (of Witco) had twins! “At a time [when French President Emmanuel Macron has called for] ‘demographic rearmament,’ one of the first challenges is to help women find solutions when they want to go back to work,” says Guicheney, who is still waiting for a response from her local nursery.
Deciding when to return to work is a very personal choice, and depends on your physical and mental condition. “I wanted to get back to work quickly,” Pezé-Heidsieck says. And, of course, there’s nothing wrong with being clever: You can start with half days or work from home more to save travel time. As Cano-Houllier points out: “Being an entrepreneur gives you the flexibility to manage your own schedule.”
There are also a few tips to make life easier. “Airpods for meetings or calls and a baby carrier are musts,” Groll says. Not to mention the most important thing of all: having a partner who does 50% of the housework and family tasks, so that young mothers can pursue their careers with greater peace of mind.
