Marble Collective’s Post

Women in VC panel at NeueHouse Los Angeles with Ruffin Mitchener & Jesse Draper ✨ Ruffin & Jesse's careers show the power of media in venture capital. I've been following Ruffin's TikTok about venture capital as I navigated my own career at PsyMed Ventures and Jesse is one of the pioneers of interviewing founders on TV (including Elon Musk!) to highlight diversity in entrepreneurship. Learnings from the event: - Gender Disparity in VC: We need to intentionally recognize there is existing gender disparity in the venture capital industry. Less than 2% of VC funding went to only female founder teams in 2023. - LP Level Challenges: Part of the reason why it's difficult to deploy more capital to female founders is that we also need to achieve diversity and inclusion at the LP (Limited Partner) level who invest in diverse GPs (General Partners). - Emerging v Established Funds: LPs often allocate their capital to well-established Silicon Valley funds, but it's important to find ways to build relationships with LPs to emerging funds for new innovation. - Community driven Angel Investing: A great way to start investing your own capital is to join groups like Hustle Fund Angel Squad and The Council where you can invest alongside peers. - Reminder that VC is very risky: Venture capital is considered one of the riskiest asset classes and you need to think through diversifying your investments. - Founder Qualities: Resilience, adaptability, confidence, and problem-solving skills were front and center. - Be obsessed with your users: Consider the importance of evolving products based on user feedback and being obsessed with solving business problems. - Be confident (especially as a woman!): You know your business better than anyone else out there in the world. Be confident in pitches, in business meetings, and in rooms to communicate your expertise and passion! Thanks for an empowering talk!

To all the women out there fundraising right now... I see you and I support you! 💪🏼 "Female-founded companies in the U.S. raised $44.4 billion out of the $170.59 billion in venture capital allocated last year. Companies with founding teams that are all women raised around $3.1 billion — or 1.8% — which is a dip from $5.1 billion (2.1%) in 2022 and from the $7.3 billion (also 2.1%) raised in 2021’s bull market. In fact, this is the lowest percentage of venture capital allocated to such teams since 2016, when they picked up 1.6% of all venture funds. There is good news for mixed-gender founding teams, however. Such teams raised 26.1% of all venture capital allocated this year, a sizable jump from the 18.2% they picked up last year. This follows the pattern that women founders still fare better with a male co-founder in the mix." As much as I hate to say it, at what point do you call a man into the room to overcome the bias? To say I've never used my male colleagues, friends, and husband (and their big strong man voices) to get something done would be a lie... I've actually done it recently. 🤷🏼♀️ But it did get the job done. So where do you balance the outcome versus the means to get there? Not easy either way. Keep up the good fight! 💪🏼 https://lnkd.in/gUneZwGh

Why invest in women led startups? There are many more reasons, but these are a few to consider - - Diversity and Innovation: Diversity in leadership brings diverse perspectives and ideas to the table. By investing in women-led businesses, you tap into this diverse pool of talent and creativity. - Economic Empowerment: Investors will contribute to the economic empowerment of women. When women succeed in business, they often reinvest in their communities and support the education and well-being of their families. -Social Impact: Investing in women-led startups aligns with social and gender equality goals. It can help address gender disparities in entrepreneurship and leadership positions, promoting a more equitable society. -Performance: Startups with gender-diverse leadership teams tend to perform better financially. Diverse teams are more likely to make well-rounded, informed decisions, which can lead to improved business outcomes. -Mitigating Bias: Historically, women have faced bias and barriers in accessing capital and resources for their businesses. By actively investing in women-led businesses, you can help level the playing field and promote fairness in the investment landscape. -Long-Term Sustainability: Many women-led businesses focus on sustainability and social responsibility, which can align with the growing demand for environmentally and socially conscious products and services. Diversifying an investment portfolio to include women-led ventures can be a strategic and ethical choice. So why not ...... Look forward to hearing the many incredible #entrepreneurs, #vc's (including 360 Venture Collective Managing Partner, @Kelly O’Connell) and #startup founders speak about the power of investing in women at the upcoming 10th Anniversary (congrats Stella Foundation) Women's Venture Summit! #womensventuresummit2023 #startupfunding #womeninbusiness #womenempowerment #womenentrepreneurs #startupcommunity #impactvc #startupsupport #startup #befearless Shelley Iocona Catherine Gray Naseem Sayani (she/her) Kelly O’Connell Silvia Mah PhD, MBA Kara Smith, MBA, PMP® Vicky Pasche Elizabeth Gore McKeever (Mac) Conwell,II Wendy Ryan Laurel Mintz Ellevest UBS Colin Parker, CFA® Stephen LaFata, CEPA®, CPWA® Flossie Hall Geri Stengel Azin Radsan van Alebeek Julie Castro Abrams Mysty Rusk Vidya Dinamani Kelly Ann Winget Genta Luddy Adesola Akindele Jennifer Jeronimo Diondraya Taylor, Ph.D. Chris Marsh Cheryl Contee Barbara Clarke

