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Sarah Noeckel, Founder at Femstreet

 
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Sarah Noeckel


Sarah is the founder of Femstreet, the leading newsletter and community for women in tech and venture, and currently managing seed investments at Northzone in London, a leading venture firm in European and US markets.


On her morning routine.

Before quarantine I’d be up around 6, but now I tend to sleep a bit later until 7.30. I wish I was one of those people who didn’t pick up their phone the moment they wake up. 

But, of course, I jump on my phone first thing, diving into the news or replying to messages that came in overnight. Between Femstreet and my U.S. based friends, it’s quite hard for me to have a strict no-phone policy in the morning. 

I’m actively trying to improve this blind spot, but I think it’ll take some time. 

After I run through the news, about 5 days a week I’ll hop on my Peloton for 30 minutes. Then it’s morning coffee and a quick shower before beginning the workday. 

I don’t eat in the morning unless I have a breakfast meeting, which I haven’t had in months, so right now it’s just black coffee.


On hustling into venture.

I’m from a middle-class family, born in East Germany.

My parents lived the first 25 years of their lives behind a wall and couldn’t travel the world but I’ve always enjoyed exploring new cultures, been extremely ambitious and love to work on new things with brilliant minds.

My path into venture was not traditional.

I didn’t come from a banking or consulting background and didn’t go to an Ivy or Oxbridge college, where 80% of all UK VC’s hail from. 

As a teenager, especially in my town, I was often told no. That gave me the drive to create my own world, my own reality, and get out of my comfort zone.


On living online.

Between Northzone and Femstreet, I’m constantly online. While a lot of people sometimes look down on that, I love it. This is how I want to live my life.

The downside of being very online is that I need to be incredibly disciplined with my time as chatting with colleagues across various socials channels all day is a huge time suck. So, I’ve begun to pull myself away and really question which calls and meetings I want to be a part of.

Which ones excite me? Which give me the most utility and energy?

I ask these questions to avoid falling into repetitive loops of bad habits and poor time management.

It’s critical that I step back every once in a while to see what’s working, what’s not, and what’s hindering my ability to work at maximum efficiency.



On learning to say no.

As a continuum of protecting my time, I hit a point recently where I had a number of calls that led to nothing. They provided zero value or inspiration to go build things or co-create.

So, after that, I make a concrete decision to learn how to say no.

It took me some time to understand that you can do a lot by email as well. You don’t have to take endless calls.

If somebody wants feedback, I usually end up emailing them instead of always being on a call. Of course, I’d love to give everyone customized feedback, but it’s just not scalable.


On drawing a clear line. 

There’s a clear distinction between my work for Femstreet and Northzone. 

I rarely take meetings for Femstreet during the week unless it’s crucial or highly pertinent and symbiotic to my investing work.

Again, I had to learn to be disciplined here. For me, it’s all about priorities, understanding what’s important, and taking action appropriately.

During the week, I’m heads down investing at Northzone. Then, I work on Femstreet later in the evening on Thursday and Friday, with the occasional Saturday morning session. 

I’ve almost never skipped a week at Femstreet in the last 3 years. It’s challenging mentally, of course, but it’s overwhelming worth it.

My readers are my friends, my community, and my customers.

That discipline probably stems from my track and field days as a teenager. It was drilled into me that I had to finish, and excel at, anything I start. 

With that said, my sweet spot is getting everything done during the week. It requires a lot of blocked out focused time, but it’s worth it.

So, on the weekend, I can relax and enjoy my life.


On her evening routine.

Without social events like dinners or panels to break up my evening, I’ll just keep working. Sometimes I’ll also have dinner with my boyfriend to switch up the monotony of quarantine.

I’ll end with an email block in the evening to close up any loose ends, then I’ll probably jump on my Peloton for another workout if I’m feeling ambitious.

Before bed, I drink a hot lemon tea, wind down watching Succession or Billions, and try my best not to think about work. Most nights, I’m asleep by midnight.