As part of our International Women’s Day series She Shapes the Future, we are highlighting female founders from our member companies and sharing their journeys in building startups.
First in the series is Monika Liikamaa, co-founder of Enfuce. Monika is building the future of payments in Europe. At Enfuce, she explains, the team has developed a cloud-native issuer processor with dual regulatory licences in the EU and UK, enabling banks, fintechs, and large corporates to launch and scale card programs securely and compliantly.
But for Monika, the mission goes beyond technology. She says, “We’re building something bigger: a customer-obsessed, values-driven company that proves you can grow fast, stay profitable, and still lead with integrity.”
Monika became a founder at 41, after a long career in banking and payments and while raising four children. She shares that the decision came after seeing firsthand how parts of the industry were still held back by legacy systems, slow decision-making, and a lack of transparency.
“At some point, you either keep complaining from the sidelines, or you step in and build the solution yourself. I chose to build,” Monika recalls.
Like many founders, she faced difficult moments. She explains, “There were moments when things were extremely hard: regulatory hurdles, scaling challenges, tough people decisions. But each time we faced pressure, we grew sharper, braver, and more disciplined.”
Those experiences shaped one of Monika’s biggest lessons. She believes, “Resilience isn’t something you’re born with. It’s built. And it becomes your greatest asset as a founder.”
Her advice to aspiring founders is clear: “Don’t wait until you feel ready. Start before you have all the answers. Competence builds confidence, not the other way around.”
She also encourages founders to stay true to their perspective and focus on solving real customer problems early while maintaining discipline around revenue, culture, and financial rigor.
Finally, she highlights the importance of choosing co-founders carefully. Monika says, “Alignment of values matters more than almost anything else.”
More founder stories are coming soon!