Tech, war and motherhood: Meet Israel’s new generation of women venture capitalists. Female partners like Renana Ashkenazi, Nofar Amikam, and Sapir Harosh are leading a paradigm shift in Israel's VC sector, defying norms and driving innovation even amidst wartime challenges, symbolizing the growing presence of women in Israel's male-dominated venture capital scene. Glilot Capital Partners Third Point LLC Grove Ventures

Women cofounders raise about 20% of venture capital—but we often overlook them. Women generate 78% more revenue per invested capital than men. Female founders of VC-backed companies raise only 2% of the venture capital invested annually. This 2% figure ignores the many women who are cofounders, CEOs, COOs, and CFOs. While just 2% of VC capital goes to firms founded solely by women, closer to 20% of VC capital goes to firms with at least one woman as a cofounder. Mixed teams are best: Melanie Perkins at Canva, Helen Greiner of iRobot, Michelle Longmire at Medable, Inc, Anastasia Volkova, PhD at Regrow Ag, Sheila Ann Mikhail at Asklepios European Women in VC research also shows this - that such teams outperform, they are more stable, generate more positive impact and are more sustainable. BY Kay Koplovitz for Fast Company https://lnkd.in/gUGWxSwn

I remember years ago when I first read The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell and thought "I'd love to play a significant role in creating a tipping point and to feel what that feels like". Reading Melinda French Gates article I'm reminded of this thought. A Founders 'why' is so often born out of their life experience. I'd argue, the more visceral that experience, the stronger the desire for success (or impact, if you prefer) becomes. There are a growing number of powerful disruptors who are creating change in the investment ecosystem. Powerful either because of the success they've experienced in their careers to date and therefore the platforms they now inhabit. Or powerful because they're startup pioneers who are using their visceral 'why' to present new technology solutions that can scale quickly and therefore accelerate change. I place Melinda French Gates and her leadership in the VC space (as demonstrated in this article) in the former and our leadership at Obu in the angel investing space in the latter. What's so interesting about this article is the shared underlying insight that is informing design decisions at both Pivotal Ventures and Obu (redefining due diligence; leading with the power of a Founders story; unapologetically promoting the ability for business to be a powerful force for economic AND societal change; actively inviting women and allies to 'count themselves in' to closing the gender investment gap. Maybe most importantly - not waiting for change, but creating it). In The Tipping Point, Gladwell described the impact of lots of small movements, combining to create one contagious movement - or as I like to think about 'moment of change'. I believe that moment is fast-approaching. Why do I believe it? Because I can start to feel it. For more on Melinda's work in the VC space, check out the article below and follow along at Pivotal Ventures. For more on how we're democratising #angelinvestment follow our story Obu #overbeingunderfunded #beanANGEL #changemakers https://lnkd.in/e84qmP2v

Incredibly insightful conversation between Naseem Sayani (she/her) and Urvashi Bhatnagar, DPT, MBA on the future of women in venture capital and the broader economic landscape. Emmeline Ventures is truly pioneering the way for a more equitable future, not just through its investment choices but also through its dedication to education and mentorship. The statistics around women-led teams outperforming their male counterparts underscore the significant untapped potential in female leadership and investment acumen. This isn't just good ethics; it's good business. Kudos to the team for challenging systemic barriers and envisioning a future where women have greater access, equity, and insights. #WomenInVenture #FinancialInclusion #GenderEquity

