Previously, we shared how we’re changing the Vancouver Startup Week events calendar this year. To help our attendees discover the events they want to participate in, we’re organizing our events calendar into five tracks: funding, founders, growth, technology, and networking.
In addition to organizing our event calendar under these themes, we wanted to share insights from some of Vancouver’s top experts to help our fantastic community learn more about how to fundraise and become an effective investor, how to start their own companies, how to grow/market their companies, what they should do when developing new technology and how networking can help them build their own communities.
In Part One, we speak to Female Funders’ head Jill Earthy on how Female Funders supports female investors and what women need in order to start investing in businesses, the right way.
Since starting Female Funders in 2018, do you find that the Angel Academy attracts a certain type of female investor?
Over the past 12 months, participants in the Female Funders Angel Academy program have consisted of:
How do you believe Female Funders has changed the landscape for women who are interested in investing?
Female Funders provides education and access through a comprehensive program consisting of online content, interactive discussions with experienced investors and access to a North American wide community for further learning and deal flow. We have designed a path or a bridge to empower more women to participate in investing, who may not otherwise consider becoming an investor.
Has there been the feedback you’ve received from female investors who have attended the Angel Academy that you’ve incorporated into future cohort programs?
Since July 2018, we have hosted four cohorts of participants in the program and are continually iterating and improving the content and program experience.
What are five attributes you are looking for in potential applicants that wish to join Female Funders’ Angel Investors program?
When women are looking at getting into investing, what are the five things you believe that they should be looking for in a potential company to invest in?
+Social Impact – This is important for some but not all. There are now many opportunities to be able to realize both return and impact.
What kind of trends do you see in women moving into investing in 2019 and beyond?
Women are coming into tremendous wealth either through inheritance or through their own careers, and are looking for different alternatives or asset classes. Our recent Women in Venture Report outlined that less than 17% of Angel Investors in Canada are women, and 13.5% of partners at VC firms are women. We have a huge opportunity to change this by building on the strengths of our female leaders. By having more women participate, we will see a shift in more capital being allocated to more diverse founders and to a broader range of companies.
Women tend to invest in companies with a social purpose, and in products or services they would use, thus as new capital comes into the market we will see an increase in funding for companies that fit these profiles. My hope is that we will also see an overall shift in how investment decisions in the venture capital sector are made, focusing less on how much money is raised by a company as a measure of success and more on revenue growth and business sustainability.
Stay tuned for the upcoming 4 articles outlining insights from community leaders on founders, growth, technology, and networking. Meanwhile, check our Schedule page to see current confirmed events.