Career Transformation of Natasha Zeljko: Journey from Pimp to Global Success
Muhlacker, Germany. Natascha Zeljko Navigates Career Transition, Founds Start-up
At the age of 46, Natascha Zeljko, a resident of Muhlacker, made a career change, leaving the security of a permanent publishing role behind to venture into self-employment. Entrepreneurship, she admits, is a challenging path, but four years later, she has no regrets.
Work, for Zeljko, is therapy. She sees it as an opportunity to overcome obstacles, learn, and grow. Born to an immigrant family from the former Yugoslavia, she credits her upbringing in Muhlacker during the 1980s for shaping her resilience.
Erna Handle, a generous and cheerful Rhinelander, made a significant impact on Zeljko's early life. Handle helped Zeljko's mother secure a job in the hospital lab and introduced her to the world of literature with a gift of Astrid Lindgren's "Pippi Longstocking."
After graduation, Zeljko moved to Paris, where she worked in a German-French kindergarten and studied at the Sorbonne. Despite her initial plans to become a teacher in Munich, she soon realized that academia wasn't her calling and switched to a Magister in German Studies and Political Science.
Zeljko's journey in the publishing industry coincided with its golden age. She wrote for various companies, a job her journalist colleagues initially looked down upon. However, she found joy in conceptualizing magazines for corporations.
In 2005, she took a leap when she was offered the opportunity to launch a new women's magazine. The magazine, titled "myself," quickly gained popularity, with its first print run reaching 600,000 copies. The publication's slogan, "Myself makes women strong," holds a personal significance for Zeljko.
After 13 years with "myself," Zeljko felt a sense of boredom due to the lack of new challenges. She attended numerous after-work events, met various entrepreneurs, and began to build her network. Social media played a crucial role in connecting her with like-minded individuals.
In 2018, Zeljko co-founded the English-language online platform F10 (FemaleOneZero) with two partners. The platform focuses on diversity, female empowerment, and digitalization, themes close to Zeljko's heart. She adopted a hands-off approach towards the topic of work-life balance for mothers, believing it reinforces outdated gender roles.
Zeljko and her co-founder Claus Schuster recently launched Curaze, an innovation network aiming to bridge the gap between start-ups and companies. Curaze's content platform is F10, and they plan to merge further in 2023.
The focus theme for Curaze is the Circular Economy. Companies are increasingly seeking ways to become more circular and resilient in the face of challenges such as climate change, geopolitical crises, resource scarcity, and supply chain disruptions. Curaze aims to become the "Davos" for the Circular Economy, with a large festival planned for autumn 2023.
As a start-up founder, Zeljko faces a daunting workload. In a move to maintain her well-being, she has resolved to take more breaks in 2023. Her hunting dog Luke will be her companion during these breaks.
Note: Natascha Zeljko is the co-founder and CEO of Curaze, a health-tech startup primarily focusing on digital healthcare solutions. Curaze targets improving patient engagement, streamlining healthcare provider workflows, and supporting chronic disease management with personalized digital health platforms that leverage AI and digital tools. Their vision includes global expansion, partnerships, AI-driven personalization, and broadening their reach to cover more conditions and patient populations. For the latest updates, check Curaze's official communications.
- Beyond her role as the co-founder and CEO of Curaze, a health-tech startup, Natascha Zeljko's career transition includes venturing into self-employment and founding an English-language platform, F10, emphasizing diversity, female empowerment, and digitalization.
- The finance and lifestyle of Zeljko have undergone significant changes since embracing entrepreneurship, as she navigates the challenges and personal growth opportunities that come with running a business and a start-up.
- In addition to her education and self-development, including a Magister in German Studies and Political Science, Zeljko's journey in the publishing industry laid a strong foundation for her current career, where she champions women's empowerment, digitalization, and the Circular Economy in her business careers.
- Looking ahead, Zeljko emphasizes the importance of personal growth, work-life balance, and self-care, managing her daunting workload and ensuring time for her hunting dog and companions, as she strives to lead Curaze toward becoming the "Davos" for the Circular Economy.