I have first hand experience raising multiple rounds of venture and it’s one of the most challenging parts of any founders role... 😮💨 Trying to manage and scale a company is a full-time job. 😮💨 Completing a fundraising process is a full-time job on top of a full-time job.  It's a tough gig for every founder, but particularly for women. The biggest barrier we face is the structure of the entire VC ecosystem - it's set up to fail us. Did you know? 🩹 Less than 2% of VC funding goes to female founders. 👀 🩹 New research from Ada Ventures shows that only 38% of VCs are women, with 22% of them holding a leadership title. 👀 Why is this such a problem? Many investors rely on “pattern-matching” and invest in companies that resemble the ones they have funded in the past, which usually means companies led by men. We know that women VCs are twice as likely to fund female founders, so until we rebalance the “other side of the table” how can more women raise? The data in the article below sheds light on the lack (and much smaller size of women-led funds), pointing to what LPs can do to address this. The VC ecosystem needs better representation ASAP if we’re ever going to solve for female-led businesses reaching mass scale. 👏🏼 You can read more on the report here: https://lnkd.in/eEqjHBhg Report: Francesca (Check) Warner via Ada Ventures

In 2020, a mere 9% of global funding for technology startups reached teams with at least one-woman founder. Solo woman founders and all-women teams received a meagre 2% of all venture capital funds. There is a direct correlation between diverse investors and diverse funding, well established by research. Bringing more women as investors can have a profound impact on women-led startups. When U.S. VC firms elevated the proportion of female partners, they experienced a remarkable 9.7% increase in profitable exits and a 1.5% rise in overall fund returns annually. Data from All Raise and PitchBook further solidifies this connection. They emphasise a clear correlation between appointing female decision-makers at the investment level and outperforming others at the fund level. In fact, 69.2% of U.S. VCs that achieved a top-quartile fund ranking between 2009 and 2018 had women in pivotal decision-making roles. The move to bring more women as investors and funded entrepreneurs sends a resounding message to the entire ecosystem: diversity in venture capital is indispensable for driving innovation & achieving economic success. #Diversity #VentureCapital #Entrepreneurs #Startups #GlobalFunding

🔥 Ignite Your Portfolio: Revolutionize Investing by Betting on Women Founders—Here's a $3 Trillion Incentive 🔥   This week, the annual WeROC event wrapped up, and wow, what a spectacle! Props to Tara Spalding and the whole team Kinect Capital for orchestrating such a powerful platform for female founders.   Day 1 alone saw 16 female founders pitch revolutionary technologies. As a mentor to two of the amazing Founders in the in HealthTech space Cathy Skinner and Ashley Crafton, my chest swelled with pride, not just because they were women, but because they were disruptors!   Day 2 wasn't any less electric, with speakers and panels diving deep into the nitty-gritty of capital raising. The Fireside Chat featuring Jesse Draper, a VC powerhouse in women founders and women's health, and Jacki Zehner, an angel investor and founder of ShePlace and SheMoney, was the cherry on top.   🚀 Wake Up, Investors! Here's the billion-dollar question—maybe even a $3 trillion question: Are you asleep at the wheel while a monumental market shift is happening? You're not just missing unicorns; you're missing a whole new landscape of opportunity!   👩🏻💼 The No-Brainer Business Case Jesse Draper nails it: Investing in women isn't charity; it's unfiltered, savvy capitalism. Forget the old-boy networks and open your eyes to the future—where only 7% of VC decision-makers are women. This isn't just an imbalance; it's financial myopia.   📈 Do the Math We're not talking about small-fry startups here. Think Spanx, Sprout Pharmaceuticals, Cloudflare—these women-led titans are slaying the billion-dollar valuation game. Add to that the fact that ethnically diverse teams outperform monolithic ones by 30%. Morgan Stanley isn't mincing words: Miss this, and you're voluntarily skipping a $3 trillion windfall.   🔎 Seen it, Believed it, Vouch for it I've mentored startups, many of them spearheaded by fiercely intelligent women. This is more than a social justice slogan; it's an ROI revelation. If the triumphs of these companies don't tip you off, you might as well be investing in typewriters and fax machines.   🌟 Conclusion: Time to Rebel Against the Status Quo This isn't tokenism; it's transformative capitalism. If you're not betting on women, you're not just morally outdated—you're financially naive. Time to upend the norms because the returns are not just high; they're revolutionary.   👊 Your Move: Disrupt Your Portfolio Allocate a defiant 15-20% of your investment capital to audacious women-led startups this coming quarter. Screen them, scrutinize them, and then watch your portfolio gain dimensions you didn't think possible.   So, who among you savvy investors can say you've already dug up some of this hidden treasure? Don't be shy—tell us your secret sauce in the comments. Remember, in the world of investing, playing it safe is the new risky! 🎢   #InvestinWomen #FemaleFounders #MentoringRocks