Last night’s Cafe IW: Investing in Women event brought together an incredible group of founders, investors, and advocates to tackle one of the biggest challenges in the startup ecosystem: how to bridge the funding gap for women entrepreneurs. ?? Key Takeaways: ? Connect with local investors – Hearing their perspectives on the current investing landscape gave attendees valuable insights into securing funding in today’s market. ? Breaking down barriers – With women founders receiving under 3% of total VC funding annually, we explored why these challenges persist and, more importantly, how we can work toward solutions. ? Empowering future founders – The data shows that only 13.2% of founders in 2023 were women (per Carta). The conversation addressed why fewer women are taking the entrepreneurial leap—and what we can do to change that. ? Building networks that drive success – Access to capital is often tied to informal networks, which can be harder for women to break into. We discussed creative strategies for building authentic relationships with investors and key decision-makers. Some of the thought-provoking questions explored: ?? Why is it harder for VCs to fund women founders, despite their strong track records? ?? What can we do as a community to support and empower more women to become founders? ?? How can women navigate and access the networks that often control funding opportunities? A huge thank you to our moderator Sophie Burkholder for leading such an insightful discussion, and to our panelists: ?? Rezzan A. Kose, PhD of 412 Venture Fund LP ?? Meredith Meyer Grelli of Project Olympus CMU ?? Lindsay Fairman of BlueTreeVC Your expertise and perspectives made this conversation incredibly impactful. The energy in the room was inspiring, and the insights shared were powerful. It was a reminder that investing in women is not just about funding—it's about changing the system, amplifying voices, and building a more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem. Let’s keep the momentum going. ?? If you attended, what was your biggest takeaway from the discussion? Drop your thoughts in the comments! ?? Photo credit: Elisa Cevallos ?? Video credit: Jasmine Leftwich
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