As a City banker who started out at a top Wall Street firm, the ill-fated Lehman Brothers, Emilie Bellet might seem an unlikely candidate to need help with her own personal finances. But after admitting that even pros can end up at odds with financial security, the former private equity analyst was given a jolt in her very first session with a financial adviser. When she turned up alone, the adviser asked her: “Where is your husband?”

The enraging experience inspired Bellet to found Vestpod, a female-focused personal finance digital platform, aimed at empowering women financially by busting taboos about money.