Girls Who Invest’s Post

💪 In 2022, women made up a slight majority (50.75%) of employees at First Time Funds in Chicago. 🔥 Additionally, First Time Funds had greater representation of Black/African American (29.85%) and Asian (13.43%) employees in 2021 compared to all funds. 🙏 To us, this demonstrates that emerging managers are playing a key role in expanding #DEI across #VC. 🧐 So, how can we support our emerging managers so we can continue to expand diversity across VC? Dustin Douglas explores this in his recent #BLENDTALK where he covers the value of SBIC grants and how to get them! Check it out below: https://lnkd.in/g5-mS2gK And if you'd like to learn more about diversity within First Time Funds, check out last year's Chicago:Blend data release: https://lnkd.in/euekTDgv 🫡 S/O again to our incredible sponsors and host for the BLEND Talks CDW. Stay tuned for more!

🚀 In a World Where 3 States Dominate Venture Funding... In 2022, three states alone garnered 65% of total venture dollars. Meanwhile, 38 American states each secured less than 1% of this funding. This isn't just an imbalance; it's a missed opportunity. 🌟 The Underestimated Power of Emerging Managers Emerging managers in lesser-known markets have been pivotal, contributing 63.7% of funds over the past five years. Despite this, we've seen a 55% drop in fundraising for first-time managers this year. 🔍 At a Crossroads in Venture Capital As the M&A market dips to decade lows and LP liquidity is stretched thin, it's tempting to retreat from emerging manager allocations. But here lies the big question: "How do we continue to source vital funds for innovative startups nationwide, not just on the coasts?" 🎙️ Join The Conversation: Unlocking the Potential of Emerging Managers Explore how emerging managers can deploy upward of 40% more capital. We'll delve into strategies and insights for broadening the investment landscape. 💡 Did You Know? The Impact of Venture Capital Employment in VC-backed companies has surged by 960% from 1990 to 2020, compared to the private sector's growth of 40%. This data from the 2023 NVCA report highlights venture capital's role in economic growth and community development. 🏫 A Surprising Fact About Illinois Did you know that Illinois produces nearly 10% of the nation's computer scientists annually? It surpasses institutions like MIT, Stanford, and Cal-Tech combined in engineering graduates, pointing to a rich talent pool ripe for tech innovation. Thank you, Chicago:Blend for the opportunity. I'd also like to thank all of our great supporters as well: CDW, Origin Ventures, Builders Initiative, GET Cities, Cooley LLP, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, Wells Fargo, World Business Chicago, and all of our amazing sponsors. I'd also like to thank Bailey DeVries for all of her hard work in this field.

How I Lost 1 Million Naira in NYSC Camp You might think I'm joking, but I promise you, I'm not. I haven't shared much about my NYSC camp experience, but there’s one thing I deeply regret: not pitching my business ideas when I had the chance. We were given about a week to prepare, and a cash prize was up for grabs. So why didn’t I go for it? It wasn’t because I didn’t have a business idea, I did. And it certainly wasn’t because I didn’t need the money, I definitely did. But guess what? I didn’t even write out my business plan, let alone submit it or take the stage to pitch. Was I sad? Maybe a little. But what really got to me was hearing others pitch and realizing that I could have done the same, maybe even won the grand prize of 1 million naira, or at least the 100k that was shared among participants. So yes, I missed out on the money big time. This brings me to something that’s been on my mind, especially for my fellow girlies. It’s time for us to step up and step out. I was in an online tech community meeting yesterday, and there was a segment where people were invited to share their ideas and innovations. Out of four participants, not a single one was a woman. Why is that? Is it because women don’t have ideas, or are we just too shy to pitch them? Honestly, if I were there in person, I’m not sure I would have spoken up either. But here’s the thing: If guys can do big things, so can we. They code? We can code too. They trade? So can we. We don’t have to be confined by society’s expectations that women should like cooking, pink colors, and all those stereotypes. It’s time to step out of our comfort zones and become the best versions of ourselves. And just a fun fact to end this on a lighter note: I don’t like crayfish. So, what’s your plan for the weekend? Mine is to complete my course on business analysis. Let's keep pushing and daring ourselves to want more!

