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She spent over a decade scaling two of Europe's most successful tech companies, reaching the C-suite along the way. Then she moved back to her hometown and nobody knew her name. That tension is the heart of this episode of Dear FoundHer, and it sets up one of the clearest examples of starting a business after corporate you will hear this year.
Host Lindsay Pinchuk talks with Christine de Wendel, co-founder and U.S. CEO of sunday, the digital checkout platform used in over 3,500 restaurants across the U.S., U.K., and France. Christine spent over a decade scaling two of Europe's biggest e-commerce companies before leaving corporate at 40 to build a company of her own. Her story shows what transitioning from employee to founder really looks like once the safety net disappears.
Christine describes the three humbling months she spent building connections in Atlanta before the idea for sunday took shape, and how a phone call from an old friend turned into a co-founding partnership. She also opens up about startup funding and whether having a male co-founder changed how easily she raised capital.
Lindsay and Christine talk candidly about networking for women, credibility, and why making a career pivot later in life can be an advantage instead of a setback. If you have ever wondered whether starting a business after corporate means starting from zero, Christine’s story offers a clear answer: the experience, relationships, and skills you have already built still count. Press play to hear how she used them to help raise $145 million for sunday.
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 From Tech Executive to Unknown in Atlanta
02:56 Christine's Path From Bain to Paris Tech
05:47 Why She Waited Until 40 to Start
08:25 Uprooting the Family and Moving to Atlanta
11:43 The Phone Call That Became sunday
14:47 How the sunday App Works
16:33 A Review Turns Into Real Restaurant Change
19:08 How sunday Makes Money
20:57 The 2021 Raise and What Came After
22:45 Doubling Transaction Volume
24:25 Why Restaurants Are Slow to Adopt
26:15 Building Brand Ambassadors and Referral Networks
29:47 Funding, Her Co-Founder, and Gender in Fundraising
32:55 Motherhood, Pacing, and Doing It All
36:46 Three Tips for Women Starting Out
Connect with Christine de Wendel:
Follow sunday App on Instagram
Connect with Christine on LinkedIn
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Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram
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