In our founder interview series, we skip the slide decks and dive into the sparks, doubts, and pivots that shape early-stage ventures.
Today’s guest: Dr. Saskia Appelhoff — co-founder of Me_not_pause.
A global growth leader who’s scaled brands from Zalando to SmileDirectClub, Saskia is now turning her marketing playbook toward women’s health. Me_Not_Pause is her answer to a hidden crisis: two-thirds of women experience serious menopause symptoms, yet only two of the 30+ symptoms are widely known. The platform blends expert courses, personalized guidance, and a taboo-free community to put women back in charge of their hormones, careers, and confidence.
In this candid chat she explains why “the admin grind is the real oh-sh*t,” how a Zoom call with three Saskias kick-started an expert network, and what happened when she pitched a stranger from the sauna.
Why work in women’s health and menopause?
My co-founder and I have a background in health-tech and we stumbled across the fact that two-thirds of women go through menopause and experience severe pain and symptoms. And then we find another number that 50% of those women quit their job because the symptoms are so severe.
And then we say, okay, this can’t be right that nowadays this is such a huge burden and no one is taking care of it. The same for the symptoms. There are more than 30 symptoms considered or connected to menopause only a few of them are broadly known in the wider society. So this can’t be right. That must be fixed.
Biggest “oh sh*t” moment?
I underestimated how much effort it takes to build a company on all the little things—accounting, taxes, admin. You spend the whole week working, but feel you’ve done little on the idea itself.
Weirdest or funniest moment while building Me_Not_Pause?
My co-founder and I share the same name—Saskia. We once had a call with a specialist also named Saskia. Three Saskias in one Zoom is confusing! But one of the Saskias will always take care of it.
And yes, I once pitched a stranger in the sauna. She said, ‘My hot flushes are worse than this heat,’ we talked, and I handed her a business card.
Small moments that keep you going?
I would say it’s definitely the feedback from the community. So the positive experiences that we have with the women that like our posts, that like the content, that we can actually help with what we do. So this really motivates me because it just shows so directly what an impact we can have. And this might be just a message, just a reply on a post, but that really motivates me. That convinces me that I’m on the right track.
What about advice you would have loved to receive earlier?
Move faster, pivot quicker, don’t try to be too perfect. Be more ‘quick and dirty’—test things fast.
Startup myth you’d like to debunk?
You don’t need to drink Club-Mate and play table soccer to be a founder. You can be a founder and a mom of two—and it’s perfectly doable.
Your founder super-powers?
Combining creativity with strategic thinking—it helps me structure things yet still try new ideas.
Describe your co-founder in one word
Probably I would say, “the other Saskia” because we complement each other in a very good way.
Most over-used startup word right now
MVP. Everything is an MVP and it stays an MVP for a long time.
One piece of fundraising advice?
Talk to people early, build relationships, find out what resonates. Don’t be shy—different investors want different things.
And … just give it a go! Because if you have an idea … I think you find quite quickly if it’s your idea. Because in my case, I can’t get rid of it, it’s in my head day or night. So even if i wanted to rid of it, it’s hard, and I think if you have such an idea then you should go and give it a try. Maybe it doesn’t work out but then you have tried it!