Marie Outtier Keynote Speaker

• The Underdog advantage

The "Underdog Advantage" is not about having fewer resources; it's about having a superior mindset.

It's the secret weapon of those who are underestimated, who have everything to prove, and who are forced to innovate because the conventional paths are not open to them.

As an entrepreneur, I've learned that the pressure to be perfect is often the biggest killer of innovation. As I reflected on my journey, I saw a clear choice: "stay trapped in the pursuit of illusory perfection, or embrace the challenge of selling, daring, and stepping off the beaten path."

In this powerful keynote, I dissect how to harness the underdog mentality for breakthrough success.

The audience leaves with:

• Rejecting Illusory Perfection: Why waiting for the "perfect moment" or the "perfect product" is a trap. The underdog knows that action beats planning and that scarcity breeds creative urgency.
• The Power of Being Underestimated: When others dismiss your potential, it grants you the freedom to take calculated risks and execute moves they simply don't see coming. It allows you to innovate in plain sight.
• Building with Constraint: The Valley often celebrates endless funding, but I argue that constraint is the ultimate source of creativity and capital efficiency. Being lean forces radical prioritisation and resilience.
• Daring to Step Off the Beaten Path: The greatest successes come from creating your own rules. I share practical strategies for turning perceived weaknesses—whether it's geography, funding or industry status—into your most powerful competitive edge.

• Gender Equality

Gender equality in business is about more than representation—it's about changing the systems that shape opportunity.

The conversation about gender equality in business is often stuck on representation. My work goes beyond counting seats at the table to focus on the systemic changes required to truly level the playing field.

The audience leaves with:

• The Hidden Cost of Ambition: Why are women still grappling with the choice between ambition and self-doubt? I dissect the cultural narratives that force high-achieving women to "hide what we truly feel" and the mental load of navigating an unequal world.
• The Motherhood Myth: The pervasive societal pressure that frames "success" and "care" as mutually exclusive choices. Drawing on my experience as a mother and entrepreneur, I challenge this false dichotomy and advocate for structures that support both family and professional growth.
• The Power of Capital Allocation: As an investor, I track where the money flows—and where it doesn't. Who gets funded dictates the kind of future we build. I explain why conscious capital allocation is one of the most powerful tools for creating a more diverse and equitable future.
• Equality as a Daily Practice: Gender equality is not an abstract policy; it's a commitment to building better systems. We must move from dialogue to tangible action by creating teams, opportunities and inclusive environments where every voice can thrive.

• Life after an Exit

What really happens after the exit? The deal may close, but the personal journey is only just beginning.

When I sold my company to Twitter, everyone around me celebrated it as the ultimate success—the pinnacle achievement. There was champagne, headlines and endless congratulations. But what no one tells you is what happens after the fanfare fades. You are left with a strange silence.

An exit is much more than a financial transaction; it's a profound personal shift. It means losing the rhythm that defined your life, the identity you built, and the daily connection with the team you poured your heart into. I quickly realised that the hardest part wasn't sealing the deal, but learning who I was without my startup.

Writing about my exit became my way of processing that change and being completely transparent about the powerful questions that follow.

The audience leaves with:

• Who Am I Now? Once you've "made it"—once you've reached that major milestone—how do you find your next driving force? What does success really mean beyond the headline?
• An Exit Is Reinvention: An exit is not closure; it's a new beginning. Financial success opens the door to a deeper search for purpose, meaning and the opportunity to build a new legacy.
• The Exit Heroine: The journey after the sale is often far more complex, humbling and ultimately more rewarding than the challenging years spent building the company.

I share my personal experience to inspire audiences to reframe the conversation around entrepreneurial success. An exit is not a finishing line—it's the courageous beginning of an entirely new chapter of personal and professional reinvention.

• Artificial Intelligence (AI)

• Branding

• Business

• Digital Transformation

• Entrepreneurship

• Equality

• Female Leadership

• Future Trends

• Futurism

• Inclusion