karlawithakey
Turning product chaos into clarity, traction and trust
Work
Freelance Product Partner
As a Freelance Product Partner, I step in when you need momentum, structure, and traction — but not another layer of complexity. I work side by side with founders to shape strategy, focus execution, and move fast without breaking everything.I partner with startup CEOs and CTOs to turn product chaos into clarity — and early ideas into products that win both users and investors, so these founders can build the companies they're proud of.Most early-stage founders are juggling it all: shaping vision, managing teams, talking to investors, pushing shipping goals — often without anyone who truly owns product. That’s where I come in.With over a decade in the startup world, a stint in the VC industry and 7+ years in Product, I’ve helped early-stage teams go from zero to MVP, refine product-market fit, and make their products fundable — not by adding “process,” but by aligning what you build with what users and investors actually care about.If you’re navigating product chaos, or stuck deciding what to build next — I’d love to connect. No sales pitch. Just thoughtful conversation.
Keynote Speaker
Started my public speaking career in 2012 and by now I have been on stages at Women in Tech Summit Amsterdam (about 4000 attendees) and WeAreDevelopers (about 8000 attendees).
I absolutely enjoy interacting with audiences at conferences, meetups and panels, both nationally and internationally. This is my full speaker profile.
Tech Startup Advisor & Mentor
As a Tech Startup Advisor & Mentor, I regularly use my knowledge and experience to support overlooked tech founders with their most pressing issues.
In the past, I was asked to join: Up2B Accelerator, Grace Accelerator, REAKTOR.BERLIN, SIBB Deep Tech Accelerator, HPI School of Entrepreneurship.
Let me know when you're navigating product chaos or want me as a keynote speaker at your event:
About
Technology should serve humanity - enabling us to focus on what truly makes us human: curiosity, community, and consciousness.
With her entrepreneurial spirit, Karla founded and supports several initiatives that change the ratio, meaning they get more women and minorities into tech, leadership, and entrepreneurship.
Karla is a passionate community builder and keen on continuously acquiring new knowledge, growing professionally and personally.
Awards
FEMALE FINANCE AWARD - FOCUS MONEY
In July 2023, Karla Schönicke and Svenja Lassen received the Female Finance Award by FOCUS Money magazine in the category startup for building the first female business angel academy in the DACH region - the #FINacademy.
FTA felicitas Award 2023
by Femtec.Alumnae e.V. Women* CTO Community - Connecting and promoting high-ranking #womenintech
Winner Xathon
In November 2020, Henkel organized the 2nd female entrepreneurship hackathon together with Global Digital Women. After three intense days of ideating and building, and a tough pitch selection process, the jury announced me as the winner of the XATHON 2020.
RAHM Contest 2018 - TOP10 Finalist
100 attendees, LGBTQIA+, Berlin, ESCP Campus
Media
As a trailblazer and role model, Karla has published think pieces, given a number of interviews, and received several awards. For media inquiries please use the existing social media channels linked on this page.
„Investieren in Produkte für Frauen gilt immer noch als Nischenthema“ - sheconomy Interview with Svenja Lassen, 08'2023
Diversity, inklusive Produktentwicklung und dysfunktionale Strukturen in der Tech-Branche - Uplink Podcast, 06'2023
Produktmanagement und Arbeiten in der Tech-Branche - Femtec.Alumnae e.V. Podcast "Frauen machen MINT" #40, 06'2023
EMOTION-Mentorin March - Interview in emotion magazine, 03'2023
No-Code für mehr Diversity in der Produktentwicklung - VisualMakers Podcast, 02'2023
Women CTO Dinner: A community for tech leaders - Blog TogetherByTech, 11'2022
Empowered Females - Women in Entrepreneurship - Blog, 11'22
Female Founders Finance Day - Blog, 11'22
Female Investors Network: Online-Ausbildungsprogramm für Start-up-Investorinnen - sparkasse.at, 09'2022
Primetime gegen Patriarchat: Die erste Show für Gründerinnen - business punk, 09'22
Drei Frauen, eine Branche: Business Angels, Interview S.76/77 - finanzielle 01'22, de
Post for Xathon 2021 by Henkel dx Ventures - LinkedIn 2021, de
Product Top Tips - LinkedIn 2021, en
#startupdiversity - da geht noch mehr! - LinkedIn, 2021, de
In her own words, Interview with Henkel dx Ventures - LinkedIn, 2020, en
Winner of #Xathon, the women entrepreneurship hackathon - LinkedIn, 2020, en
Female Founders Program of Accelerator Frankfurt - Blog, 2020, en
Frauen in der Bibel - 2020, de
How to Become a Software Product Manager - slideshare, 2020, en
Mein Büro - Magazin Forum, 2019, de
Interview on Gal Talks Tech - Blog, 2019, en
Fixing the Leaky Pipeline - How to Keep Women in Tech - LinkedIn, 2019, en
Teaching Kids How to Code - LinkedIn, 2019, en
Winner Online Banking track and overall winner, team swopp at Sixth Bankathon - 2018, en
Agiles Arbeiten: „…denn sie wissen nicht, was sie tun.“ - herCareer Blog, 2018, de
TOP10 Finalist of RAHM - the Global LGBT+ Leadership Contest - 2018, en
Ein Date der Kulturen - Der Tagesspiegel, 2018, de
Speed-Date mit dem Islam - taz, 2018, de
Triff einen Moslem! - deutschlandfunk, 2018, de
3 Common Mistakes Made by People New to Product Management - slideshare, 2017, en
Triff einen Muslim - Süddeutsche Zeitung, 2016, de
Innovationspreis des Oberbürgermeisters der Stadt Frankfurt Oder - moz, 2016, de
Book
The problem I keep running into as a product practitioner isn't a shortage of frameworks. It's that most product teams know three of them well and apply them to everything. The Lean Startup hammer. OKRs before there's a strategy worth measuring. The Design Sprint when the team actually needs six months of continuous discovery.So I decided to write a book about it. Coming 2028.