Alma Angels’ Post

Two weeks ago, Female Invest announced an $11,2m Series A. Meanwhile, Camilla was giving birth.👇 👇 In fact, we signed the papers the day before her due date. Why are we sharing this? To change the narrative. For context, this will be our second baby in the Founder team (this pic is with Emma's baby last year). It's no secret that female founders face unique barriers and bias, especially when fundraising. Having fundraised twice with a pregnant founder, it's terrifying to say the least. Ironically, not because of the risks associated with childbirth or doubts about how it would impact the company. We have a great team, we set up systems and being three founders means we can cover for each other. By far, the biggest challenge has been navigating the prejudice and expectations from the world around us. Expectations shape reality. If society expects female founders to fail when starting a family, VC's won't invest, employees won't apply for jobs and women will refrain from even trying. By sharing our journey, we hope to inspire change. Encouraging VC's to bet on women and encouraging more women to combine the dreams of motherhood and startup life. It's not easy and it does take a village. We've been lucky to find extraordinary investors who believe in us, romantic partners who support our dreams and a dedicated team who wants to change the world with us. We all play a role in changing the narrative. Are you ready? 🔥

"Expectations shape reality. If society expects female #founders to fail when starting a family, VC's won't invest, employees won't apply for #jobs and women will refrain from even trying... Having fundraised twice with a pregnant founder, it's terrifying to say the least. Ironically, not because of the risks associated with childbirth or doubts about how it would impact the company. By far, the biggest challenge has been navigating the prejudice and expectations from the world around us.... Encouraging VC's to bet on women and encouraging more women to combine the dreams of motherhood and startup life. By sharing our journey, we hope to inspire change." Anna-Sophie Hartvigsen #OnRepeat #InspiredByYou *****ICYMI****** #Working #Parenting Math by Abigail Morrish York here: https://lnkd.in/ej7VWppC “For the nation as a whole, the #labor force participation rate for women was 56.8% in 2022. The age groups of 25 to 34 years, 35 to 44 years, and 45 to 54 years all had participation rates above 75%, with 25 to 34 years having the highest (77.6%).” “82% of #GenZ Mom’s considered leaving the #workforce last year due to the stress and cost of #childcare…. 85% of moms over 30 support federally mandated paid leave, regulation to address climate change, federally protected reproductive rights and increased gun control policies." “You don't need eternal optimism and hope to fight for what's right, that knowledge & information rarely shift #power structures, and that #community organizing is a critical (maybe the critical) part of addressing intractable social problems.” Amy Westervelt Source for all quotes & #data in this Janna Meyrowitz Turner repost: https://lnkd.in/egtwwfzw AND.... "We are so done with the joyless masculinity...Man Box #culture, a culture which dreams of returning to a time when women had absolutely no legal, political or personal rights." Mark Greene https://lnkd.in/eEFqaguF "We want boys, and the men they will become, to be agents of change for girls and women!” Women in Sport repost: https://lnkd.in/egCewiSK "A Kamala Harris presidency...a game changer for women" in #business in #leadership in #education in #healthcare in #work...in every part of our lives. Source in repost: https://lnkd.in/e_PKz5rT 📣 #CalltoAction: Sign the Founders For Kamala Pledge & come volunteer with us: https://lnkd.in/eQviaX2T #Innovation #investing #venturecapital #entreprenuership #Talent #Money #CultureofMoney

This is fantastic! Congratulations! 👏👏👏 We need more female-led VC’s investing in female founders focused on female-focused startups. Some Facts to note: 1) Women drive the economy with 90% purchasing power. 2) Women’s Health is the most untapped, growing and lucrative investment sector within venture and innovation. 3) There will always be babies. 4) There will always be births. 5) There will always be menstrual cycles. 6) There will always be fertility challenges. 7) There will always be menopause. When we think of LTVCAC, there is no question here. Thing is, we want women investing in women’s things because we are women. The guys don’t get it because they aren’t having the babies nor contending with what our bodies go through at each stage of womanhood. Let’s crack the 1.4% of female-led venture funds and the less than 5% of VC funding that is going toward female founded startups. Let’s keep pushing forward.

This is the kind of inspiration we need as female founders - glass ceilings not just being smashed, but shattered into smithereens. Female founded - tick. Pregnant and running a scaling business - tick. Getting investment as a female founder - tick. Getting investment as a pregnant female founder - tick, tick. A female founder, getting investment during pregnancy, and giving birth all at the same time - tick, tick, tick. We're proud of you Team Female Invest!

