From Corporate Career to Founder: Evelyn's Story

🎓 MSc Alumni, Tomorrow University of Applied Sciences

📍 Austria

🌱 SDGs: 5 – Gender Equality, 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth, 13 – Climate Action

💼 Founder, Finoria | Sustainability Investor | Career Changer

Leaving behind a career that no longer fit

For ten years, Evelyn Fisher built a career in the technology and print industry. Strategic management, business development, large accounts across the DACH region.

But she felt there was more waiting for her.

"I wanted more than just another degree. I wanted a real career change. A chance to move into renewable energy and build something meaningful, for myself and for my children."

After a decade in corporate, she enrolled at Tomorrow University and started over.

A thesis that became a company

During her studies, Evelyn started building, though not because she had planned to.

She had noticed something in her research and in conversations with women around her. The same barriers that kept women out of STEM fields, self-doubt, missing role models, the feeling of not belonging, were showing up again in how women related to money. Financial confidence. Investment decisions. Long-term security.

That observation became her thesis. And with the right people alongside her, including Thomas Funke who supervised her work, her thesis became Finoria, a platform empowering women to take charge of their finances and start investing sustainably.

"I started building my own business during my studies. My master thesis became the foundation for what is now Finoria. Today, I'm empowering women to take charge of their finances and start investing, with a focus on sustainable investing."

What gave her the confidence to start

Evelyn expected to learn. She didn't expect how much the people around her would matter.

"What surprised me most wasn't only the learning. It was the people. The conversations, meet-ups, and community around this university gave me the confidence to actually start."

After ten years in corporate, it would have been easy to stay cautious. To wait until the idea was more developed, the timing more certain, the risk smaller. But the community she found at Tomorrow University made it harder to keep waiting.

A message for anyone sitting on the fence

Evelyn didn't set out to become a founder. It happened through small steps, staying close to her customers, iterating, and building with what she already had. The right people at the right moments made all the difference.

"I joined Tomorrow University because I wanted more than just another degree. And honestly? It became one of the best decisions I've ever made."

If you're in a career that no longer fits, and you're wondering whether it's too late or too risky to change, Evelyn's answer is simple: It's not.

Want to follow Evelyn's journey? Connect with her on LinkedIn and explore Finoria.

👉 Evelyn at a Glance:

Career: MSc Alumni & Founder, previously in corporate.

Why Tomorrow University: Wanted a real career change, not just another credential.

Mission: Empower women to take control of their finances and invest sustainably.

Advice: "Small steps. Build with what you already have. Stay close to your customer and keep iterating."