SWITCH

When fundraising, early rejections can be a key learning opportunity. Investors who don’t believe in your target market or challenge your core mission likely aren’t the right fit. Instead, focus on finding partners aligned with your vision who understand your audience and are committed to helping you grow. Three key takeaways for startups: 1?? Quick Rejections Save Time: If an investor questions your market, it’s a signal they might not be the right partner. 2?? Showcase Traction: Prove your idea’s scalability with real-time data and customer engagement. 3?? Aligned Investors Matter: Look for backers who share your mission and can offer valuable industry insights. Success in fundraising often comes after a few “no’s,” but those lessons can lead to finding the right allies. #Fundraising #Startups #InvestorRelations #Entrepreneurship #Growth

When fundraising, early rejections can be a key learning opportunity. Investors who don’t believe in your target market or challenge your core mission likely aren’t the right fit. Instead, focus on finding partners aligned with your vision who understand your audience and are committed to helping you grow. Three key takeaways for startups: 1?? Quick Rejections Save Time: If an investor questions your market, it’s a signal they might not be the right partner. 2?? Showcase Traction: Prove your idea’s scalability with real-time data and customer engagement. 3?? Aligned Investors Matter: Look for backers who share your mission and can offer valuable industry insights. Success in fundraising often comes after a few “no’s,” but those lessons can lead to finding the right allies. #Fundraising #Startups #InvestorRelations #Entrepreneurship #Growth

VCs have touted the phrase: “We invest in founders.” That system is broken, and we need to break the cycles that have created a limited field of successful entrepreneurs and stunted the growth of both ideas and profit.

New research reveals that women leaders face bias based on 30 identity factors, including body size, marital status, and communication style—biases unrelated to their ability to lead. This underscores the need for organizations to review their promotion practices and identify if these irrelevant factors are blocking qualified women from advancing. Solutions? Companies can combat bias by applying the “flip it” strategy—ask, would we say the same thing about a man? Also, consider whether existing practices are rooted in fair assessments of merit or outdated stereotypes. It’s time to focus on qualifications, not identity. #Leadership #Equality #DEI #WorkplaceBias #WomenInLeadership #Solutions

Are you apologizing too much as a Founder & CEO? Here are several insights on how to reverse an "I'm sorry" into a position of strength. https://lnkd.in/eKQAtdXH

Let’s be real: the leadership gap is still a problem, and it's infuriating. Women—and especially women of color—have to be overqualified just to get a seat at the leadership table. A recent McKinsey report shows that men often get promoted on potential alone, while women have to prove their worth over and over again. It’s no wonder only 5% of C-suite roles are held by #womenofcolor. In politics, it’s no different—leaders from #underrepresented groups face extra scrutiny, while others slide into power without traditional qualifications. What’s the impact? A leadership system that’s stuck in the past, reinforcing old #biases and making it harder for #marginalizedgroups to break through. Read more??

Scotland's first all-female business angel syndicate, Investing Women Angels (IWA), and AccelerateHER have launched W2W, a new initiative aimed at increasing female participation in angel investing. Starting in December, the program will connect women investors and founders, offering hands-on support from experienced entrepreneurs and investors. This initiative is inspired by the success of the US model, which increased women angel investors by 40%. With the goal of closing the gender investment gap, W2W aims to scale female-led businesses globally and boost the number of women investors in Scotland. Do you think this model could be replicated in other regions? #Womeninbusiness #Angelinvesting #Femaleentrepreneurs #Scotlandinnovation #W2W

Giving good feedback is hard — especially when the person receiving it suffers from Impostor Syndrome, which makes them inordinately sensitive to anything they may perceive as criticism. Here are actionable insights to help you give better feedback??

Flo Health is making waves in the femtech world, becoming Europe’s first unicorn in the space. But it hasn’t been an easy ride. ?? Femtech, despite addressing a massive market, still faces an uphill battle in investor circles (spoiler alert: male-dominated rooms don’t always get it). CFO Tamara Orlova highlights the hurdles they’ve overcome—from tackling funding biases to pushing the importance of women’s health. Her advice for startups? ?? start building investor relationships yesterday! ?? do your research, ?? find your allies, and ?? be ready to educate. There’s no shortcut, Flo’s journey shows it’s possible. Flo’s success isn’t just about the win—it’s about cracking open the doors for more innovation in women’s health. ?? With the femtech market set to grow to $60B by 2027, this could be just the beginning. #Femtech #Womenintech #Innovation #Investing #Healthtech #Futureoghealth

At Switch, we’re all about building an innovation economy that’s truly representative. We believe in founders, capital allocators, and ecosystem players who reflect the challenges they tackle, the solutions they scale, and the humans they serve. ?? Subscribe to our newsletter for industry highlights, insights for founders, funder and leaders and opportunities to get involved?? https://lnkd.in/eDqd2hmG #Innovationeconomy #Startups #Impactinvesting #Globalinnovation #Futureofwork #Founders #Ecosystem