"By far, the biggest challenge has been navigating the prejudice and expectations from the world around us... Expectations shape reality." >>> This is why I set up Business and Babies to raise awareness, change the status quo, and provide women with a community of likeminded individuals when navigating running a business with giving birth and early parenthood. Seeing is believing. The more we see, the more we believe. Well done Team Female Invest. Smashing the status quo on so many levels. Head over to https://lnkd.in/e2hrpFaE to share your story, complete our survey if you haven't already, join the conversation, and read other founder's stories. #BusinessAndBabies

Being pregnant while fundraising “Having fundraised twice with a pregnant founder, it's terrifying to say the least. Ironically, not because of the risks associated with childbirth or doubts about how it would impact the company. We have a great team, we set up systems and being three founders means we can cover for each other. By far, the biggest challenge has been navigating the prejudice and expectations from the world around us. Expectations shape reality. If society expects female founders to fail when starting a family, VC's won't invest, employees won't apply for jobs and women will refrain from even trying. By sharing our journey, we hope to inspire change. Encouraging VC's to bet on women and encouraging more women to combine the dreams of motherhood and startup life. It's not easy and it does take a village.” Read the full version of this inspiring and thought-provoking post by Anna-Sophie Hartvigsen, co-founder of the fintech Female Invest through the link in the comments. *** This is an excerpt of our food for thought section in our weekly newsletter. Subscribe now and never miss an edition.

Did you know that Camilla was 9 months pregnant when we closed our Series A? Or that this is our second Founder baby? 👇 👇 Why are we sharing this? To change the narrative. It's no secret that female founders face unique barriers and bias, especially when fundraising. Having fundraised twice with a pregnant founder, it's terrifying to say the least. The hardest part wasn't starting a family. It was navigating the prejudice and expectations from the world around us. Expectations shape reality. If society expects female founders to fail when starting a family, VC's won't invest, employees won't apply for jobs and women will refrain from even trying. By sharing our journey, we hope to inspire change. Encouraging VC's to bet on women and encouraging more women to combine the dreams of motherhood and startup life. It's not easy and it does take a village. We've been lucky to find extraordinary investors who believe in us, romantic partners who support our dreams and a dedicated team who wants to change the world with us. We all play a role in changing the narrative. Let's do this! 🔥

Complete support for mompreneurs.

I had the opportunity to watch "Show Her The Money" last night at The Roux Institute at Northeastern University and learned a lot: 💰 Less than 2% of Venture Capital money goes to women-led businesses 📃 The first year women were allowed to get a business loan without a male co-signer? 1988. 🤯 😠 💼 Pocket Sun, founder of SoGal Ventures, is the first female millennial venture founder. She and her co-founder have invested in 150+ startups and have a knack for picking $1B+ unicorns from the earliest stage. 👩 Investing in women means investing in the economy, humanity AND the environment: These women were creating unique products that reflected unique unmet needs for women: Cherry Blossom Intimates 👙 (Bra boutique for breast health), indē wild 🧴 (ayurvedic skin and hair care) and hey freya 🌱 (Naturopathic and evidence-based wellness solutions for women who are sick and tired of feeling sick and tired) and Dapper Boi 👖 (all-gender, body-inclusive, online apparel line). 👉🏽Elevating women into positions of leadership is SO 👏 MUCH 👏MORE 👏 than checking a DEI box. 👉🏽Elevating women into positions of power means MORE MONEY: customers, revenue streams, and access to billions in untapped markets. 👉🏽Elevating women into positions of power infuses more creativity, humanity, intuition, innovation and resourcefulness into our ecosystem 👉🏽Elevating women into positions of power is a powerful antidote to hate, divisiveness and inequality, no matter what side you're on. Thank you Anna Ackerman and the team at The Roux Institute for facilitating this important conversation. What's good for Humans is good for Business. capital H. Julia Coit Joan Fortin Sonia Cook-Broen

Female founders have 63% higher multiples on invested capital and generate 78 cents in revenue per dollar, compared to men’s 31 cents. On International Women’s Day and every day, the disparities in financing are too blatant to ignore. Less than 2% of VC funding goes to female founders, in spite of how much better their returns are. However, with a male cofounder, that numbers shoots up to ~16%—blatant bias. On this note, I had the pleasure of attending the Women Driving Innovation conference in Dallas today. (Thank you to BioNTX for this wonderful event.) Here, Gina Ford talks about this concept of the “Broken Ladder,” showing these biases extend beyond startups. Considering how many incredible female founders I know, I find this a painful destruction of value. People ask me how women’s health is so underfunded—I have no answers other than outright sexism. The data robustly showcases this discrepancy. Why do people not want to make money funding women? Today and every day, may we all buy from, fund, and listen to women—the returns both personally and professionally will be far more than worth it.