Did you know that on average, only 3% of #venture funding is received by female founders? The Agora Initiative DC is looking to change that. VC in DC is a proud partner of Agora. I’m looking forward to reviewing applicant companies as an Agora investor committee member. Please help us spread the word to female founders in your networks! #femalefounders #venturecapital ##venturechallenge

Breaking Barriers in Fundraising 🚧💼: Debunking Myths and Confronting Race-Based Challenges For many minority founders building companies we know the cycle of trying to raise funding. Adonica Shaw CBE, INHC, CIHC debunks the myth that black and brown founders have access to "more money" or "extra money" from black venture capitalists, emphasizing that venture capital are merit-based rather than racially biased. She also points out that black venture capitalists are often investing money from limited partners (LPs) who are not people of color, and their investment decisions are driven by the potential for returns rather than racial solidarity. Thanks to Adonica for the reminder to black and brown entrepreneurs to challenge the status quo, pursue funding from major firms. Go Hard 🔥🔥 Richard Venegar Samantha Katz Samella Watson Evan Leaphart Will Stringer Giselle Melo #blackbusiness #blackfounders

“This report summarizes findings from an extensive field and literature scan and interviews with 30 informants, including practitioners, funders, researchers, consultants, and staff members from several foundations. The report makes recommendations for foundations to consider in identifying and working with intermediaries to support racial equity, power sharing, and community voice. An adaptable tool was also created to help foundation staff navigate decision-making points and options for determining when and how to best work with intermediaries.”

That feeling when 3️⃣ female founders receive funding from your network in the last week… Katie Dunn and I live for moments like this. Despite market conditions and a many other factors, these founders have been prepping for months. Two in CPG, and the other in Med Tech. It wasn’t a quick fix or an immediate check. 🙌 But the money is out there if you lay the right foundation and are willing to make changes. ✅ These founders started prepping before they were ready, they received a TON of NOs but kept going, they were willing to overhaul their pitch and fundraising materials to improve, and they were transparent about their strengths and weaknesses. We are so freaking proud, but our work is far from done with only 1.6% of female founders still securing capital. —————————————— 💪 If you’re ready to raise capital, apply to work with us at the link in my bio.

In the 2030s (or thereabouts), the City of Calgary, the University of Calgary and the business ecosystem will be more “diverse” than it isn’t. We already have record numbers of racialized, Indigenous, women, queer and disabled students in our University (and that trend will continue for decades). It’s imperative (therefore) for the Haskayne School of Business to continue our incredible work towards meaningful, joyful, creative and groundbreaking inclusion of these students. We do this now, so that we are not scrambling to compensate in 6 years. I heard the wise Alex Gysen coin the phrase “equity debt” to describe this urgent NEED for businesses to practice EDIA competency. In other words, as buisnesses get more and more diverse, but do nothing to support that diversity by improving equity and promoting inclusion, their EDI debt grows. The evidence is clear that it makes moral sense to advance EDI but it also makes good business sense. There are 2 days left to have your donation matched for Haskayne’s IDEAS in Business fund, that we may equip our students, staff and Faculty with the knowledge, tools and competency necessary to advance EDIA, shrink our own equity debt and make a positive impact on the future!

You may have been hearing from me about the new private equity club I discreetly opened last month, but I think you might not understand how different, ground-breaking and next-fucking-level this is, so here’s a quick summary: 🌟You receive equity ownership in the club, and it’s limited to only the first 100 women who get their stake secured. Translation: instead of paying for a membership, you get all of the benefits inside of it, and own a piece of the virtual real estate too 🤩 🌟You get to access my 400K email leads, and if your ideal customer is entrepreneurial in any way, this is the goldmine you’ve wanted without paying for leads through a cold source like Facebook or Instagram ads. I’ve never let anyone mail to my list, and by doing it in this way, I am creating an ethical way for us to both win. 🌟I am partnering with you to create deal flow and introductions to powerful people who can not just open doors, but give you access to bigger opportunities you’ve ever imagined. This is what men do on the golf course, so I decided we’d just build our own. If you want to make friends who actually have your back in addition to everything else, grab your spot here. Basically with those 3 benefits alone, you’d be crazy not to invest in yourself by joining. But look, there’s no pressure. Maybe you just need a little more info. So, I’m hosting a live Ask-Me-Anything where I’ll go over why the club is better than anything else out there, and why being a part of it makes a lot of sense. It’s on July 11 - you can RSVP in the link in my bio. This isn’t a sales pitch or fake scarcity play. We’re capping the first cohort at 100 so I can really invest in the women who are with us. If you ever wished that you were part of something big in the early stages, this is the one to consider. Some of you need to understand why there’s urgency to join at all. Well, it’s because we’re at 80% capacity which means we have less than a couple dozen spots left. Register through this link: https://lnkd.in/gazVeVJt #equity #leadership #womeninbusiness

Designing and implementing effective approaches measuring grantmaking progress is challenging for #sciencefunders, especially since the value of their work may take years to become evident.   At a knowledge exchange hosted by Science Philanthropy Alliance, funders discussed creative strategies to determine the impact of their work. These include: - Context-specific data gathering, analysis, and decision making - Integrating a wide range of perspectives in grantmaking efforts - Adopting approaches that leverage both quantitative and qualitative data Learn more about their approaches: https://lnkd.in/gzM6xh2E   #Grantmaking #Science #Funders