Must Be Talking To An Angel: More Investors Are Focused On Women Entrepreneurs

Since there is a wave of women entrepreneurs, it stands to reason that are women angel investors and venture capital executives. The Harvard Business Review has an article about angel investors. There are a few angel investor firms who are focused on women entrepreneurs, 500 Startups, Golden Seeds and Pipeline. In addition, there are individuals who have made angel investments to women-founded startup. You can look up women angel investors on Angel List. I only found a few including Marissa Mayer, Maria Thomas, Donna Wells and Christine Tsai.

According to the Kauffman Foundation, venture funds with women on their teams invest in women founders 70%of the time. In short, the more women investors at the table, the more women run companies are funded, and the pipeline of women run companies grows. The difference is that women entrepreneurs bring in 20% more revenue with 50% less money invested; therefore, investors who expand their networks to include more women founders will be more likely to reap the rewards.

 

 

British Columbia Provides Mentoring Program For Female Entrepreneurs

From our neighbors to the North, I read about a great program in British Columbia.

The B.C. government is providing $100,000 in funding to support the fifth and final year of a mentoring program designed to foster female entrepreneurial and small business growth in the province. The money is directed to the Women’s Enterprise Centre (WEC) which has administered the Taking the Leap to Entrepreneurship Mentoring program since 2007.

The program provides one-on-one mentoring, peer mentoring groups and mentor advisory forums to B.C. female entrepreneurs. Graduates are trained to handle the challenges of running a business, as the program provides business development skills, teaches participants to achieve work/life balance, and directs them to business resources.

Study: Women Get Fewer Game-Changing Leadership Roles

Marissa  Mayer is one of the few. Studies have shown that the representation of women in the senior ranks has been virtually unchanged for years, despite considerable organizational investment in talent management systems. According to a study by Catalyst, women rarely get game changing leadership roles.

via Study: Women Get Fewer Game-Changing Leadership Roles – Christine Silva and Herminia Ibarra – Harvard Business Review.

 

India: Mobile Technology Empowers Women, Enables Wealth

“Across the board, nobody wants to do accounting,”  said Shivani Siroya, founder and CEO of inVenture, a global credit scoring company. ”It’s difficult or  they’re lazy or they don’t see the purpose.”

Her company, currently working in India, is trying to change that with a product called InSight, an accounting tool that works through SMS to help low-income individuals and business owners do basic accounting and financial tracking. Within 15 days, the tool creates a unique credit score and links qualified users to various financial institutions to help them obtain capital, such as personal loans or insurance.

via Mobile Technology Empowers Women, Enables Wealth | Benevolent Media | Celebrating Storytelling and Design for Good.

Advice From Women Who Have Built Their Dream Careers – Oprah.com

Be Open to Anything”A friend asked if I wanted to do a food trade show with her. I brought a few products with me, not expecting to sell or anything—and suddenly we got all these orders! I had no idea how we were going to package or prepare so much so quickly, but I never say no unless I completely understand why it cant be done. I think how you approach obstacles is a big part of being successful—you cant give up.”—Alisa Barry, Chef and Owner, Bella Cucina Artful Food

via Advice From Women Who Have Built Their Dream Careers – Oprah.com.

 

Lucky Ant Is Kickstarter For Local Small Businesses

How Lucky Ant Works from Lucky Ant on Vimeo.

If you are considering to raise money for your business via crowdfunding, then you may want to check out Lucky Ant.

Like successful crowdfunding site Kickstarter, Lucky Ant allows people to pledge different amounts, in return for incentives offered up by the merchants like VIP treatment and other perks. However, by focusing on small local businesses (currently only in New York, but with plans to expand soon) this platform gives owners a way to build customer loyalty with members of the community, creating a model for sustaining their businesses over the long term, while also enabling them to raise capital for immediate improvements.

via PSFK: http://www.psfk.com/2012/01/kickstarter-like-crowdfunding-platform-for-local-merchants-launches.html#ixzz1iVSPr035

Apply Now: Women Innovate Mobile

Via NY Convergence, we hear about Women Innovate Mobile

“Companies and entrepreneurs that have the opportunity to participate in an accelerator program are given an advantage because of their access to networks and mentoring,”Kelly Hoey, co-founder and managing director of Women Innovate Mobile, told the Wall Street Journal. “There are a lot of women entrepreneurs out there but without access to networks, without access to feedback and mentoring and guidance and funding.”

Women Innovate Mobile is ameliorating the blatant discrepancy between the number of men and women in the industry, focusing on mobile technology. Hoey believes mobile is the next wave of tech development, essential for a wide range of sectors from banking to education, the WSJ mentions.

Women Innovate Mobile opened its applications last week to startups with a woman founder or co-founder and a product that is related to mobile. The accelerator will offer two to five start-ups free NY office space, mentoring and coaching, access to venture capitalists and other investors in addition to $18,000 in seed funding, $10,000 worth of product development and design support, and $10,000 worth of mobile marketing promotions, the WSJ notes.